Relocation with my minor child to United States of America, Orlando (Consent and Refusal) – Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf

The world is becoming a much smaller place, and technology plays a huge role. People are moving across the world for employment, love and happiness, something that was not the norm a few decades ago. There is no reason why you should remain in South Africa if you can find a better life for yourself and your family overseas. Moving overseas may provide you with the quality of life you want or the possibility of experiencing things you always wanted. The same applies to your child or children relocating with you.

Relocation of your minor child to Orlando, United States of America

If you are single and do not have any minor children, then moving around the world would not be too complicated. All you need to do is ensure that you have the necessary travel documentation and travel ticket (and spending money), and off you go. However, if you want to travel with your minor children (for example, ages seven or eight) or relocate to another country, things may not be that simple. Firstly, if there is another parent, and he or she has parental responsibilities and rights, then his or her consent is required. For example, let us say you live in Swellendam or Seshego, South Africa, and you want to relocate to Orlando, United States of America, you would require the other parent’s consent to leave South Africa with your minor child. This can cause challenges, especially if the staying parent (in South Africa) does not agree to the relocation.

What about Passport Consent to travel or relocate to Orlando, United States of America?

The same applies when it comes to your minor child applying for a South African passport to relocate to United States, or any country. Both parents who have parental responsibilities and rights of guardianship will have to consent to the minor child’s passport application as well. In this regard, both parents have to be at the Department of Home Affairs (or the relevant bank that also assists with passport application) when making the Application with the minor child. This can be challenging if you have a disinterested parent who does not want to cooperate with the passport application. As you will see later, legal action would need to be taken.

What are the steps to follow when I want to relocate to Orlando, United States of America with my minor child? There is there another parent.

To simplify the process for relocation, the first step would be to receive the other parent’s consent in principle for the relocation and that he or she will co-operate in this regard. Once that has been resolved, the parent relocating would need to make the appointment for the minor child’s passport application as well as the application for the relevant VISA. Each country has different requirements; however, seeing that it is a relocation, you need to apply for the correct VISA. For that, you need the Passport. Once the visa and travel arrangements have been finalised, the parent remaining behind will sign a parental consent letter for the international travel. That letter can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website. Basically, the parent remaining behind would state that he or she gives consent for the minor child to leave the Republic of South Africa and travel and/or relocate to Orlando, United States of America.

What can I do if the other parent does not want to consent to the minor child’s relocation to Orlando, United States of America?

If the parent remaining in South Africa does not want to consent to the minor child’s passport application and/or his or her relocation to Orlando, United States, then you would need to approach the Court. The Court, as upper guardian of the minor child, may order that the parent’s consent for the passport application and relocation be dispensed with. What this entails is submitting Court documents explaining why you want to relocate to Orlando, United States. The other parent would also have an opportunity to give reasons why he or she objects. At the end of the process, the Court would determine what is in the minor child’s best interests. If it is in the minor child’s best interests to relocate to Orlando, United States, the Court would make it possible despite the issue of consent or refusal.

What is the first step I should take if the other parent does not want to consent to the minor child’s passport application and/or relocation to Orlando, United States of America?

If the other parent does not want to consent to the passport application and/or the relocation of the minor child to Orlando, United States – in that case, we suggest you approach an attorney or advocate (trust account) to assist you with the legal process. He or she would then contact the other parent explaining the reasons for the relocation and request the necessary consent. If the parent remaining in South Africa does still not agree to the passport application and/or to the relocation to Orlando, United States, then the attorney or advocate will proceed to take the matter to court. The legal route can be expensive. However, it is necessary to make the relocation of the minor child possible. You may also attend to the legal process yourself.

Getting legal assistance or help with your relocation application to Orlando, United States of America

If you require legal assistance or representation with relocating to Orlando, United States of America due to the other parent not cooperating or providing consent, then feel free to contact us for assistance. The Firm Advocate, Muhammad Abduroaf, deals with these types of matters.
Posted on by Telelaw

Relocation with my minor child to United States of America, Orlando (Consent and Refusal) – Advocate Muhammad Abduroaf

The world is becoming a much smaller place, and technology plays a huge role. People are moving across the world for employment, love and happiness, something that was not the norm a few decades ago. There is no reason why you should remain in South Africa if you can find a better life for yourself and your family overseas. Moving overseas may provide you with the quality of life you want or the possibility of experiencing things you always wanted. The same applies to your child or children relocating with you.

