Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMOs)

How the REMO process works

REMO is the process where a maintenance order made in a UK court for a  UK resident can be registered and enforced by a foreign court or authority against a paying parent who lives there. 

The parent who doesn’t have the day-to-day care (the ‘paying parent’) pays child maintenance to the parent or person who does (the ‘receiving parent’).

The UK has no authority to make foreign courts enforce maintenance orders.

There are times when a REMO isn't needed as the paying parent may work for a certain British organisation.

• Enforcement when a parent lives outside UK

The REMO arrangements  

REMOs are agreements with participating countries and they work both ways. This means that:

• if a receiving parent and child live abroad, they can apply for a foreign maintenance order which will be enforceable against the paying parent who is living in the UK
• if the receiving parent and child live in the UK, they can seek an order to register and enforce the recovery of maintenance orders from the paying parent who is living abroad

The details of the REMO arrangement can depend on:

• which country the paying parent or receiving parent lives in
• the agreement the country has signed

Applying for a REMO

If you are a receiving parent who lives in the UK and the paying parent lives abroad, you should contact:  

• your local magistrates' court or county court where the original order was made (if you already have an existing court order for maintenance)
• your local magistrates' court if there is no existing order

If you have an existing maintenance order, you can apply to have that order enforced in the country where the paying parent is living.

If there is currently no order, you can ask the authorities to make a maintenance order for you.

You don't need a solicitor as court staff will help you and send the application to the relevant authority in the country where the paying parent is living.

They will check the application and send it to the court for registration and enforcement.

REMOs in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service handle all REMO applications between Northern Ireland and countries outside the UK.

• Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service

For more information about REMOs, contact:

• reciprocalenforcement@courtsni.gov.uk

Enforcement

If you make a REMO application, it will be enforced according to the laws in the country where the paying parents lives - not UK laws.

The UK has no authority:

• to make foreign courts enforce maintenance orders
• to set a timescale for enforcement, as the system is based on mutual agreement

Countries with a REMO agreement

The following table lists countries that have a REMO agreement with the UK.

More useful links

• Enforcement when a parent lives outside UK
• Legal action Child Maintenance Service can take