Am I entitled to child support?

Questioner

My ex-partner and I separated in November 2019, we were never legally married but have 3 children together. The children are 11, 12 and 16 years old. He has acknowledged them as father, but I only have parental authority. Unfortunately, the communication is very poor, because he does not want anything to do with me but mainly has direct contact with the children. He was supposed to deregister from the home address where I still live with the children in April 2020, but in the end I had to enforce this through a municipal address investigation. It is not clear where he works or lives, the suspicion is that he resides in Belgium and has a Belgian bank account number. Now I am actually curious whether there is a right to child support? And what steps must be taken to receive this? From the moment we separated, I have insisted that he seek legal advice, because he appointed shared custody. But now we are 4 years later and there are still no attempts to make agreements regarding the children. It is good to know that the children took his surname a few years ago, still without parental authority.

Lawyer

Let me start by saying that I am not a substitute for personal legal advice, but I can provide some orientation information. According to Dutch law, all parents, regardless of whether they are married or divorced or whether they have parental authority or not, are obliged to contribute to the costs of care and upbringing of their children until they are 21 years old. So in principle you are entitled to child support. Your ex-partner must contribute to the costs of the children, provided that he is financially able to do so. If you cannot reach a voluntary agreement on the amount of child support, you can start legal proceedings. These proceedings can be very complicated in the Netherlands, especially since your ex-partner may be residing in Belgium. International matters, and certainly those relating to family law, can be complex and require specific knowledge. The first step in this process would be to seek legal advice. It may be wise to contact a lawyer who specializes in family law and has experience in international cases. The lawyer can advise you on your rights and obligations and the possible steps you can take. In addition, make sure you have as much information as possible about your ex-partner, such as his current address and income information. This will probably make the process easier. If this information is not available, a lawyer should be able to help you gather it. Please be aware that processes involving child support can often be lengthy and potentially emotionally taxing. Take care of yourself and your children during this process. The above steps give a general idea of ​​what to expect. For specific advice that relates to your unique situation, you should contact a specialist lawyer.' ---------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.