Child abduction to Denmark from countries with which Denmark cooperates under the Hague Convention of 1980

The Child Abduction Unit is part of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing and is the Danish Central Authority under the Hague Convention of 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

The Child Abduction Unit receives and transmits applications for the return of children under the Convention. These applications for return have been submitted via a foreign Central Authority.

The Child Abduction Unit collaborates with other countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of 1980.

Go to a list of countries with which Denmark cooperates under this convention

Administrative procedures

  1. If a parent asks the Central Authority in his or her country to get assistance for the return of a child, a request is sent to the Child Abduction Unit.
  2. When the Child Abduction Unit receives the request, it is then forwarded to the family court at the place in Denmark where the child is staying. If the child’s location is unknown, the Child Abduction Unit will ask for the police’s assistance in finding the child.
  3. It is up to the family court to decide whether it is a case of child abduction. The Child Abduction Unit only handles the contact between the foreign Central Authority and the family court. If the family court decides that the child has been wrongfully removed, the child must be returned immediately to the country from which it was wrongfully removed.

The Child Abduction Unit follows the case and will keep the foreign Central Authority informed on an ongoing basis of the processing of the case at the family court and potentially court of appeal. The Child Abduction Unit does not have the direct contact to the left-behind parent abroad, as the family court appoints a lawyer for the parent.