Title 16, Domestic Relations

(a) The Division is designated as the central “State Disbursement Unit” for the collection and disbursement of all child support payments in the Virgin Islands. Effective on January 1, 1998, all child support obligations, and spousal support obligations ordered in conjunction wit…

(a) In the event that a child support obligor either:(1) owes overdue child support in the amount of $2,500 or more; or(2) after receiving appropriate notice, fails to comply with subpoenas or warrants relating to paternity or child support proceedings; the Division may, on its o…

The Division, and any federal agency authorized to conduct Title IV-D child support enforcement activities, shall have access to any system used by any Virgin Islands government agency or entity to locate an individual for purposes relating to motor vehicles or law enforcement, i…

(1) In order to facilitate the location of, and enforcement actions against, child support obligors, Virgin Islands government agencies which issue the following licenses, or which maintain records concerning the following matters, shall develop appropriate policies and procedure…

(a) In any case of child support, or spousal support ordered in connection with child support, enforced by the Division, in which overdue support is owed by the obligor who resides or owns property in the Virgin Islands, and notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a lien shall a…

(a) The Division is hereby authorized and directed to enter into agreements with financial institutions doing business in the Virgin Islands to develop and operate, in coordination with such financial institutions, a data match system, using automated data exchanges to the maximu…

(a) An employer who hires or rehires an employee shall send the Department of Labor, not later than 20 days after the date the employer hires or rehires the employee, or on a semimonthly basis of not less than 12 days nor more than 16 days apart if reporting electronically or mag…

This subchapter may be cited as the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.

(a) In this subchapter:(1) “Child” means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual’s parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of a support order directed to the parent.(2) “Child-suppo…

(a) Remedies provided by this subchapter are cumulative and do not affect the availability of remedies under other law or the recognition of a foreign support order on the basis of comity. (b) This subchapter does not:(1) provide the exclusive method of establishing or enforcing …

(a) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands shall apply Articles A through F and, as applicable, Article G, to a support proceeding involving:(1) a foreign support order;(2) a foreign tribunal; or(3) an obligee, obligor, or child residing in a foreign country. (1) a foreign support orde…

(a) In a proceeding to establish or enforce a support order or to determine parentage of a child, a tribunal of the Virgin Islands may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident individual or the individual’s guardian or conservator if:(1) the individual is personally serv…

Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of the Virgin Islands in a proceeding under this subchapter or other law of the Virgin Islands relating to a support order continues as long as a tribunal of the Virgin Islands has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its order…

Under this subchapter a tribunal of the Virgin Islands may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state, and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or a foreign country.

(a) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the petition is filed after a pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if:(1) the petition in Virgin Islands is filed before the expiration of the time allowed in th…

(a) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of the Virgin Islands has and shall exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child-support order if the order is the controlling order, and:(1) at the time of the f…

(a) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of the Virgin Islands may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce:(1) the order if the order is the controlling order and has not been modi…

(a) If a proceeding is brought under this subchapter and only one tribunal has issued a child-support order, the order of that tribunal controls and must be recognized. (b) If a proceeding is brought under this subchapter and two or more child-support orders have been issued by t…

In responding to registrations or petitions for enforcement of two or more child-support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one of which was issued by a tribunal of another state or a foreign country, a tr…

A tribunal of the Virgin Islands shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child-support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child-support order for support of the same child issued by a tribunal of the Virgin Islands, a…

A tribunal of the Virgin Islands exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this subchapter under other law of the Virgin Islands relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside the Virgin Island…

(a) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands issuing a spousal-support order consistent with the law of the Virgin Islands has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify the spousal-support order throughout the existence of the support obligation. (b) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands m…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, this article applies to all proceedings under this subchapter. (b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this subchapter by filing a petition in an initiating tribun…

A minor parent, or a guardian or other legal representative of a minor parent, may maintain a proceeding on behalf of or for the benefit of the minor’s child.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, a responding tribunal of the Virgin Islands shall:(1) apply the procedural and substantive law generally applicable to similar proceedings originating in the Virgin Islands and may exercise all powers and provide all remedies a…

