Now that it’s summer and the kids are home, you might be thinking of getting away for a family vacation. For many divorced couples, figuring out a vacation custody agreement can be a difficult challenge. This is especially true when both parents can’t agree on custody arrangements for traveling out of country. Usually, a court order for vacations with a minor child will often restrict the area of travel. Depending on your individual child custody agreement, there are a few things to keep in mind if your ex-spouse wants to take the kids on a vacation out of the country.
What You Can Do
Notify Each Other: The parent planning the trip must provide reasonable notification. This is determined case by case but generally depends on the length and nature of the vacation. It is also important to maintain communication with your ex. Ensure there is a means of communication with the traveling parent and child. Your ex should also give you an itinerary of the trip. This is important information to have in case of an emergency.
Make a Document: Whatever you and your ex decide on regarding vacation custody arrangements, get it in writing. Include as many details you want, but be sure the custodial rights of each parent are clearly stated. Enforce your travel document. If your ex breaches the terms of the document, you can sue. Enforcing your travel arrangements also puts your ex on notice that their actions might have legal repercussions.
Consider a Holiday/ Vacation Schedule: A schedule like this makes vacation planning easier for both parents. With this arrangement, travel custody for winter and summer breaks will be spelled out ahead of time. This can help you avoid an argument with your ex when vacation time comes around.
Our New York Divorce Lawyers Can Help You
While these tips can help make custody arrangements easier for divorced parents, tensions can still boil over. Some couples continue to face conflicts well after their divorce proceedings have ended. A divorce lawyer can help if you and your ex can’t come to terms on a vacation custody agreement. Our New York divorce attorneys have handled thousands of divorce, child custody, and family law cases. We stand by our winning record and will stand by you too.
Get in contact with one of our New York divorce attorneys today to get started.