Representing Domestic and International Clients
International family law is governed by a wide body of international laws and treaties, including Hague Conventions. Knowledge and experience in these matters counts. Boyer Law has successfully navigated many complex cases involving international marriage and international family law matters such as international divorce, child custody cases, child abduction, and foreign child support enforcement. The Boyer Law team holds unparalleled experience in international law at the local Florida level. Founding attorney Francis M. Boyer holds the distinction of Board Certified Specialist (BCS) in International Law; one of only a handful of attorneys nationwide to currently hold this credential.
Our team can leverage our global capabilities at the local level in Florida to bring about the best results for our clients with interests in the Sunshine State and abroad. With an effective cross-border, collaborative legal network in place, our team handles cases across the Americas, Africa, and Europe. From the U.S. and Canada, to Brazil and Columbia, Dubai, France, and beyond, we have the global resources to fight to protect our clients’ best interests.
Our world is more globally connected than ever, with immigration and immigration specifically for marriage on the rise. In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that transnational marriages, that is, marriages between U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, increased some 500% over the last few decades.
With this dramatic increase in international marriage, international family law attorneys need to be well-versed in all aspects of all the intricacies of transnational marriage cases.
Many U.S. citizens as well as permanent residents get married in exotic places abroad. But there are not always aware that to be legally married there, they need to satisfy the host country legal requirements to get married.
Most of countries will request from the non-local fiancé an Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry to ensure for example that the foreign fiancé is not already married or has reached the legal age to get married in his own country.
Contact our firm to check on the requirements of the country where you intent do get married and obtain and an Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry and have your marriage authenticated by the U.S. authorities afterward.
Marriages between U.S. citizens and foreign-born individuals involve several layers of complexity with considerations like different legal jurisdictions, immigration implications, and even spousal support requirements between different countries.
If a U.S. citizen marries a foreign national and then sponsors their spouse immigrating to the U.S. based on their marriage, then the U.S. citizen is, in effect, binding themselves financially to the U.S. government for a period of 10 years for any financial assistance they receive in the process.
There are protections available for these situations, such as prenuptial agreements; however, keep in mind wherever the couple is residing is the applicable jurisdiction for any legal proceedings. The team at Boyer Law can help outline all the different factors at play in situations like these so couples can enter the marriage with all the information needed to make the best decision for their situation.
When you are engaged to a lawful permanent resident, i.e. a green card holder, but you currently don’t live in the U.S., the options for entrance into the U.S. to be with your fiancé(e) are somewhat limited. This is due to there currently being no fiancé(e) visas (K-1s) available for foreign nationals wishing to marry green card holders. K-1 visas are only for foreign nationals coming into the U.S. to marry a U.S. citizen and have their own set of rules and limitations.
With that said, there are still options that our attorneys can help you navigate to gain lawful entry into the U.S. The three best options available for foreign nationals to get into the U.S. to join their fiancé(e) including:
These options can require a skilled international family law attorney’s guidance to achieve the quickest results possible. Our team is incredibly skilled at helping international couples legally enter and reside in the U.S. according to their wishes. Schedule a consultation to learn more.
A truly important consideration to matrimonial regimes i.e., systems of property ownership between spouses, can differ drastically between countries. An experienced international family law attorney can help you create a carefully drafted marital contract that firmly addresses items such as property division, premarital property exemptions, family business protection, estate inheritance for children born of a previous marriage, and other important considerations.
Deciding what property is included in the estate and how and by whom it is managed are important aspects of marriage contracts for international couples. Our team helps to make sure our clients interests are protected and preserved in ways that avoid ambiguity.
Prenuptial agreements can help protect international couples who reside in different countries and especially for those who have international business interests. It’s important to note that prenuptial agreements should be created in the jurisdiction where the couple plans on living as there can be major differences between different countries with how property is divided if a divorce occurs.
Prenuptial agreements help to simplify an international divorce but should always be handled by an experienced international family law attorney to ensure your best interests are protected.
Enforcing foreign marital contracts in Florida takes knowledge of Florida Statutes and how they relate to the international laws governing the documents and the individuals. Leveraging the enforceability of the marital contract, Boyer Law helps our clients with a range of international marital matters such as foreign prenuptial agreements and other marital affairs.
Various forms of contracts executed outside the state of Florida can be enforceable in Florida courts when certain conditions are met. Our team knows what to look for and is experienced with how Florida courts progress these types of cases. We use this knowledge to seek the best possible outcome for our clients.
No matter how a divorce is filed, there are bound to be many unique factors to overcome. Adding in a level of complexity in an international marriage is when one or both parties are married in a foreign country, are currently residing in different countries, relocation of children is necessary, and any number of other possibilities.
Founding Attorney Francis Boyer has many years of experience specifically in international divorce cases and helping clients through what’s already a difficult time. As a leading international divorce attorney in Florida, Mr. Boyer balances all of the variables at play to help seek the most amenable resolution possible.
Of the many different issues that can come up during an international divorce, our attorneys handle matters related to:
Having a keen interest in helping our clients through international divorce cases takes an entire team of experienced professionals. At Boyer Law, all of our resources are put into gear to seek the best resolution possible for our clients through even the most difficult international divorce matters.
International child custody cases take careful consideration of the Statutes of the State of Florida, Federal laws on family issues, which are often binding with the Florida state court system, as well as multilateral treaties such as those in Hague Conventions. All of these are needed to protect the best interests of the children involved.
When preparing each case, our team has to know how to best utilize the laws on the books to get the best results possible for our clients. This takes thoughtful application of State and Federal legislation like:
As international family law attorneys, we also utilize the protection of international law to bring about a positive outcome. For example, with international child abduction cases, Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction may be applicable. This international treaty was enacted to address international child custody issues and help bring about the safe and prompt return of children that have been wrongfully relocated.
What is a foreign judgment or foreign child support award? If you received a divorce judgment or other family law order in another state or country, you may need to domesticate it in Florida. Both out-of-state and out-of-country family law judgments are considered “foreign” and must be domesticated in Florida before they can be enforced or modified. Cases involving foreign child support or alimony judgments from outside the state are complicated but having a knowledgeable attorney will help. You can count on the experience of Boyer Law Firm’s team of skilled family law attorneys.
With foreign child support or alimony enforcement, our legal team works under the prevailing Hague Convention and host-country legal system, as well as the Florida Courts, in order to seek restitution for our clients. A process known as domestication of a foreign judgement is allowed when the defendant lives or owns property in Florida.
There are a great many tools at our team’s disposal under the law that allows us to hold parties accountable for their spousal support obligations. These may include wage garnishment, passport restrictions, professional license suspensions, and other remedies.
When a child is born abroad, the simple fact that his parents, or at least one of them, is American, is not enough for him to acquire U.S. citizenship. His/her parents must prove his citizenship eligibility.
Boyer Law Firm, P.L. can assist the new parents to apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States
Even when businesses are not family-owned and operated, there are still a great many coinciding areas of influence between international business cases and family law. Our international law attorneys are skilled in many different aspects of how these paths intercede such as:
No matter how your international law matter coincides with family law, our team has the skills and experience to navigate both personal and professional legal matters simultaneously.
The entire team at Boyer Law is dedicated to one thing—being there to help our clients navigate the legal process in international family law matters in the most advantageous way possible. Our experience in international marriage, international divorce, international child custody, foreign child support and other family law matters in Florida allows us to review each case from a holistic viewpoint and then craft a roadmap towards success.
Offices in Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