Relocation of your minor child to Orlando, United States of America

If you are single and do not have any minor children, then moving around the world would not be too complicated. All you need to do is ensure that you have the necessary travel documentation and travel ticket (and spending money), and off you go. However, if you want to travel with your minor children (for example, ages seven or eight) or relocate to another country, things may not be that simple. Firstly, if there is another parent, and he or she has parental responsibilities and rights, then his or her consent is required. For example, let us say you live in Swellendam or Seshego, South Africa, and you want to relocate to Orlando, United States of America, you would require the other parent’s consent to leave South Africa with your minor child. This can cause challenges, especially if the staying parent (in South Africa) does not agree to the relocation.

What about Passport Consent to travel or relocate to Orlando, United States of America?

The same applies when it comes to your minor child applying for a South African passport to relocate to United States, or any country. Both parents who have parental responsibilities and rights of guardianship will have to consent to the minor child’s passport application as well. In this regard, both parents have to be at the Department of Home Affairs (or the relevant bank that also assists with passport application) when making the Application with the minor child. This can be challenging if you have a disinterested parent who does not want to cooperate with the passport application. As you will see later, legal action would need to be taken.

What are the steps to follow when I want to relocate to Orlando, United States of America with my minor child? There is there another parent.

To simplify the process for relocation, the first step would be to receive the other parent’s consent in principle for the relocation and that he or she will co-operate in this regard. Once that has been resolved, the parent relocating would need to make the appointment for the minor child’s passport application as well as the application for the relevant VISA. Each country has different requirements; however, seeing that it is a relocation, you need to apply for the correct VISA. For that, you need the Passport.
Once the visa and travel arrangements have been finalised, the parent remaining behind will sign a parental consent letter for the international travel. That letter can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website. Basically, the parent remaining behind would state that he or she gives consent for the minor child to leave the Republic of South Africa and travel and/or relocate to Orlando, United States of America.

What can I do if the other parent does not want to consent to the minor child’s relocation to Orlando, United States of America?

If the parent remaining in South Africa does not want to consent to the minor child’s passport application and/or his or her relocation to Orlando, United States, then you would need to approach the Court. The Court, as upper guardian of the minor child, may order that the parent’s consent for the passport application and relocation be dispensed with. What this entails is submitting Court documents explaining why you want to relocate to Orlando, United States. The other parent would also have an opportunity to give reasons why he or she objects.
At the end of the process, the Court would determine what is in the minor child’s best interests. If it is in the minor child’s best interests to relocate to Orlando, United States, the Court would make it possible despite the issue of consent or refusal.

What is the first step I should take if the other parent does not want to consent to the minor child’s passport application and/or relocation to Orlando, United States of America?

If the other parent does not want to consent to the passport application and/or the relocation of the minor child to Orlando, United States – in that case, we suggest you approach an attorney or advocate (trust account) to assist you with the legal process. He or she would then contact the other parent explaining the reasons for the relocation and request the necessary consent. If the parent remaining in South Africa does still not agree to the passport application and/or to the relocation to Orlando, United States, then the attorney or advocate will proceed to take the matter to court. The legal route can be expensive. However, it is necessary to make the relocation of the minor child possible. You may also attend to the legal process yourself.

Getting legal assistance or help with your relocation application to Orlando, United States of America

If you require legal assistance or representation with relocating to Orlando, United States of America due to the other parent not cooperating or providing consent, then feel free to contact us for assistance. The Firm Advocate, Muhammad Abduroaf, deals with these types of matters.

Related Post

I Appealed my divorce court’s decision regarding care and contact for my two minor children to the High Court. I was successful.

After a 12-year marriage, which was in community of property, and raising two minor children, I was compelled to initiate divorce proceedings due to severe issues, including gambling, alcohol abuse, and infidelity on my husband’s part. This caused me to leave the marital home with my minor children three years ago. Since our separation, I have been the sole caregiver for our two minor children, ages 10 and 11. My primary concern is their well-being, and I have dedicated myself to their care and upbringing.

Initiating the divorce proceedings

Instituting divorce proceedings against him was the best thing I could have done for myself. He did not take this lightly and immediately defended the divorce proceedings. This was unfortunate, as I believed we could have amicably resolved the divorce. The divorce, in my view, should have been a simple one. Although we were married in a community of property, we did not have many assets. An immovable property involved a house that needed to be sold, and the bond would have to be paid so that we could have shared the sale proceeds. None of us have pension funds, and there is little debt in the joint estate. The only issue was what type of contact my husband would have with the minor children after the divorce.

