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How to Apply

HOW TO APPLY

You or your solicitor should contact the Central Authority for Scotland. You will find the address under the contact points and useful addresses section.

Staff will take brief details over the telephone and will send you an application form to complete, which will ask for further information. The completed form should be returned, accompanied by certified copies of any applicable court order, photographs of the child and abductor, birth certificates and an affidavit. Application forms can also be downloaded from the website.

The central authority will arrange for translations, if necessary, and will send documents by fax, airmail or courier to the Central Authority of the country to which the child has been taken or retained.

The speed and manner in which the case is conducted in the country to which the child has been taken are dependent upon the internal procedures of that country. The Central Authority for Scotland provides a point of contact between the applicant and the foreign authorities. It will do all it can to press for a speedy resolution of the matter, and will keep you or your solicitor informed of progress.

APPLICATION FORMS

All the forms listed below are provided in Adobe Acrobat format, if you are unable to open the files you may need to download a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website.

Page updated: Monday, March 14, 2005