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Legal Information: California

Custody

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Laws current as of November 7, 2024

If the parent with sole/joint custody has moved far away due to military duty, can his/her relatives get visitation?

The relocating parent can file legal papers to ask the judge to give visitation rights to a step-parent, grandparent, or other family member. The judge can grant the visitation if the judge does all of the following:

  • believes that there is a pre-existing relationship and bond between the family member and the child, so that visitation is in the child’s best interest;
  • believes that the visitation will help the child’s contact with the absent parent; and
  • balances the interest of the child in having visitation with the family member against the right of the parents to use their parental authority.1

Note: These visitation rights to a family member do not affect the calculation of child support.2

1 Cal.Fam.Code § 3047(b)(3)(B)
2 Cal.Fam.Code § 3047(b)(3)(C), (b)(3)(D)

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