Emergency guidance
The lawful first steps, in order — who to contact today, what to prepare, and what not to do.
Emergency guide →103 countries, verified
Which countries are in the 1980 Hague Convention, from when, and the official Central Authority for each — checked against HCCH sources.
Country list →Does the Convention apply?
Membership isn't enough — the treaty must operate between your two countries. Our checker explains it honestly.
Pair checker →The real numbers
Return rates, timelines and outcomes from official HCCH studies — the data behind the process.
Statistics →What the lawful path looks like
The 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention creates an official process to return children wrongfully taken across borders — through your country's Central Authority, free of charge, backed by courts in the country where your child is. It decides where custody is handled (the child's home country), not who gets custody. Understanding this early protects your case.