If your child has been abducted by a parent, a guardian, or someone acting on their behalf and taken to another country, we can:

• Give you information about various resources that may assist you in pursuing the return of, or access to, your child
• Provide you with a list of attorneys in the country where your child is located
• Answer questions from local and federal law enforcement about the Department’s role in international parental child abduction cases
• Forward a completed Hague Abduction Convention (Convention) application and monitor the case throughout the foreign administrative and legal processes.  This applies only if your child has been abducted to or retained in a country that is a Convention partner country, regardless of your or your child’s citizenship or legal status. 

We cannot:

• Provide you with legal advice, recommend a specific course of action, or represent you in court
• Guarantee the return of, or access to, your child
• Take custody of your child
• Break any laws in the United States or in a foreign country
• Pay legal fees, court costs, or any other fees associated with court cases
• Provide you with lodging  

See also: 

Frequently Asked Questions

Contacting Law Enforcement

Filing a Hague Application

Finding an Attorney Abroad