International romances are often the focus of romantic comedies and a wishful dream for young people everywhere. However, international divorces usually aren’t a part of that picture. A split between people from different countries can pose some unique challenges relating to child custody and more.
Legal systems and citizenship
It can be tricky to work out the legality of divorce and custody when working among many different legal systems, including where you should get divorced if a spouse has dual citizenship. Likely, it will be the country in which you live currently. Different legal systems may have varying views on spousal rights, women’s rights, divorce and custody, and can also have different financial consequences. Especially in an international split, it will be helpful to work with a lawyer who is experienced in complicated divorces.
Custody in different countries
When parents originate from or live in different countries, it can complicate the process of getting a divorce and figuring out child custody. Will one party move to live near the children? Will one person have primary custody? How will traveling for custody and visitation work? These questions can be incredibly challenging to answer and usually require the help of qualified legal counsel.
Cultural differences
Another factor that may cause some speed bumps are the cultural differences that come with international relationships. Both spouses’ approaches to marriage, divorce and parenting may directly conflict, often making it more difficult to mediate or find a resolution. International divorcees may want to spend extra time carefully creating a parenting plan to account for any cultural differences and varying expectations.
While the issues listed above may not represent the full extent of the challenges related to international divorce, they are all important for you to be aware of in case you ever find yourself in this difficult situation.