Ask for a lawyer referral list of specialists in international child custody and abduction cases. Ask for guidelines and a list of referrals to foreign lawyers specializing in your needs that speak English and take American clients. If you travel to the foreign country where you believe your children are being held hostage by a non-custodial parent, visit the legal bar associations in that country. To have your American custody order recognized in a foreign court, it helps to learn about comity. The word refers to a process in which the courts of different countries recognize one another's orders.
Comity is voluntary and requires reciprocity.
Your attorney should be familiar with comity and check Article 23 of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act. This act requires foreign custody orders to be honored by American courts. Learn to make decisions under stress by focusing on your most important strategies. Stay organized and decisive. You can read summaries of numerous international custody cases by writing to the Office of Citizens Consular Services.