THE PARENTAL RELOCATION PROCESS IN OHIO

Because everybody’s life has the ability to take a sudden turn that may require you to have to relocate. This includes those who have gone through a divorce and are sharing child custody or who have visitation privileges. As such, the state of Ohio has created a process which these parents must go through in order to get the court’s approval to relocate with their children over state lines. Let’s take a look at this process in a little closer detail:

FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT

When either parent of a child wishes to relocate, they must first give a notice of their intent to the other spouse. This must be filed with the court, who will then notify the other spouse of the intent and then allow them to object to the move if they so desire.

UNDERGO A RELOCATION HEARING

If the parent who is not relocating objects to the move, the court will schedule a hearing of the case before a family law judge. At this hearing, the parent who wishes to relocate must demonstrate that their move is in the best interest of their children.

The court will consider several factors in this hearing, the most important of which is the best interests of the children involved. This may include looking at the distance of the move, the involvement of extended family, and the ability for both parents to communicate and co-operate with each other.

MODIFYING THE PARENTING PLAN

Should the court permit the relocation to go forward, the parenting plan will need to be revised to better accommodate the new circumstances. This will include changing parenting time allotments that will take effect once the move happens. This can include longer periods of visitation or custody for the stationary parent in order to better accommodate increased travel burdens when it comes to moving parents.

With this process being so important to both yours and your children’s long-term well-being, it is highly advised that you have the services of a skilled Columbus divorce attorney on your side. A skilled legal advocate from Weis Law Group may be able to assist you through every step of the relocation process, from ensuring you file the appropriate paperwork to representing your wishes in the court hearing. Our attorneys have earned several legal distinctions, including a 10.0 Superb rating from Avvo®, demonstrating our legal practice excellence.

Call Weis Law Group today by dialing (614) 732-5566 and retain our legal services for your family law needs.