Prohibited Steps Orders

Does your ex-partner want to relocate to another country with your children? What can you do if you don’t want them to go? Our solicitors can help.

Keeping your children in the country

If your partner has asked to take your children to live abroad, and you don’t want them to go, you can ask the court to intervene.

We can apply for a Prohibited Steps Order for you, which is an urgent order to stop your partner from making decisions about your children.

If the court grants the order, then your partner will not be allowed to take your children to live abroad.

International child relocation

Making other decisions about your children

A Prohibited Steps Order can also prevent your ex-partner from making other decisions that fall within their parental responsibility.

For example, you can stop your partner:

Removing your child from a school
Changing the surname of your child
Making a decision about your child’s medical care

The court will decide how long the Prohibited Steps Order will remain in place, but it will usually end automatically when the child is 16.

What is the process?

The application for a Prohibited Steps Order is fairly short.

We prepare a witness statement for you, explaining your reasons for seeking the PSO.
We file the application and the witness statement at court.
You pay the filing fee of £232
Together, we attend court for a hearing

In some cases, we’ll try mediation first. It can be a good idea when both parties are willing to talk and the matter isn’t urgent.

If you can agree a way forward at mediation then you won’t have to go to court.

Book a consultation

Want to find out more?

Come in and have a chat with one of our solicitors. We give you a free 45-minute consultation to discuss your situation and answer your questions. If you'd like to take it further, we'll explain the next steps.

Awards & Recognitions

We’re recognised by the Legal 500 as a Leading Firm in a number of practice areas. That means that an external, objective body has scrutinised our competency and client reviews, and found us to be one of the top family law practices in the UK.

Our lawyers are members of Resolution, so we are committed to a Code of Practice which promotes a constructive approach to family issues that considers the needs of the whole family.