Child taken to Brazil without your consent
When one parent takes a child to Brazil, or keeps the child there after a holiday, without the other parent's consent, the 1980 Hague Convention on child abduction applies between Brazil and most countries. The request starts in your country and the case is decided in Brazil.
Write to the lawyer on WhatsAppWhat to do now
- Contact the central authority for the Hague Convention in your country and file the return request.
- Gather the custody decision or the law that gives you custody, the child's documents and proof of the date the child left.
- Write to a lawyer in Brazil: the case moves faster when someone follows it here.
What the Convention says
- If less than one year has passed since the removal, the return is ordered, except in the cases the Convention allows (Hague Convention of 1980, Decree 3.413/2000, art. 12).
- Return may be refused if there is a grave risk to the child or if the child, mature enough, objects (art. 13).
- In Brazil the request is handled by the federal central authority, and the case goes to the Federal Court (Constitution, art. 109, III).
The firm does not promise the return or a deadline.
Questions
How long does it take?
The Convention asks for urgency, but in Brazil these cases often take months or more. A lawyer following the case here helps keep it moving.
Can I file for custody in Brazil?
The Hague request comes first: it decides where the custody case should be heard, not who keeps the child.
- OAB/MG 155.242, admitted in 2014
- Postgraduate studies in Criminal Procedure (Faculdade Legale)
- Guaxupé (MG), practice throughout Brazil
Write to us
Tell us briefly about your case. A lawyer from the firm replies by email, usually within one business day.
How to hire from abroad
- You describe the case in writing, by WhatsApp or e-mail, in English.
- The fee is agreed in a written contract before any work begins.
- The contract and the power of attorney are signed online, and payment can be made from abroad.
How to check a lawyer in Brazil
- Look up the OAB registration in the National Registry of Lawyers (cna.oab.org.br).
- Ask for the fee in writing, in a contract.
- Pay only into the account named in the contract, never to a third party.
OAB/MG 155.242, cna.oab.org.br · How to check a lawyer in Brazil · Google ★
When a person answers
The office answers in person Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm in Brasília, which is 08:00 - 18:00 (UTC-3) where you are.
WhatsApp receives messages at any time.
Page reviewed in October 2026.