The primary caregiver of the minor children

There was no dispute regarding the minor children remaining in my primary care. At the same time, I do not believe it will benefit the minor children if the father has limited contact with them. Despite our marriage problems, my husband has always been an excellent father to my minor children. They are very fond of him and him of them. Furthermore, I have spoken to the minor children regarding the divorce, and they agree that they would want to remain in my primary care.

My husband fighting for shared care of the minor children

After instituting divorce proceedings, my husband decided that he wants to have shared care over the minor children. This never made sense to me. Firstly, although he was always in their lives, he was not their primary caregiver or cared for them like a primary caregiver would. I was the one who attended to them from birth, fed them when they were babies, took them to school, assisted them with their homework, and so on. My husband was always there, playing with them and communicating with them. He would take us as a family out on the weekend to the beach for entertainment, and it was always around. However, should the minor children fall ill, I attended to them. They will come to me first if they require any assistance with schoolwork, homework, extramural activities, etc. Therefore, it would not have benefited the minor children to be in my husband’s care for half the month. At the same time, my husband, due to infidelity, was involved with other people, and therefore, I do not believe it would benefit the minor children to be exposed to his lifestyle and, at the same time, be cared for by him. However, I accept that the minor children would have to meet his new partner as she would form part of their lives. Therefore, I had no problem with him having contact with the minor children every second weekend and half of the school holidays.

Presenting my husband with a parenting plan

My attorney at the time presented my husband with a parenting plan. The parenting plan, in my view, was fair. It allowed my husband to have contact with the minor children every day of the week after school for about an hour or two. It also allowed him to have contact with the minor children every second weekend from after school on a Friday until 5 pm on Sunday. He also would have contact with the minor children for half of the long and short school holidays. He would also see the minor children on Father’s Day, Christmas Day, and other special days. On his birthday, he would also have contact with the minor children.

My husband refuses to accept my parenting plan

Unfortunately, my husband disagreed with my attorney’s parenting plan and said he would not move away for shared care of the minor children. What this meant was that the minor children would live with me for one week and with him the following week, and this would alternate until the school holidays when we would share the school holidays 50-50. It has never made sense to me because during our marriage, my husband was never available to care for the minor children, and he did not know how to assist with the homework. On top of that, the minor children did not want to be in his primary care during the week.

Seeking assistance from experts

To resolve this issue, my attorney enlisted the assistance of a childcare expert. The expert assessed what would be in the minor children’s best interest regarding care and contact after the divorce. The expert recommended that care and contact be as outlined in my attorney’s parenting plan, as outlined above. The minor children would see the father every day of the week, half the school holidays, special days, and every second weekend.

Father being unhappy with the expert’s recommendations – Approaching the Office of the Family Advocate

The father of the minor children was still unhappy with the expert recommendation. We then approached the Office of the Family Advocate for assistance office. They conducted an investigation and concluded that it would not be in the minor children’s best interest for the father to have primary care over them or for us to have shared care of them as he proposed.

The matter proceeded to Trial

Following the trial in the magistrate’s court, where I presented evidence supporting my position, the judgement was for a shared care regime, a decision I respectfully disagree with. This went against both experts and would not be in the minor children’s best interest.

Appealing the divorce court’s decision to the High Court

My attorney then appealed the decision to the High Court. On appeal, the court followed the recommendations of the childcare expert at the office of all the family advocates. The High Court was not convinced that the magistrate made a fair decision, as clearly, based on the facts I presented, the experts said it would not be in the minor children’s best interest for a shared care regime.

Assistance with an Appeal to the High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal or the Constitutional Court

Should you require assistance with an appeal to the high court, Supreme Court of Appeal, or constitutional court, feel free to contact the firm of Adv. Muhammad Abduroaf.                        

Posted on by Telelaw

What all South African expatriates (expats) should know when it comes to family law matters connected to their homeland – Divorce – Custody – Maintenance

In most countries around the world, you would find South African expatriates. They are either living in another country due to work, or other family responsibilities. Whatever the reason being for living abroad, they still consider themselves South Africans, and South Africa is their home. When someone leaves South Africa to work in another country, he or she may still have a very strong connection with South Africa from a family legal point of view. He or she may have children or a spouse still living in South Africa.  Due to the connection to South Africa, various legal issues may arise. One of those issues could possibly be wanting to divorce the spouse living in South Africa or to have more visitation or access rights to the child living in South Africa. Then there is the possibility of wishing to claim maintenance from a spouse living in South Africa while the child is living abroad with the expatriate parent.

