When the other parent lives in a Commonwealth or designated country

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It’s free to apply for child support if you live in New Zealand and the other parent lives in a Commonwealth or designated country.

If you have already have a Maintenance Order

If you already have a Maintenance Order you can ask that the order be registered in the other country.

Documents you need

You will need the following documents:

  • 3 certified copies of the existing Maintenance Order
  • a certificate signed by a court officer confirming that the Maintenance Order is valid in New Zealand
  • a statement of arrears (a document that shows that you are owed child maintenance) signed by a person from New Zealand Inland Revenue Child Support
  • any information about where the person is living and how to identify them.

Links:

Post or courier documents to Ministry of Justice

Postal address:
Central Authority
Ministry of Justice
SX10088
Wellington
New Zealand

Courier address:
Central Authority
Ministry of Justice
Level 3 Justice Centre
19 Aitken Street
Wellington
New Zealand

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If you don’t have an existing Maintenance Order

If you don’t have an existing Maintenance Order, you can apply for a provisional Maintenance Order through the Family Court.

Your documents will be sent to the other country with a request that the order be confirmed in the other country. The court in the other country can confirm the Maintenance Order with or without changes. A provisional Maintenance Order has no effect if it is not confirmed.

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Apply to the Family Court for a provisional Maintenance Order

Before you apply for a provisional Maintenance Order, you should talk to a lawyer. If you can’t afford a lawyer you may be able to get:

If you need help to fill in the forms you can call us or visit your local court

Find out more about affidavits and statutory declarations

  1. Fill in these 3 forms:
    Application form for order (or declaration) on notice - G5 [PDF, 47 KB]
    Information sheet - G7 [PDF, 44 KB]
    General affidavit [PDF, 38 KB]
  2. You could also fill in the following form to show your financial information:
    Affidavit of financial means and their sources – CS28 [PDF, 280 KB]

  3. File your application
    Find out more about how to file documents 

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