Can I Relocate and Move My Kids After a Connecticut Divorce?

Life goes on after?divorce, and changing opportunities and circumstances sometimes mean that one parent wants to move with the kids out of town or Connecticut. Sometimes the parent wants to move because of a new professional or educational opportunity.?Other times it’s to be nearer to extended family or a new spouse or partner.?“Relocation” is the legal term when a parent seeks to relocate and move with the kids after a Connecticut divorce.

Speak with an experienced lawyer?before?you move or?as soon as?you learn your co-parent wants to move.

Often the court’s orders in the parenting plan set out where and when a parent can move.?If the proposed move falls within those parameters, you may not have to return to court.?If it does?not?fall within the current plan, the parent who wants to move away may have to file a?post judgment?modification of the existing custody order to request permission for the move and an adjusted parenting plan.?The parent who is staying put can also file seeking to prevent the other parent from going with the kids.?If you’d prefer to reach an agreement rather than?litigate,?mediation?and?collaborative law?are options to consider.?In most cases, we submit the agreement you reach to the court so that it becomes an enforceable court order.

HOW DOES THE CONNECTICUT COURT DECIDE WHETHER A PARENT CAN RELOCATE AND MOVE THE KIDS POST DIVORCE?

In Connecticut, when one of the parents wants to relocate and move with the kids after a divorce in Connecticut, we file a motion for modification based on “relocation.”?Section?46b-56d?of the Connecticut statutes explains that the court must first determine whether the move would have a substantial impact on the existing parenting plan.

This is quite dependant on both the current living situation and the existing plan.?For example, a move within the same town might not affect most parenting plans without a required change in schools.?If one parent lives internationally, even a move across Connecticut might not impact the existing parenting plan.?However, a parenting plan could be substantially impacted if the two parents live in the same neighborhood and one parent hopes to move out of state.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTICUT LEGAL STANDARD FOR RELOCATION WITH CHILDREN POST DIVORCE?

If the court finds that the existing parenting arrangement would be significantly affected by the proposed relocation, the statute says that the relocating parent must prove that “(1) the relocation is for a legitimate purpose, (2) the proposed location is reasonable in light of such purpose, and (3) the relocation is in the best interests of the child.”

LEGITIMATE PURPOSE

Every family’s facts are unique, just as every child is unique.?Generally speaking, in the past Connecticut courts have found that better employment for the parent can be a legitimate reason to relocate.?In some cases, courts have found that proximity to extended family is a legitimate purpose for relocation.

BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD

The parent who wants to relocated must demonstrate to the court that the move is in the child’s best interest.??As we have discussed before, Connecticut courts are moving away from purely focusing on things like “primary residence,” “and whether “custody” is “shared” or “sole.”?Instead, Courts consider the actual parenting schedule and the child’s relationship with both parents.?

Section?46b-56d?spells out what the court should consider in determining the child’s best interests:

• Each parent’s reasons for seeking or opposing the relocation.
• The quality of the relationships between the child and each parent.
• The impact of the relocation on the quantity and the quality of the child’s future contact with the non-relocating parent.
• The degree to which the relocating parent’s and the child’s life may be enhanced economically, emotionally and educationally by the relocation.
• The feasibility of preserving the relationship between the non-relocating parent and the child through suitable visitation arrangements.”

The judge can also consider other factors it deems appropriate.

NEXT STEPS

The specifics of how post-divorce relocation might work in?your?case depends on the ins and outs of your family situation and your existing plan.

Our first step at Freed Marcroft, the Goals & Planning Conference, is designed to get to the heart of your problem and unveil your true goals for parenting. Once we discover your goals for your life, we are able to take our collective experience with relocation, law, strategy, courts, judges, and other lawyers, and build a plan customized for you.

Schedule your Goals & Planning Conference?today, or contact us either?here?or by phone.