§ 19-11-119.Evidentiary issues outside state; application

Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 2. Jurisdiction; Cooperation Between States · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-11-119 lets a Georgia tribunal that has personal jurisdiction over a nonresident use the interstate support act’s tools for out-of-state evidence, court-to-court communication and discovery, while otherwise deciding the case under Georgia law.

Full Text of § 19-11-119

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A tribunal of Georgia exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this article, under other law of Georgia relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside this state pursuant to Code Section 19-11-135, communicate with a tribunal outside this state pursuant to Code Section 19-11-136, and obtain discovery through a tribunal outside this state pursuant to Code Section 19-11-137. In all other respects, Parts 3 through 6 of this article do not apply and the tribunal shall apply the procedural and substantive law of Georgia.

End

Plain-English Summary

When a Georgia tribunal can reach a nonresident directly — through the long-arm bases in Code Section 19-11-110, for example — the case doesn’t need a second state’s tribunal. This section, added in 2013, says how such a case runs.

It covers a Georgia tribunal exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in three settings: a proceeding under the interstate support act, a proceeding under other Georgia law relating to a support order, or one recognizing a foreign support order. In each, the tribunal may borrow three tools from the act. It may receive evidence from outside Georgia under Code Section 19-11-135, which, among other things, says a nonresident party’s physical presence isn’t required and allows testimony under penalty of perjury by telephone, audiovisual or other electronic means. It may communicate with a tribunal outside Georgia under Code Section 19-11-136 about laws, the legal effect of that tribunal’s orders and the status of a case. And it may obtain discovery through a tribunal outside Georgia under Code Section 19-11-137.

In all other respects, Parts 3 through 6 of the article — the civil provisions, establishment of support orders, direct enforcement of another state’s orders without registration, and registration for enforcement and modification — do not apply, and the tribunal shall apply Georgia’s procedural and substantive law. The case proceeds as an ordinary Georgia support case, with the convenience of these evidence and discovery tools for the party who lives elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the out-of-state parent testify by phone or video in a Georgia support case?

Yes. In a proceeding under the act, § 19-11-135(f) says a Georgia tribunal shall permit a party or witness residing outside the state to be deposed or testify under penalty of perjury by telephone, audiovisual means or other electronic means at a designated tribunal or other location. This section lets a tribunal in the other cases it covers receive evidence under § 19-11-135 too.

Does a parent who lives in another state have to come to Georgia for the hearing?

Code Section 19-11-135(a), which this section makes available, says the physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual is not required to establish, enforce or modify a support order or to determine parentage. Other means of giving evidence, such as electronic testimony, take its place.

What law applies when a Georgia court has jurisdiction over a parent who lives elsewhere?

Georgia law. Apart from the evidence, communication and discovery tools in Code Sections 19-11-135, 19-11-136 and 19-11-137, this section says Parts 3 through 6 of the article do not apply, and the tribunal shall apply Georgia’s procedural and substantive law.

Can a Georgia judge talk to a judge in another state about our support case?

Yes. This section lets the tribunal communicate with a tribunal outside Georgia under Code Section 19-11-136. That section allows communication in a record or by telephone, e-mail or other means to obtain information about the other tribunal’s laws, the legal effect of its judgments or orders, and the status of a proceeding.

Can I get discovery from someone in another state in a Georgia support case?

The Georgia tribunal can help. This section lets it obtain discovery through a tribunal outside Georgia under Code Section 19-11-137, which allows a Georgia tribunal to request a tribunal outside the state to assist in obtaining discovery. Neither section says how the other tribunal must respond.

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: testify by phone child support georgiaout of state evidence support case georgianonresident parent georgia support hearinginterstate discovery child supportuifsa long arm georgia law applies