Welcome to the DAD.Info forum: We are not open to new posts at this time
Our forum aims to provide support and guidance where it can, however we may not always have the answer. The forum is not moderated 24 hours a day, so If you – or someone you know – are being harmed or in immediate danger of being harmed, call the police on 999.
Alternatively, if you are in crisis, please call Samaritans on 116 123.
If you are worried about you or someone you know is at risk of harm, please click here: How we can help
Hi everyone.
I have been reading a lot these last several weeks. I had my section 7 interview today, I would like to think it went really well but from experience the report might not be so.
However I have a question if anyone can please help.
Does the UK courts have any power to order me to handover my child's passport (Non-UK). I have told them I am happy to give these over if needed. I dont want them to have any reason why contact cant happen but am I legally bound to do so?
I would prefer to understand were I stand legally right now Im doing this on good will.
Thanks in advance
I was under the impression this was an active forum. I would appreciate any insight or to be pointed in the right direction. 🙂
Hi there
Yes a court can order you to hand over the passport. Should you fail to do so you would be in breach of the court order.
Its common for the CAO to contain terms such as child's passport must be handed over 1 month prior to any holidays upon request. It is important to ensure that a term like this is included in the CAO if you wish to take the child abroad as otherwise if the passport is not handed over then an urgent specific issues application will need to be made to the court in order to arrange handover of the passport.
If it is the non resident parent who withholds the passport then there is a risk that the resident parent stops future contact on safeguarding grounds claiming that preventing the child from going abroad has harmed the child which could cause no end of issues and result in going back to court etc..
Hope this helps, all the best.
Thank you for your reply.
I am some what confused now.
I offered to handover passport to mother solicitors and not the courts this was with cafcass, I was under the impression they had no jurisdiction over foreign passports. From your reply that seems to be incorrect. Could you please point out the the section of law that states this, just for my reference.
I have no issues given it over keeping in mind I am the one who has suggested this but through a court order raises concerns for me, exp given how difficult it was to get my child his dual nationality in the first place. I think I just need assurance. This self litigating stuff is difficult but we try our best.
Will I have to inform the said country embassy that I have given their passport to a UK court?
If it is ordered I give the passport to the courts, how would I get it back?
If I refuse to give the passport what are the possible implications?
I have no interest of removing our child from the UK I have made this clear to them all on record and I am the non resident parent with no contact at the moment. I am trying to seek contact.
What gets me is why with a UK court ask to for nonUK passport when I could apply for a replacement. Doesnt that defeat the purpose. Or is this a way for me to show my intent and prove I am child focussed.
I will be interest in views and insight you have. Again thanks in advance
hi,
when I was going through courts, same thing happened with me. as court order was going to state that the kids live with mother, it got ordered for me to hand over the kids passports (UK) to their mother. I imagine this was suggested by the mothers lawyer. can only assume it's to remove the risk of non-resident parent running off to another country with the child, or just to be in control. somewhere at the back of the court order, it mentions some warning or guidance about parents not to register child by another name or apply for a passport. If I want to take kids abroad on holiday, then mother is expected to hand passports to me, and I hand them back after returning from holiday.
- Samaritans – call 116 123
- Shout – text the word ‘Shout’ to 85258