The U.S. Department of State serves as the U.S. Central Authority (USCA) for the Hague Abduction Convention. In this capacity, the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, Directorate for Overseas Citizens Services, Office of Children’s Issues facilitates the submission of applications under the Hague Abduction Convention for the return of, or access to, children located in countries that are U.S. treaty partners, including Sweden. Parents are strongly encouraged to contact the Department of State for assistance prior to initiating the Hague process directly with the foreign Central Authority.
Contact information:
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
CA/OCS/CI
SA-17, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20522-1709
Telephone: 1-888-407-4747
Outside the United States or Canada: 1-202-501-4444
Fax: 202-736-9132
Website
The Swedish Central Authority (SCA) for the Hague Abduction Convention is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The SCA performs an administrative role in processing Hague applications. The SCA receives and reviews the Hague application package to make sure it is complete. It confirms receipt of the application by a faxed letter to the U.S. Central Authority and, if necessary, requests any additional information or documentation. If the left-behind parent or legal guardian asks the SCA for a negotiated voluntary return, the SCA will contact the taking parent to inform him/her of the application, describe the procedure under the Convention, and ask if he/she wants to reach a voluntary agreement to avoid litigation.
If the location of the taking parent and child is unknown, the SCA will search for the child by any appropriate means, depending on individual case circumstances. In this respect, the SCA may contact other Swedish authorities, such as tax authorities, the Swedish Migration Authority, law enforcement agencies, social welfare agencies and/or schools where the taking parent and child might be located.
The SCA can be reached at:
Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
SE-103 39
Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone: 011-46-8-405-1000
Telephone: 011-46-8-405-5001
Fax: 011-46-8-723-1176
registrator@foreign.ministry.se
To initiate a Hague case for return of, or access to, a child in Sweden, the applicant should submit the Hague application package by courier to: Office of Children's Issues, SA-29, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520-2818. The Office of Children's Issues will forward the case to the SCA, which will appoint an attorney to file legal proceedings at the Stockholm District Court, which is the initial court to hold proceedings for Hague cases in Sweden. A professional judge and three lay judges adjudicate Hague cases at this level.
The Stockholm District Court then sets a date for hearing and orders the parties to present any written evidence to the court within a very limited period of time. The court will also request the presence of the taken-parent at the hearing. The USCA is available to answer questions about the Hague application process, to forward a completed application to the SCA, and to subsequently monitor its progress through the foreign administrative and legal processes.
There are no fees for filing Hague applications with either the United States or Swedish central authorities. Additional costs, which are the responsibility of the applicant, may include airplane tickets for court appearances and for the return of the child, if so ordered.
