Child Visitation & Relocation Issues in Texas

Question:  What are the factors involved in child visitation and a relocation of address?

Answer:  Relocation issues are very common in family court now. If a domicile restriction is in your last order, you may request the court to lift it under certain circumstances. The inquiry by the court involves whether the move is in the best interest of the child.

If the court agrees with you, there will be other considerations, such as who will pay for travel expenses for visitation of the child with the other parent. The Texas Family Code presumes that it is in the best interest of the child for the "moving parent" to pay any increase in the cost of travel occasioned by the move.

On the other hand, if there is no domicile restriction in the decree, the other parent may ask the court to impose one. This is frequently granted by the court if the non-moving parent has been involved with the child, pays child support, has a close relationship with the child, etc.