Hague Convention Application – Return Order Granted

We are pleased to report a successful outcome in a recent case before the Sofia City Court concerning the return of a child under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

NBLO client, a father residing in Western European state, sought the return of his young child after the mother retained the child in Bulgaria following what was intended to be a short family visit. The application was filed within the one-year timeframe prescribed by Article 12 of the Convention.

The Court determined that the country in which the father wished to secure the return of the child to was the child’s habitual place of residence, that the father had been actively exercising his parental rights, and that the retention was unlawful under Article 3 of the Convention. The Court carefully considered, and ultimately rejected, the mother’s arguments that exceptions under Article 13 should apply.

The judgment ordered the child’s return.

This case underscores the importance of acting promptly in international child abduction matters and the continued effectiveness of the Hague Convention framework in protecting parental rights across borders.