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I live in england. my 15 year old daughter lives in nz with her mother and mother's partner. my daughter wants to come live with me (because of trouble in the home) but has no uk or nz passport how can i resolve getting the passport?
Already Tried: IPS uk which is the passport authority and as my daughter resides in nz the application has to come from there and my ex wife refuses. i am about to start custody proceedings, which i know may be protracted, but am trying to prevent further unrest
HiWelcome to JustAnswer. A passport for a minor must be applied for by both parents under New Zealand law, so unless her mother agrees you could not get a passport. If you got a custody order that would help, but even if she had a passport she would not be able to leave without her mothers consent (coming back to the need for a court order)
is the court order the same as a custody order. have you any idea as to how long it would take to obtain a custody/court order? (or even a ball-park figure)
A court order for custody is what I meant. I do not know about the time in the UK courts, but if this was in the New Zealand Family Courts expect 9-12 months from application to a hearing. At age 15 your daughter would have some say in this, and by ageXXXXXwould not make an order. She could leave home at that point and travel over, but she would still need a passport
at 16 does she need parental signatures, from both parents, or can she apply on her own . or can just one parent sign i.e. me?
At age 16 she can apply on her own so this may be the answer if she is close to turning 16. She could get the passport and go to you to live.
i have spoken to a school counsellor and they tell me that CYF can help with travel documents should i not be able to get a passport for her , do you know of this.(apparently they would only do this if they deemed it more beneficial for her to be with me)
That is partly correct, but the mother still needs to consent until she is 16. But if the girl is taken away by CYFS this may be different because they would obtain a court order to remove her, and at that point sending her to you may become an option.
Experience: LLB MMgt FAMINZ 32 years qualified as lawyer