Can my spouse take our children out of the country?

When both parents have parental responsibility, neither parent can take a child out of England and Wales or Scotland without the permission of the other parent or the leave of the court. Without such permission or leave, that parent will be committing an act of child abduction. If there's a serious risk of kidnap, the port alert scheme can be initiated by the police to watch likely emigration points. Contact the police or a solicitor for further advice.

The jurisdictions of England and Wales and Scotland are signatories to the International Hague Convention on child abduction. This means that the courts undertake to enforce the orders of the signatory countries concerning children and to return abducted children to the country from which they were kidnapped.