Taking A Minor Out Of Country

by A Good Friend from Sumter County, Florida

Taking A Minor Out Of Country: If a parent has sole custody from a Georgia divorce 2008 or 2009 but now resides in Florida and father has supervised visitation but the mother will let the daughter stay only when he pays child support but now she is planning a trip to go to Turkey because she met a guy over the internet.



She plans to move there sometime this year too. This woman is my ex-roommate and I don't feel she is a fit parent. I am trying to help the daughter (13 yrs old) and the father out... what can he do and what are his rights... can the Mom take her out of school for 2 weeks to go meet some guy from the internet?

Answer to Florida Child Custody Question

Dear Good Friend,

First, as a practical consideration, does this child have a passport?

Minor's passport applications require the signed consent of both parents.

And second, a two week trip out of the country, in my opinion, is likely more educational than any two weeks spent in school.

I recall my parents taking me out of school as a child for family vacations, and it didn't seem to set back my education at all.

I agree, however, that traipsing across the planet with daughter in tow to meet someone doesn't sound like good parenting. I would find the mother's plan to move to Turkey far more problematic than going there for a visit.

There are actually a number of things that the father can do. He can request that the court order the mother to post a monetary bond to insure that she does not disappear into a foreign country and never return.

He can ask the court to order the mother not to take the child with her on her adventure to Turkey, and instead leave his daughter in school and in someone else's care.

He can ask the court to confiscate the child's passport if the child already has one, so she's not able to leave the country. But, the court may not grant any of the father's requests unless and until he gets current and stays current on his child support.

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