Family and alimony: Who pays for the passport?

Questioner

I have a question about a family related issue. My partner is divorced and he pays alimony for his son who is staying with his mother. We are taking him on holiday this year and his passport needs to be renewed. His mother literally said 'You are going on holiday with your father, so he will pay for the passport'. This came as a shock to us. If we had NOT gone on holiday with him, she would have paid the costs. In our opinion, she does receive alimony for these types of costs (unless otherwise stated in the divorce agreement, which is not the case). A more reasonable proposal would have been to split the costs, which we would have absolutely cooperated with. My question is, who is responsible for the costs of purchasing a new passport?

Lawyer

The mother pays the costs for the passport. If it is a matter of principle, I advise that your partner retains custody of the passport after the holiday. For practical reasons, you can also pay half the cost of the passport less alimony. Do you have any questions? Please feel free to ask.

Lawyer

In answering your question, I think it is important how high the amount is that is paid in alimony. If that is only the minimum contribution of 25,- per month, those costs may be difficult for mother to meet. In principle, mother will indeed have to pay those costs from the alimony. If you really cannot reach an agreement, your partner could pay the costs of the passport in advance and later try to make agreements about this with mother or settle the costs with her.