The scope of this article in relation to South African expatriates

This article will deal with three important legal aspects, the first is that of a divorce, the second is that of child custody or guardianship disputes, and the third is that of claiming maintenance from a parent in South Africa.

Knowing your rights and the law when it comes to marriage, children and divorce

Not all expatriates of South Africa know their rights in relation to family law relevant to South Africa. He or she may not know how to divorce a spouse living in South Africa or how to claim maintenance from a parent who still lives in South Africa.  The South African expatriate may then decide not to do anything and wait until he or she returns to South Africa. This may be fine if it only relates to the issue of a divorce. But it may be problematic should it relate to issues regarding child contact and child maintenance.

Family legal issues for South African expatriates

If the spouse who expatriates to a distant country wishes to marry someone else there while still being married to somebody in South Africa, such a second marriage cannot take place. The obvious reason for that is that he or she is still married to somebody in South Africa. Therefore, he or she needs to look into the possibility of getting divorced from the spouse living in South Africa while he or she is still an expatriate in a different country.

Divorcing someone living in South Africa while you are living abroad

For a South African Court to divorce a couple, it has to have jurisdiction over the matter or one of the spouses. Not to complicate matters, basically one of the spouses has to be living in its area of jurisdiction for the divorce court to divorce a couple.  Therefore, notwithstanding a spouse living abroad, he or she may still Institute divorce proceedings if the other spouse lives in South Africa. The opposite also applies. For example, if a spouse lives in South Africa and wishes to divorce his or her spouse who lives abroad, the divorce court in South Africa can still divorce the couple.

Uncontested divorces are best when it comes to expatriates

It would be advisable that the parties agree on getting divorced before instituting divorce proceedings. The reason for saying so is that if the divorce becomes contested and both parties are living in different countries, things can become messy for both, and very expensive for the expatriate. However, if the parties cannot come to an agreement regarding the divorce, one of them have to institute divorce proceedings. As stated, such proceedings may be instituted in South Africa notwithstanding the other spouse living abroad.

The edictal citation for international divorces

If a spouse who lives in South Africa wishes to Institute divorce proceedings against a spouse living abroad, he or she will have to approach the divorce court first for consent to serve the documentation on the other spouse through a process called edictal citation. In other words, the court documents would have to be served in a manner other than the usual manner of serving legal documents. That is through the South African Sheriff. For expatriates, the court may order that the document may be served via email or through an attorney or sheriff in the foreign country.  Now we can move on to the issue of child custody and guardianship disputes.

Child custody and guardianship disputes where expatriates are involved

Child custody and guardianship disputes where one of the parents are expatriates of South Africa often occurs when one of the parents would leave South Africa for work.  Should there be a parent who wishes to leave on his or her own to work overseas; no consent would be required from the other parent to do so.

Consent for relocation of minor children

However, should a parent wish to relocate to another country or visit another country and take the minor child with temporarily for a year or two while he or she is working there, then under those circumstances, the consent of the other parent is required. This would be the case if both parents are holders of parental rights and responsibilities of guardianship over the minor child. In such a case both parents have to consent for the removal of the minor child from the Republic of South Africa. The same applies to an application for a passport for the minor child. If the father does not have guardianship rights, then his consent would not be required.

Consent for passport Applications for minor children

Although a minor child has a right to a passport as entrenched in our Constitution, if an application is made for the minor child’s passport, both parents who have parental rights and responsibilities of guardianship over the minor child has to consent to such an application. If a parent is an expatriate in another country and he or she now wishes to have the minor child travel with him or her to his or her country of work, and the other parent does not wish to give consent for such travel,  then an application would have to be made to the court for the necessary consent. Such an application can still be made while the one parent is living abroad and the minor child is living in South Africa. Communications between the parent living abroad and the lawyers assisting that parent in South Africa can be done via email telephone or video conferencing. At the end of the day, the court will decide whether or not to send the minor child to the country where the expatriate resides based on whether or not it is in the minor child’s best interest.

