§ 19-11-104.Applicability

Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-11-104 tells Georgia tribunals which parts of the interstate support act govern cases with an international link — a foreign support order, a foreign tribunal, or a party or child living in a foreign country — and when the Hague Convention rules in Part 7 take priority.

Full Text of § 19-11-104

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c)

(a) A tribunal of Georgia shall apply Parts 1 through 6 and, as applicable, Part 7 of this article to a support proceeding involving:

(1) A foreign support order;

(2) A foreign tribunal; or

(3) An obligee, obligor, or child residing in a foreign country.

(b) A tribunal of Georgia that is requested to recognize and enforce a support order on the basis of comity may apply the procedural and substantive provisions of Parts 1 through 6 of this article.

(c) Part 7 of this article applies only to a support proceeding under the convention. In such a proceeding, if a provision of Part 7 of this article is inconsistent with Parts 1 through 6 of this article, Part 7 of this article controls.

End

Plain-English Summary

This section, added in 2013, extends Georgia’s interstate support act to cases that reach beyond the United States. Under subsection (a), a Georgia tribunal shall apply Parts 1 through 6 of the article — and Part 7 where it applies — to any support proceeding involving a foreign support order, a foreign tribunal, or an obligee, obligor or child living in a foreign country. (Generally, the obligor is the person who owes support and the obligee is the person owed.)

“Foreign country” has a narrow meaning here. Code Section 19-11-101(5) limits it to a country that authorizes support orders and also meets one of four tests: the United States has declared it a foreign reciprocating country; it has a reciprocal child support arrangement with Georgia under Code Section 19-11-127; it has law or procedures substantially similar to this article; or the Hague support convention is in force between it and the United States.

Subsection (b) covers other countries’ orders. When a Georgia tribunal is asked to recognize and enforce a support order on the basis of comity — courtesy rather than obligation — it may apply the procedural and substantive provisions of Parts 1 through 6. The word is “may,” so the tribunal decides.

Subsection (c) deals with Part 7, which governs proceedings under the convention. Code Section 19-11-101(3) defines that as the Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, concluded at The Hague on November 23, 2007. Part 7 applies only to proceedings under the convention, and where one of its provisions conflicts with Parts 1 through 6, Part 7 controls. Code Section 19-11-181 repeats that rule at the start of Part 7.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Georgia’s interstate support law apply when the other parent lives in another country?

Yes, when the country qualifies as a “foreign country” under the article. Subsection (a)(3) says a Georgia tribunal shall apply Parts 1 through 6, and Part 7 as applicable, to a support proceeding involving an obligee, obligor or child residing in a foreign country. Code Section 19-11-101(5) defines which countries count.

Is every country a “foreign country” under Georgia’s interstate support act?

No. Code Section 19-11-101(5) covers a country that authorizes support orders and either has been declared a foreign reciprocating country under federal law, has a reciprocal child support arrangement with Georgia under Code Section 19-11-127, has substantially similar laws or procedures, or is a country where the Hague support convention is in force with respect to the United States.

What is the Hague child support convention and when does it apply in Georgia?

It is the Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, concluded at The Hague on November 23, 2007, as Code Section 19-11-101(3) defines it. Under subsection (c), Part 7 of the article applies only to support proceedings under that convention. Other international cases run under Parts 1 through 6.

What if Part 7 says something different from the rest of the act?

Part 7 wins, but only in a proceeding under the convention. Subsection (c) says that in such a proceeding, if a provision of Part 7 is inconsistent with Parts 1 through 6 of the article, Part 7 controls. Code Section 19-11-181 states the same rule.

Can a Georgia court enforce a support order from a country that doesn’t meet the act’s definition?

It may, on the basis of comity. Code Section 19-11-103(a) says the article doesn’t affect recognition of a foreign support order on that basis. Subsection (b) of this section adds that a Georgia tribunal asked to recognize and enforce an order on the basis of comity may apply Parts 1 through 6. The section uses “may,” so the tribunal has discretion.

Amendment History

Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: international child support georgiahague child support convention georgiaforeign support order georgiachild support parent lives abroaduifsa foreign country georgia