For divorced or separated parents, it can be difficult just to know that your child is across town with their other parent for the weekend. It's bewildering and terrifying when your child's other parent is a foreign national and has taken them, without permission, to another country, with no intention to return.

Similarly, it is devastating to have to turn your child over to their other parent for court-ordered parenting time when you know the parent is abusive, negligent, or unstable. The temptation to take your child and flee for their safety, perhaps to another country, is strong.

At the Law Offices of Andreas Vasilatos, PLLC, we have successfully represented parents in custody matters involving international travel, including parental abduction. Whether you are a parent desperately trying to secure the return of your abducted child, or a parent who has fled to another country for your child's safety, we can help you.

Experienced Legal Help for International Kidnapping and Custody Matters

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, more commonly known as the Hague Convention, was signed in 1980 to protect children from international abduction. The Hague Convention allows for the return of the child to their home country so that the proper court can address custody disputes.

Attorney Andreas Vasilatos is experienced in Hague Convention rules, regulation, and procedure, and understands the requirements to prove that the law demands a child's return to the country from which they were taken.

If your child has been abducted by their other parent and removed to another country without permission, or kept in another country beyond the agreed-upon stay, Andreas Vasilatos, PLLC can help you. We will determine if the country in which your child is staying is a member of the Hague Convention, help you understand the process for having your child returned, file the proper documents in the proper court on your behalf, and advocate for your parental rights from the moment you enter our office until your child is safely back in your arms.

If you have taken your child to another country in violation of a custody order, we can work with you to secure your child's safety and minimize the legal consequences you will have to face.

Contact a New York Attorney with International Custody Experience

Unfortunately, international custody and parental abduction cases are often drawn-out and complex. While you wait for resolution, you need an attorney who can keep you informed and offer the compassion and support you need. At the Law Offices of Andreas Vasilatos, PLLC, we take pride in being there for our clients during this most stressful of times.

The Law Offices of Andreas Vasilatos, PLLC has two convenient locations: in Bayside, Queens and at 7 World Trade Center in Manhattan, and serves clients in all five boroughs of New York City as well as Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties. We invite you to learn more about our firm and our team, and to contact us to schedule a consultation. We look forward to working with you.