§ 19-11-162.Filing in Georgia tribunal required for registration; enforcement; modification
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 6. Enforcement and Modification of Support Order After Registration · Last amended 2024 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-162
Plain-English Summary
This short section answers three questions about a support order that has been registered in Georgia. First, when is it registered? When the order — a support order or income withholding order issued in another state, or a foreign support order — is filed in the registering tribunal of Georgia. The filing itself is the act of registration.
Second, what does registration do? A registered support order from another state or a foreign country is enforceable in the same manner, and subject to the same procedures, as an order a Georgia tribunal issued. That means Georgia’s collection tools are available, while § 19-11-163 decides which state’s law governs matters like the amount and duration of payments.
Third, what can the Georgia court not do? Except as otherwise provided in Part 6, a Georgia tribunal shall recognize and enforce a registered support order, but may not modify it, if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction. Registration for enforcement alone doesn’t open the door to changing the order. The exceptions are in the same part: a child support order of another state can be modified only when § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172 is satisfied, and a foreign child support order only as § 19-11-174 allows. The other party can still contest the registration under §§ 19-11-164 through 19-11-166. The section was last amended in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is an out-of-state support order registered in Georgia?
When it is filed in the registering tribunal of Georgia. This section makes the filing itself the moment of registration for a support order or income withholding order from another state, or a foreign support order. Under § 19-11-164, the notice to the other party must say the order is enforceable as of the date of registration.
Can a Georgia court change another state’s child support order after it is registered?
Not just because it was registered. Except as otherwise provided in Part 6, a Georgia tribunal shall recognize and enforce, but may not modify, a registered support order if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction. Modification of another state’s child support order requires meeting § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172, and a foreign child support order may be modified only as § 19-11-174 allows.
Is a registered out-of-state support order treated like a Georgia order?
For enforcement, yes. A registered support order issued in another state or a foreign country is enforceable in the same manner, and subject to the same procedures, as an order issued by a Georgia tribunal. But the law of the issuing state or country still governs matters such as the amount and duration of current payments, as § 19-11-163 explains.
Does Georgia have to enforce a support order if the other state lacked jurisdiction?
No. The duty to recognize and enforce a registered support order applies if the issuing tribunal had jurisdiction. Under § 19-11-166, a party who contests a registered order in time can raise the defense that the issuing tribunal lacked personal jurisdiction over the contesting party, along with other listed defenses, and bears the burden of proving it.
Does registering a support order in Georgia mean the Georgia court can change the amount?
No. Registration for enforcement lets the Georgia tribunal enforce the order, not modify it, unless another provision of Part 6 allows a change. Someone who wants to modify another state’s child support order must register it for modification under § 19-11-168 and show that the requirements of § 19-11-170 or § 19-11-172 are met.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 33; Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013; Laws 2024, Act 428, § 9, eff. July 1, 2024.