Custody

If you have a child custody order from another state, and want it to be enforced in Nevada, you have to register it with a Nevada court,¹ often referred to as “domesticating a foreign judgment.”

To register your custody order from another state, you generally need to:

1. send the court the following:
   • a letter or other document requesting registration;
   • two copies, including one certified copy, of the order you want to register;
   • a sworn statement that to the best of your knowledge and belief, the order you are registering has not been modified (changed); and
   • include your name and address or a sworn statement (affidavit) that you or your child’s safety would be in danger if your address were given to the other parent;
   • include the name and address of any parent (or person acting as a parent) who has been awarded custody or visitation in the custody order you are registering;²
2. send each parent or person who has been awarded custody or visitation the following:
   • a notice, sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, that states:
   • a registered custody determination is enforceable as of the date of the registration in the same way that a Nevada custody order would be;
   • if the other parent or person wants to fight (contest) the registration, s/he must request a hearing within 20 days after service of the notice; and
   • failure to fight (contest) the registration means that the registration of the child custody determination will be confirmed no further objections can be made.³

For more specific information on registering your order, you can contact your local courthouse and ask the clerk what steps you need to take and what court forms you need to fill out. You can go to NV Courthouse Locations to find the contact information for the court in your county.

After you register your custody order, Nevada courts will have the power to enforce it but usually do not have the power to change it unless certain requirements are met.¹

To find out more about how to get a Nevada court to change the terms of a registered custody order, or for any other questions, we recommend you speak to a lawyer. To find a lawyer near you, you can go to NV Finding a Lawyer.

¹ N.R.S. § 125A.475
² N.R.S. § 125A.465(1)
³ N.R.S. § 125A.465(4), (5)