(a) Upon the filing of a petition authorized by this subchapter, an initiating tribunal of the Virgin Islands shall forward the petition and its accompanying documents:(1) to the responding tribunal or appropriate support enforcement agency in the responding state; or(2) if the i…

(a) When a responding tribunal of the Virgin Islands receives a petition or comparable pleading from an initiating tribunal or directly pursuant to section 405(b), it shall cause the petition or pleading to be filed and notify the petitioner where and when it was filed. (b) A res…

If a petition or comparable pleading is received by an inappropriate tribunal of the Virgin Islands, the tribunal shall forward the pleading and accompanying documents to an appropriate tribunal the Virgin Islands or another state and notify the petitioner where and when the plea…

(a) The Division of Paternity and Child Support, as the support enforcement agency, upon request, shall provide services to a petitioner in a proceeding under this subchapter. (b) The Division of Paternity and Child Support when providing services to the petitioner shall:(1) take…

(a) If the Attorney General of the Virgin Islands determines that the Division of Paternity and Child Support is neglecting or refusing to provide services to an individual, the Attorney General may order the Division of Paternity and Child Support to perform its duties under thi…

An individual may employ private counsel to represent the individual in proceedings authorized by this subchapter.

(a) The Division of Paternity and Child Support, is the Virgin Islands Central Registry and Information Agency under this subchapter. (b) The Division of Paternity and Child Support as the Information Agency shall:(1) compile and maintain a current list, including addresses, of t…

(a) In a proceeding under this subchapter a petitioner seeking to establish a support order, to determine parentage of a child, or to register and modify a support order of a tribunal of another state or a foreign country must file a petition. Unless otherwise ordered under secti…

If a party alleges in an affidavit or a pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of a party or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, that information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or the public. A…

(a) The petitioner may not be required to pay a filing fee or other costs. (b) If an obligee prevails, a responding tribunal of the Virgin Islands may assess against an obligor filing fees, reasonable attorney’s fees, other costs, and necessary travel and other reasonable expense…

(a) Participation by a petitioner in a proceeding under this subchapter before a responding tribunal, whether in person, by private attorney, or through services provided by the support enforcement agency, does not confer personal jurisdiction over the petitioner in another proce…

A party whose parentage of a child has been previously determined by or pursuant to law may not plead nonparentage as a defense to a proceeding under this subchapter.

(a) The physical presence of a nonresident party who is an individual in a tribunal of the Virgin Islands is not required for the establishment, enforcement, or modification of a support order or the rendition of a judgment determining parentage of a child. (b) An affidavit, a do…

A tribunal of the Virgin Islands may communicate with a tribunal outside the Virgin Islands in a record or by telephone, electronic mail, or other means, to obtain information concerning the laws, the legal effect of a judgment, decree, or order of that tribunal, and the status o…

(1) A tribunal of the Virgin Islands may:(1) request a tribunal outside the Virgin Islands to assist in obtaining discovery; and(2) upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside the Virgin Islands. (1) re…

(a) A support enforcement agency or tribunal of the Virgin Islands shall disburse promptly any amounts received pursuant to a support order, as directed by the order. The agency or tribunal shall furnish to a requesting party or tribunal of another state or a foreign country a ce…

(a) If a support order entitled to recognition under this subchapter has not been issued, a responding tribunal of the Virgin Islands with personal jurisdiction over the parties may issue a support order if:(1) the individual seeking the order resides outside the Virgin Islands; …

A tribunal of the Virgin Islands authorized to determine parentage of a child may serve as a responding tribunal in a proceeding to determine parentage of a child brought under this subchapter or a law or procedure substantially similar to this subchapter.

An income-withholding order issued in another state may be sent by or on behalf of the obligee, or by the support enforcement agency, to the person defined as the obligor’s employer under chapter 13, subchapter I of this title without first filing a petition or comparable pleadin…

(a) Upon receipt of an income-withholding order, the obligor’s employer shall immediately provide a copy of the order to the obligor. (b) The employer shall treat an income-withholding order issued in another state which appears regular on its face as if it had been issued by a t…

If an obligor’s employer receives two or more income-withholding orders with respect to the earnings of the same obligor, the employer satisfies the terms of the orders if the employer complies with the law of the state of the obligor’s principal place of employment to establish …