Title 9 — Family Law

(a) A support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered when the order is filed in the registering tribunal of this state. (b) A registered support order issued in another state or a foreign country is enforceable in the sa…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d), the law of the issuing state or foreign country governs:(1) the nature, extent, amount, and duration of current payments under a registered support order;(2) the computation and payment of arrearages and accrual of interest on t…

(a) When a support order or income-withholding order issued in another state or a foreign support order is registered, the registering tribunal of this state shall notify the nonregistering party. The notice must be accompanied by a copy of the registered order and the documents …

(a) A nonregistering party seeking to contest the validity or enforcement of a registered support order in this state shall request a hearing within the time required by § 9-17-605. The nonregistering party may seek to vacate the registration, to assert any defense to an allegati…

(a) A party contesting the validity or enforcement of a registered support order or seeking to vacate the registration has the burden of proving one or more of the following defenses:(1) the issuing tribunal lacked personal jurisdiction over the contesting party;(2) the order was…

Confirmation of a registered support order, whether by operation of law or after notice and hearing, precludes further contest of the order with respect to any matter that could have been asserted at the time of registration.

A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a child-support order issued in another state shall register that order in this state in the same manner provided in §§ 9-17-601 through 9-17-608 if the order has not been registered. A petition fo…

A tribunal of this state may enforce a child-support order of another state registered for purposes of modification, in the same manner as if the order had been issued by a tribunal of this state, but the registered support order may be modified only if the requirements of § 9-17…

(a) If § 9-17-613 does not apply, upon petition a tribunal of this state may modify a child-support order issued in another state which is registered in this state if, after notice and hearing, the tribunal finds that:(1) the following requirements are met:(A) neither the child, …

(1) If a child-support order issued by a tribunal of this state is modified by a tribunal of another state which assumed jurisdiction pursuant to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, a tribunal of this state:(1) may enforce its order that was modified only as to arrears and…

(a) If all of the parties who are individuals reside in this state and the child does not reside in the issuing state, a tribunal of this state has jurisdiction to enforce and to modify the issuing state's child-support order in a proceeding to register that order. (b) A tribunal…

Within 30 days after issuance of a modified child-support order, the party obtaining the modification shall file a certified copy of the order with the issuing tribunal that had continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over the earlier order, and in each tribunal in which the party kno…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 9-17-711, if a foreign country lacks or refuses to exercise jurisdiction to modify its child-support order pursuant to its laws, a tribunal of this state may assume jurisdiction to modify the child-support order and bind all individuals subje…

A party or support enforcement agency seeking to modify, or to modify and enforce, a foreign child-support order not under the Convention may register that order in this state under §§ 9-17-601 through 9-17-608 if the order has not been registered. A petition for modification may…

(1) In this article:(1) “Application” means a request under the Convention by an obligee or obligor, or on behalf of a child, made through a central authority for assistance from another central authority.(2) “Central authority” means the entity designated by the United States or…

This article applies only to a support proceeding under the Convention. In such a proceeding, if a provision of this article is inconsistent with Articles 1 through 6, this article controls.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance Administration of this state is recognized as the agency designated by the United States central authority to perform specific functions under the Convention.

(a) In a support proceeding under this article, the Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance and Administration of this state shall:(1) transmit and receive applications; and(2) initiate or facilitate the institution of a proceeding…

(a) A petitioner may file a direct request seeking establishment or modification of a support order or determination of parentage of a child. In the proceeding, the law of this state applies. (b) A petitioner may file a direct request seeking recognition and enforcement of a supp…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a party who is an individual or a support enforcement agency seeking recognition of a Convention support order shall register the order in this state as provided in Article 6. (b) Notwithstanding §§ 9-17-311 and 9-17-602(a), a req…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, §§ 9-17-605 through 9-17-608 apply to a contest of a registered Convention support order. (b) A party contesting a registered Convention support order shall file a contest not later than 30 days after notice of the registration, b…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), a tribunal of this state shall recognize and enforce a registered Convention support order. (b) The following grounds are the only grounds on which a tribunal of this state may refuse recognition and enforcement of a registered …

If a tribunal of this state does not recognize and enforce a Convention support order in its entirety, it shall enforce any severable part of the order. An application or direct request may seek recognition and partial enforcement of a Convention support order.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (d), a tribunal of this state shall recognize and enforce a foreign support agreement registered in this state. (b) An application or direct request for recognition and enforcement of a foreign support agreement must be acco…

(a) A tribunal of this state may not modify a Convention child-support order if the obligee remains a resident of the foreign country where the support order was issued unless:(1) the obligee submits to the jurisdiction of a tribunal of this state, either expressly or by defendin…

Personal information gathered or transmitted under this article may be used only for the purposes for which it was gathered or transmitted.

