A child relocation consent form is the document both parents sign when the parent with primary custody plans to move a significant distance with the child and the other parent agrees to the move. Filed with the court that issued the original custody order, it lets a judge approve the relocation and update the parenting plan without a contested hearing. Filling it out is straightforward once you know what your court expects, what the revised parenting plan needs to contain, and how to execute and file the document so a judge will sign off.
When You Actually Need to File One
Every state has a distance or geographic trigger that turns an ordinary address change into a legal relocation requiring court approval. The threshold varies widely. Some states set it at 50 miles from the current residence, others at 75, 100, or 150 miles, and a handful define it as any move across state lines regardless of distance. A few states skip mileage entirely and require court approval whenever the move would meaningfully disrupt the existing parenting schedule. If you are not sure whether your move qualifies, check the family code for your state or call the clerk of the court that issued your custody order.
Most states also require the relocating parent to give the other parent written notice well before the move. Sixty days is the most common advance-notice window, though some states require 30, 45, or 90 days. That notice typically must include the proposed new address, the reason for the move, and a revised parenting schedule. When the other parent receives the notice and agrees, both parents sign a consent form and submit it to the court. If the other parent does not respond within the deadline set by your state’s statute, the court may treat that silence as a lack of objection, but you still need judicial approval to finalize the move.
Information the Form Asks For
Courts use standardized templates for relocation agreements. Your local clerk of court’s website or state judicial branch portal will have the version you need. The layout varies by jurisdiction, but nearly every form asks for the same core information. Gather all of it before you start filling anything out:
- The case number from the original custody or time-sharing order and the name of the court that issued it.
- Full legal names, current addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for both parents, exactly as the names appear on the existing custody order.
- Full legal name, date of birth, and current address for each child covered by the order.
- The street address of the child’s current home and the full address of the proposed new home. Courts use these to calculate the distance of the move.
- The proposed move date. Build in enough lead time for the court to review and approve the agreement before you need to be at the new address.
- A clear, specific reason for the move: a job transfer, proximity to a family support system, a spouse’s military reassignment. Vague statements weaken the filing. Courts want to see a legitimate purpose that is not designed to interfere with the other parent’s relationship with the child.
- The proposed revised parenting plan. This is the section that decides most consent filings, and it deserves its own treatment below.
Building the Revised Parenting Plan
A judge will not approve a relocation agreement that says the parents will work it out. The revised plan needs to be specific enough that both parents can follow it without further negotiation, and detailed enough that the child’s relationship with the non-relocating parent is clearly preserved.
Start with the school-year schedule. When distance makes every-other-weekend visits impractical, most long-distance plans shift the non-relocating parent’s time to extended blocks: long weekends once a month, a full week during spring break, and the majority of summer vacation. Spell out exact start and end dates, including pickup and drop-off times.
Holiday rotations need their own section. Alternate major holidays by odd and even years, and be specific about when each holiday period begins and ends. A line like “Thanksgiving with Father in even years” creates arguments. “Thanksgiving: Wednesday at 6 p.m. through Sunday at 6 p.m., with Father in even years” does not.
Transportation logistics matter more than people expect. Address who books flights or drives, who pays or how costs are split, whether a child flies unaccompanied or needs an adult escort, and what happens when travel plans change after tickets are purchased. Many plans assign the cost of getting the child to the non-relocating parent to the parent who chose to move, then split the return trip, but the arrangement is negotiable and courts will accept whatever both parents agree to.
Finish with a communication schedule for the time between visits. Specify how often video calls happen, who initiates them, and which platform you will use. Something like “video call every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. in the child’s time zone, initiated by the non-relocating parent” removes ambiguity and gives both parents something enforceable.
Signing and Notarizing
Both parents must sign the completed form. In nearly every jurisdiction, those signatures must be witnessed by a notary public or a deputy clerk, because the form functions as a sworn statement. You are affirming under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate. Misrepresenting facts on the form can result in sanctions or dismissal of the relocation request.
Sign in blue or black ink. The notary will verify your identity with a government-issued photo ID, watch you sign, and apply their official seal and commission expiration date. Notary fees for a single signature are modest, typically $5 to $25 depending on where you live.
Read the verification block at the bottom of the form carefully before signing. Everything above your signature (the reason for the move, the proposed address, the parenting schedule) becomes a sworn representation to the court. If circumstances change between signing and the court hearing, file an amended agreement rather than letting the record stand inaccurate.
