Textual Amendments
F1Sch. 3G inserted (31.12.2020) by Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Act 2020 (c. 24), s. 4(3), Sch. 4 (with s. 3(1), Sch. 5 para. 8)
(1)A Contracting State shall designate a Central Authority to discharge the duties that are imposed by the Convention on such an authority.
(2)Federal States, States with more than one system of law or States having autonomous territorial units shall be free to appoint more than one Central Authority and shall specify the territorial or personal extent of their functions. Where a State has appointed more than one Central Authority, it shall designate the Central Authority to which any communication may be addressed for transmission to the appropriate Central Authority within that State.
(3)The designation of the Central Authority or Central Authorities, their contact details, and where appropriate the extent of their functions as specified in paragraph 2, shall be communicated by a Contracting State to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law at the time when the instrument of ratification or accession is deposited or when a declaration is submitted in accordance with Article 61. Contracting States shall promptly inform the Permanent Bureau of any changes.
Central Authorities shall—
(a)co-operate with each other and promote co-operation amongst the competent authorities in their States to achieve the purposes of the Convention;
(b)seek as far as possible solutions to difficulties which arise in the application of the Convention.
(1)Central Authorities shall provide assistance in relation to applications under Chapter III. In particular they shall—
(a)transmit and receive such applications;
(b)initiate or facilitate the institution of proceedings in respect of such applications.
(2)In relation to such applications they shall take all appropriate measures—
(a)where the circumstances require, to provide or facilitate the provision of legal assistance;
(b)to help locate the debtor or the creditor;
(c)to help obtain relevant information concerning the income and, if necessary, other financial circumstances of the debtor or creditor, including the location of assets;
(d)to encourage amicable solutions with a view to obtaining voluntary payment of maintenance, where suitable by use of mediation, conciliation or similar processes;
(e)to facilitate the ongoing enforcement of maintenance decisions, including any arrears;
(f)to facilitate the collection and expeditious transfer of maintenance payments;
(g)to facilitate the obtaining of documentary or other evidence;
(h)to provide assistance in establishing parentage where necessary for the recovery of maintenance;
(i)to initiate or facilitate the institution of proceedings to obtain any necessary provisional measures that are territorial in nature and the purpose of which is to secure the outcome of a pending maintenance application;
(j)to facilitate service of documents.
(3)The functions of the Central Authority under this Article may, to the extent permitted under the law of its State, be performed by public bodies, or other bodies subject to the supervision of the competent authorities of that State. The designation of any such public bodies or other bodies, as well as their contact details and the extent of their functions, shall be communicated by a Contracting State to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Contracting States shall promptly inform the Permanent Bureau of any changes.
(4)Nothing in this Article or Article 7 shall be interpreted as imposing an obligation on a Central Authority to exercise powers that can be exercised only by judicial authorities under the law of the requested State.
(1)A Central Authority may make a request, supported by reasons, to another Central Authority to take appropriate specific measures under Article 6(2) (b), (c), (g), (h), (i) and (j) when no application under Article 10 is pending. The requested Central Authority shall take such measures as are appropriate if satisfied that they are necessary to assist a potential applicant in making an application under Article 10 or in determining whether such an application should be initiated.
(2)A Central Authority may also take specific measures on the request of another Central Authority in relation to a case having an international element concerning the recovery of maintenance pending in the requesting State.
(1)Each Central Authority shall bear its own costs in applying this Convention.
(2)Central Authorities may not impose any charge on an applicant for the provision of their services under the Convention save for exceptional costs arising from a request for a specific measure under Article 7.
(3)The requested Central Authority may not recover the costs of the services referred to in paragraph 2 without the prior consent of the applicant to the provision of those services at such cost.]