A record filed with a tribunal of this state under this article must be in the original language and, if not in English, must be accompanied by an English translation.

(a) For purposes of this article, “governor” includes an individual performing the functions of governor or the executive authority of a state covered by this chapter. (b) The governor of this state may:(1) demand that the governor of another state surrender an individual found i…

(a) Before making demand that the governor of another state surrender an individual charged criminally in this state with having failed to provide for the support of an obligee, the governor of this state may require a prosecutor of this state to demonstrate that at least 60 days…

In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

This chapter applies to proceedings begun on or after July 1, 2015 to establish a support order or determine parentage of a child or to register, recognize, enforce, or modify a prior support order, determination, or agreement, whenever issued or entered.

(1) As used in this chapter:(1) “Circuit court” means the equity court of each county in the State of Arkansas created under § 16-13-301 [repealed];(2) “Domestic relations order” means any judgment, decree, or order, including approval of a property settlement agreement, that rel…

(a) Notwithstanding § 24-3-212 [repealed] and § 24-7-715 or any other laws of Arkansas limiting the application of legal process to any retirement plans, the circuit courts of Arkansas are empowered to enter qualified domestic relations orders to reach any and all retirement annu…

(a) Notwithstanding § 24-3-212 [repealed] and § 24-7-715 or any other laws of Arkansas limiting the application of legal process to any retirement plans, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, the State Police Retirement System, the Arkansas State Highway Employees' Retirement S…

This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act”.

(1) In this chapter:(1) “Abandoned” means left without provision for reasonable and necessary care or supervision.(2) “Child” means an individual who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age.(3) “Child-custody determination” means a judgment, decree, or other order of a court …

This chapter does not govern an adoption proceeding or a proceeding pertaining to the authorization of emergency medical care for a child.

(a) A child-custody proceeding that pertains to an Indian child as defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq., is not subject to this chapter to the extent that it is governed by the Indian Child Welfare Act. (b) A court of this state shall treat a tribe as…

(a) A court of this state shall treat a foreign country as if it were a state of the United States for the purpose of applying subchapters 1 and 2 of this chapter. (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, a child-custody determination made in a foreign …

A child-custody determination made by a court of this state that had jurisdiction under this chapter binds all persons who have been served in accordance with the laws of this state or notified in accordance with § 9-19-108 or who have submitted to the jurisdiction of the court, …

If a question of existence or exercise of jurisdiction under this chapter is raised in a child-custody proceeding, the question, upon request of a party, must be given priority on the calendar and handled expeditiously.

(a) Notice required for the exercise of jurisdiction when a person is outside this state may be given in a manner prescribed by the law of this state for service of process or by the law of the state in which the service is made. Notice must be given in a manner reasonably calcul…

(a) A party to a child-custody proceeding, including a modification proceeding, or a petitioner or respondent in a proceeding to enforce or register a child-custody determination, is not subject to personal jurisdiction in this state for another proceeding or purpose solely by re…

(a) A court of this state may communicate with a court in another state concerning a proceeding arising under this chapter. (b) The court may allow the parties to participate in the communication. If the parties are not able to participate in the communication, they must be given…

(a) In addition to other procedures available to a party, a party to a child-custody proceeding may offer testimony of witnesses who are located in another state, including testimony of the parties and the child, by deposition or other means allowable in this state for testimony …

(a) A court of this state may request the appropriate court of another state to:(1) hold an evidentiary hearing;(2) order a person to produce or give evidence pursuant to procedures of that state;(3) order that an evaluation be made with respect to the custody of a child involved…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 9-19-204, a court of this state has jurisdiction to make an initial child-custody determination only if:(1) this state is the home state of the child on the date of the commencement of the proceeding, or was the home state of the child within…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 9-19-204, a court of this state which has made a child-custody determination consistent with § 9-19-201 or § 9-19-203 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the determination until:(1) a court of this state determines that neither the ch…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in § 9-19-204, a court of this state may not modify a child-custody determination made by a court of another state unless a court of this state has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under § 9-19-201(a)(1) or (2) and:(1) the court of th…

(a) A court of this state has temporary emergency jurisdiction if the child is present in this state and the child has been abandoned or it is necessary in an emergency to protect the child because the child, or a sibling or parent of the child, is subjected to or threatened with…