§ 19-11-184.Filing direct requests; entitlement to assistance; preference for simplified and expeditious processes
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 3. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act · Part 7. Determination of Parentage · Last amended 2013 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-184
Plain-English Summary
A “direct request” is a petition an individual files in a Georgia tribunal in a proceeding involving an obligee, obligor or child living outside the United States (§ 19-11-180). It is the do-it-yourself route. The other route is an “application” sent through central authorities, which Georgia’s Department of Human Services handles under § 19-11-183.
This section recognizes two kinds of direct request. Under subsection (a), a petitioner may seek to establish or modify a support order or to determine a child’s parentage, and Georgia law governs that proceeding. Under subsection (b), a petitioner may seek recognition and enforcement of a support order or support agreement, and Code Sections 19-11-184.1 through 19-11-184.8 govern — the rules on registration, contests, grounds for refusal, partial enforcement, foreign support agreements, modification limits, personal information and translations.
Subsection (c) adds two protections when the direct request seeks recognition and enforcement of a convention support order or a foreign support agreement. No security, bond or deposit is required to guarantee costs and expenses. And an obligee or obligor who benefited from free legal assistance in the issuing country is entitled to benefit, at least to the same extent, from any free legal assistance Georgia law provides under the same circumstances. That doesn’t create a new legal-aid program; it opens whatever Georgia law already offers in like circumstances.
Subsection (d) is the trade-off: a petitioner who files a direct request is not entitled to assistance from the Department of Human Services. Subsection (e) keeps the door open for any Georgia law that offers simpler, faster rules for direct requests to recognize and enforce foreign support orders or agreements. The section took effect July 1, 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file an international child support case in Georgia myself without the state’s help?
Yes. This section lets a petitioner file a direct request in a Georgia tribunal to establish or modify a support order, determine parentage, or seek recognition and enforcement of a support order or support agreement. A direct request is a petition filed by an individual in a case involving someone living outside the United States. But subsection (d) says a petitioner who files a direct request is not entitled to assistance from the Department of Human Services.
What law applies if I ask a Georgia court to set support for a child living abroad?
Georgia law. Subsection (a) says that in a direct request seeking establishment or modification of a support order, or determination of a child’s parentage, the law of Georgia applies. If the request instead seeks recognition and enforcement of an existing order or agreement, Code Sections 19-11-184.1 through 19-11-184.8 govern under subsection (b).
Do I need to post a bond to enforce a foreign support order through a direct request?
No, if you are seeking recognition and enforcement of a convention support order or a foreign support agreement. Subsection (c)(1) says a security, bond or deposit is not required to guarantee the payment of costs and expenses in that kind of direct request. Section 19-11-183(d) sets a like rule for all proceedings under the convention, including those handled through the Department of Human Services.
I had free legal aid in the country that issued my support order. Do I get free legal help in Georgia?
You may. In a direct request for recognition and enforcement of a convention support order or foreign support agreement, an obligee or obligor who benefited from free legal assistance in the issuing country is entitled to benefit, at least to the same extent, from any free legal assistance Georgia law provides under the same circumstances. The section doesn’t create new aid; it gives access to whatever Georgia law already offers in like circumstances.
What is the difference between a direct request and an application under the Hague convention?
An application is a request under the convention, made through one country’s central authority for help from another central authority (§ 19-11-180). In Georgia, the Department of Human Services transmits and receives applications under § 19-11-183. A direct request is a petition an individual files straight with a Georgia tribunal. The direct route skips the central authorities, but the filer is not entitled to the department’s assistance.
Amendment History
Laws 2013, Act 224, § 1, eff. July 1, 2013.