Children and custody
Legal context
Record everyday care, school attendance, healthcare, residence history and contact with each parent. Keep current decisions and any travel or relocation consent. Nationality and passport possession do not substitute for an individual analysis of the child’s interests or habitual residence. Before an international move, distinguish custody merits from any urgent return procedure and check the applicable framework.
Children and finances are separate workstreams, not automatic by-products of divorce.
Turkish courts assess custody and contact through the child’s interests and the facts of the case. A passport does not decide custody. Habitual residence, daily care, schooling, health, safety and each parent’s relationship with the child may matter. A cross-border removal or retention can also raise a separate Hague Convention return issue.
There is no universal fixed percentage for maintenance in Turkish law. The type of support, needs, resources, living conditions and evidence are assessed. Matrimonial property is mapped by regime, acquisition date, funding source, title and debt; Turkish and foreign assets may need different proceedings or enforcement measures.
Prepare for a consultation
Describe the child’s daily care, school, travel plans and existing decisions.
- List each payment and deadline separately.
- Draft a workable holiday and travel schedule.
- Identify transfers that need another official procedure.