Child maintenance claims by expatriates

It often happens that only one parent moves abroad with the minor child and the other parent remains in South Africa. With the current cost of living, a parent may find it hard to survive abroad without financial support from the other parent. If the parent living in South Africa does not want to contribute a reasonable sum of child maintenance, then the expatriated parent may approach the relevant authorities in the country to start the legal process of claiming maintenance from the parent in South Africa.

Reciprocal enforcement agreements between countries (the REMO Act)

South Africa is a signatory to international agreements with various other countries. In terms of these agreements, countries would work together in enforcing maintenance orders in foreign countries. The relevant legislation in South Africa is the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Act (the REMO Act).  This act is applied in South Africa should an expatriate wish to claim maintenance from a parent living in South Africa. The opposite also applies. Should a parent living in South Africa wish to claim maintenance from a parent living abroad in one of the signatory countries, he or she would make use of the REMO Act. A list of the proclaimed countries or territories are as follows:
  • Australia
Capital Territory – New South Wales – Northern Territory – State of Queensland South Australia – Tasmania – State of Victoria – Western Australia
  • Botswana
  • Canada
Alberta – British Columbia – Province of Manitoba – North West Territories – Province of Ontario
  • Cocoa (Keeling) Islands
  • Cyprus
  • Fiji
  • Germany
  • Guernsey (Bailiwick of)
  • Hong Kong
  • Isle of Jersey
  • Isle of Man
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Namibia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Norfolk Island
  • Sarawak
  • Singapore
  • St Helena
  • Swaziland
  • United Kingdom
England – Northern Ireland – Scotland – Wales
  • United States of America
California – Florida
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
https://www.justice.gov.za/ilr/intmnt.html Are you an expatriate of South Africa and require advice or assistance on any of the issues mentioned above? Get in contact with us. We are certain that you found the above article useful and interesting. Please consider sharing it on the share buttons below. They include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Gmail and more. Someone may find it useful as well. Should you require business advice or services, feel free to click on these links: Business SA | Private Legal | Envirolaws    

Posted on by Telelaw

Ante-nuptial Contracts Questions and Answers

We introduced this Ante-nuptial Contracts Questions and Answers page for you to post questions you may have on the topic. For example, if you want to know what matrimonial property regime is best for you, pose a question with some background facts. At the same time, should you be able to assist others who posted questions below, requiring some advice on Ante-nuptial Contracts, please proceed and reply to their comments. In that manner, we would all be able to assist each other and increase our online knowledge base. Therefore, although we a are legal consultancy, specialising in family law, you may have problems or experiences that we have not encountered. Let us share in our knowledge of Ante-nuptial Contracts.advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorce    
We are conveniently located in the Pinnacle Building, in the Cape Town CBD. Click here to call us on (021) 4243487 or send us an email.

Other family law resources on this website

There are various other family law resources on this website that you may find useful. For example, there is a downloadable child maintenance calculator. The resources may assist you with whatever questions you have, or information you require on Ante-nuptial Contracts. Therefore, after posting your question, or any time after, have a look at the useful resources and information on our website. Some of these resources are listed hereafter.

Articles and Q&A

There are a range of legal articles on this website dealing with various family law issues. Some of these articles are straight forward, outlining the legal position on a family law related topic. For example, how to apply for child maintenance, or how to get divorced. Other articles are written in the form of answering a specific legal question. For example, do I pay maintenance if I am unemployed, or what do I do if I want to leave the country with my child, and the other parent does not want to provide consent? Those articles are in blog format. This means that you are welcome to comment or pose questions to increase our knowledge base. The clear idea behind our website is that we want to make family law legal information more accessible and available to the public.

Downloadable resources

We created some downloadable resources for free on this website. They are: 1 Free Basic Will Tool Kit 2. Free Shariah Will Template 3. Free Divorce Starter Tool Kit 4. Free Child Maintenance Calculator 5. Free DIY Urgent Child Contact Toolkit Feel free to download these useful resources. Click on the links above, and complete the online purchase process. The purchase price is R 0. Thereafter, a downloadable link would be emailed to you. Once you received the email, download it as soon as possible as the link would expire after two months. We hope that we assisted you with any queries you had on Ante-nuptial Contracts. If not, feel free to arrange a consultation with us.

advice-child-maintenance-child-custody-divorceSharing is Caring

If you find any of our articles and posts interesting, or possibly useful to others, please like and share it on Social Media by clicking on the icons below. Should you require any other legal services and advice, not related to family law, visit Private Legal.
Posted on by Telelaw

Do you require a video legal advice consultation?

Click here and schedule one today!