Child abduction

An international child abduction usually means cases where a child aged under 16 years with a habitual residence in Finland has been taken abroad without parental consent or the child has not been returned from abroad after the end of the visitation right period.

If a child has been taken to a country that is a party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window), the Finnish Ministry of Justice (Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)will help in the clarification of the abduction and provides guidance in filing the application for return.