Intergovernmental

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Services not provided:

We do not

• Handle custody or visitation matters
• Handle divorces
• Obtain or enforce restraining orders

Who can enroll

Either parent, or a legal guardian, can enroll in services whether or not a child support court order exists. If you already have a court order, Child Support Services offers neutral assistance with every part of the process, keeps records, and helps both parties stay on track. If you do not have an order, enrolling in services means your local child support agency will help you locate the other parent, establish legal paternity/parentage if required, get a court order and see that it is enforced in every state and many foreign countries.

Our new simplified enrollment form makes it quick and easy to enroll in services.

If you live overseas or outside of California

Fill out an enrollment form for child support if you live in another country and the other parent lives in California.

If you or the parent ordered to pay support live in California

Enroll for child support services either online or in your local child support office if the other parent has moved to another country or state.

Establishment

An application for establishment of a child support order is appropriate when there is no existing support order, including where necessary, the establishment of parentage. It may also be used when recognition and enforcement of an existing support order is not possible in the requested State or is refused.

Application for establishment of a child support and/or parentage order must include the following documents:

• Birth certificate for each child for whom support is sought
• Acknowledgement of parentage by the debtor/obligor
• Certificate of marriage or similar relationship and date of divorce/separation
• Evidence supporting obligation to provide support
• Statement of arrears or payment history
• Financial information about the person being sought for support/seeking support
• Additional documents/information that may be required based on facts of case and law of the requested U.S. state or country

Enforcement

Cooperation between states, tribes, and countries

A child support agency must provide services even when the child or a parent lives outside of the agency’s jurisdiction. Collecting payments can be a challenge when the paying parent (the noncustodial parent) doesn’t live in the same state or jurisdiction as the child.

Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA)

UIFSA assures that only one child support order is enforced for current support when multiple states are involved. Courts of all U.S. territories, states, and tribes must abide by a child support order issued by another state or tribal agency with jurisdiction over the parties. The law also allows a child support agency to work a case involving an out-of-state noncustodial parent if certain conditions are met.

UIFSA has procedures that allow a child support agency (or private attorney) to refer a case to another state to establish, change, or enforce a support order. For example, that referral can be to the court or child support agency in the state where the noncustodial parent lives.

UIFSA does not apply to tribes. Talk to your local child support agency if the noncustodial parent lives in a tribal community.

Service of process and communicating with the responding state

Service of process means legally notifying or providing legal notice to the noncustodial parent to establish a child support order. Once a state finds the noncustodial parent, it has 90 days to serve notice. Most orders should be established within six months of service.

The responding state is where the noncustodial parent lives or works. The initiating state is the state or tribal program or an agency in a country where the custodial parent has applied for or is receiving services.

The initiating state has 30 days to provide any requested information to the responding state (tribal agencies do not have this requirement).

Central Registry

Every state child support agency has a Central Registry office to receive interstate child support cases. This office makes sure the case information is complete before sending it to the local office. The Central Registry also responds to inquiries from out-of-state child support offices.

Tribal cases

Federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations are authorized to operate child support programs, but not all do.

See the list of current tribal child support programs

If your tribe has a child support agency, work through that office to establish and enforce an order. The tribal child support agency can provide services to establish and enforce an order even if the noncustodial parent is non-Native or resides in another jurisdiction. You can also apply for child support services with the appropriate state office or another tribe’s child support office.  

If the noncustodial parent is a member of a tribe that has a child support agency, income withholding orders can be processed through that tribal child support agency. The caseworker will present the income withholding order to the tribal enterprise for processing and income withholding. If the noncustodial parent is a member of or employed by a tribe that does not operate a child support program, your caseworker can contact the tribal court to ask about procedures for honoring an income withholding order. Tribes may have an office that handles child support cases even if they don’t operate their own child support program.  

Read more about tribes with child support programs

International cases  

The U.S. government has arranged for reciprocal child support services with dozens of countries under an international treaty called the Hague Child Support Convention, as well as under a few one-to-one agreements with individual countries. See the list of countries that have reciprocity agreements with the United States. These formal agreements specify procedures for establishing and enforcing child support orders across international borders. Requirements for getting an enforcement action may vary depending on the laws in the other country. Still, a parent in the U.S. needs to provide their local child support agency with the same information as for a domestic case, such as the noncustodial parent’s address and employer.  

If the noncustodial parent works for an American company or a foreign company with offices in the United States, income withholding might work even if the country where the noncustodial parent lives does not have a formal agreement to enforce a U.S. order.  Contact your local child support agency to see if they can provide any services and keep in mind that services are likely to be limited.

If there is no federal-level reciprocity agreement with the country where the other parent lives, check with your state child support agency. Some state agencies have “state-level” agreements with foreign countries. Look up your state in the Intergovernmental Reference Guide to see if it has an agreement.

If needed, the websites of U.S. Embassies provide lists of local attorneys who have expressed a willingness to help Americans with legal matters in those countries. Visit the relevant U.S. Embassy website, and search for “Legal Assistance.”

Contact your child support office to learn how international cases are handled in your state.

Find a local Child Support Office