Child Custody Lawyers in China

A custody assessment should begin with the child’s present life and a workable future plan, not a parent’s preferred label. Counsel should map age and development, current care, attachment, health, education, safety, each parent’s availability and conduct, the child’s views where appropriate, siblings and support network, housing, contact, travel and relocation. Divorce, parentage, domestic violence, concealment or removal of a child, and cross-border residence can change the procedure and the evidence required. The proposed arrangement should therefore address daily care, major decisions, contact, handovers, expenses, travel documents, emergencies, review points and enforcement in the places that matter.

Questions that change the route

What is the child’s actual care and safety position now?

Record age, residence, caregivers, routines, schooling, health and special needs, attachment, siblings, the child’s expressed views where appropriate, domestic violence or neglect concerns, disputed removal or concealment, and any urgent need for protection or preservation.

What parenting arrangement is workable after separation?

Set out residence and daily care, education and medical decisions, contact and communications, holidays, handovers, travel and passports, relocation, information sharing, expenses, emergencies, support people and a method for resolving later disagreements.

Which authority can decide and enforce the arrangement?

Map marriage and parentage records, household registration, habitual and current residence, nationality, existing proceedings or agreements, location of the child and parents, service, foreign evidence, parallel cases, recognition and practical enforcement.

Evidence to organize first

• Child and parent identity, birth, marriage, household-registration, residence, immigration and travel records; complete care and residence chronology; existing agreements, orders and proceedings
• School, medical, developmental and counselling records; calendars, messages, photographs and witness material showing daily care, attachment, contact and expenses; safe evidence concerning violence, neglect, removal or concealment
• Detailed proposed parenting plan, housing and work schedules, caregiver and support network, education and treatment plan, travel and relocation proposal, handover and communication protocol, expense budget and cross-border enforcement map

Official orientation sources: Civil Code — Marriage and Family Book · SPC Interpretation on the Marriage and Family Book (I) · SPC Interpretation on the Marriage and Family Book (II). Source check: 8 October 2026.