If Parents Live in Different States
Getting both signatures notarized in person can be logistically difficult when one parent has already moved or lives far away. Remote online notarization is now authorized in 47 states and the District of Columbia, allowing a signer to appear before a commissioned notary over a live audio-video connection and apply an electronic signature.1NASS. Remote Electronic Notarization The notary verifies identity through credential analysis of a government ID and knowledge-based authentication questions. Remote notarization carries the same legal weight as in-person notarization when all statutory requirements are met, but check with your court clerk before using it. A small number of family courts still prefer ink signatures on original paper.
Filing With the Court
Once both signatures are notarized, file the completed form with the clerk of the court that issued the original custody or time-sharing order. Filing can usually be done in person at the courthouse or through the court’s electronic filing portal. The clerk will stamp the document, assign it a docket number, and make it part of the official case record. Filing fees vary by jurisdiction, from under $100 in some courts to several hundred dollars in others. Most courts offer a fee waiver application for low-income filers.
Even though both parents agreed to the relocation, the filer still needs to complete service of process by formally delivering a copy of the filed documents to the other parent. This creates a legal paper trail proving the other parent received the filing. Acceptable methods depend on your court’s rules and can include personal delivery by a sheriff’s deputy or private process server, certified mail with a return receipt, or electronic service through the court’s e-filing system. Ask your clerk which methods your jurisdiction accepts. A private process server typically costs $75 to $150, though rates vary by location.
What the Judge Reviews Before Signing
A signed consent form does not authorize the move by itself. A judge must review the agreement and enter a formal order before relocation is legally permitted. Even when both parents support the agreement, the court’s job is to confirm it serves the child’s best interests. Judges look at:
- Whether the relocation serves a concrete purpose like employment, education, or family support rather than simply a desire for a fresh start.
- Whether the proposed parenting plan preserves meaningful, regular contact with the non-relocating parent.
- Whether the logistics of the revised schedule are realistic given the distance, travel costs, and the child’s school calendar.
- The child’s age and needs. Younger children may be affected differently by long-distance schedules than teenagers, and some courts will ask a counselor to speak with older children about their preferences.
- Whether the parents have a track record of cooperating on custody matters.
Review typically takes two to six weeks depending on the court’s caseload, and busy urban courts can take longer. If the judge has concerns, the court may schedule a brief hearing to ask questions before signing. Once the judge signs, the clerk’s office issues a conformed copy to both parents. That signed order, not the consent form itself, is the enforceable document that authorizes the move.
If the Other Parent Objects
The consent form process only works when both parents agree. If the non-relocating parent objects, the relocating parent must instead file a petition or motion asking the court for permission to move, and the other parent has a window (usually 30 days after receiving notice) to file a formal objection and request a hearing. The burden of proof at that hearing generally falls on the parent who wants to relocate, and the court’s scrutiny is much higher than in an agreed filing.
Do Not Move Before the Order Is Signed
Relocating the child before a judge signs the order is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility with a family court and potentially lose custody. A parent who moves without approval can face contempt of court charges, which carry fines and, in serious cases, jail time. Courts can order the immediate return of the child to the original jurisdiction and may modify the custody arrangement to favor the parent who was left behind. In extreme situations, an unauthorized interstate move can trigger custodial interference charges under criminal law. If timing is tight because a job starts before the court has ruled, talk to your attorney about requesting an expedited hearing or a temporary order.
Jurisdiction After the Move
Under the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, adopted in every state and the District of Columbia, the court that issued the original custody order retains exclusive jurisdiction to modify it as long as at least one parent or the child still lives in that state.2Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act Future custody disputes go back to the original court, not the court where you now live. Jurisdiction shifts only when the child, both parents, and any person acting as a parent have all left the original state, at which point the child’s new home state (defined as the state where the child has lived for at least six consecutive months) can take over.3U.S. Department of State. Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
Child Support and Travel Costs
A relocation agreement does not automatically change child support. If the move creates significant new transportation expenses like airfare for summer visits, gas for long drives, or unaccompanied-minor fees, either parent can file a petition to modify child support. Courts treat travel costs as an extraordinary expense that may justify an adjustment, but you have to show the costs represent a substantial change in circumstances compared to the existing order.
Address transportation costs in the consent form itself whenever possible. Specify who pays for flights, whether costs are split evenly or proportionally by income, and who covers unexpected expenses like rebooking fees. Judges appreciate seeing this worked out in advance because it reduces the odds of the parties ending up back in court six months later fighting over plane tickets. Keep receipts and mileage logs from the start. If you do need to request a formal support modification later, documented costs are far more persuasive than estimates.