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Close enough for a weekend, far enough to need a plan – families between France and England have options that families further apart do not.
France is close enough that arrangements which would be impossible at a greater distance become workable – a weekend, a half term, a train rather than a flight. That proximity is an advantage worth building on, and it is often what makes a shared arrangement realistic here where it would not be elsewhere.
The complications tend to be about language and about property. Children raised between two languages have a connection to both that is worth protecting deliberately, and a French house or a gîte brings its own rules about ownership and inheritance that do not match the English ones.
Situations we are asked about
- Parents living either side of the Channel, with children travelling between them in the holidays.
- A French property, or a business, owned jointly.
- Keeping both languages part of the children's lives after a separation.
- An English divorce where some of the money and property is in France.
Money and property in two countries
French property is worth taking specific advice on: ownership structures and succession rules differ from the English ones in ways that can matter a great deal. Mediation can work out what you both want to happen; giving that effect in France is a job for a French notaire or avocat.
If a child is taken or kept without agreement
France ratified the 1980 Child Abduction Convention in 1982 and the 1996 Child Protection Convention in 2010, and both are in force between France and the United Kingdom.
This is a summary, not advice, and the exceptions and detail matter enormously. Our guide to the Hague Conventions explains how they work. If a child has already been taken or is not being returned, take specialist legal advice immediately – mediation must never delay that.
School years and holidays
French school holidays are staggered by zone, so Paris, Bordeaux and Nice do not break at the same time, and French half terms are a fortnight against the English week. Checking the zone calendar before agreeing dates avoids the most common source of argument afterwards.
Travel, distance and contact
The Channel makes France unusual: for much of the country a train or a ferry is a real alternative to flying, and a weekend is genuinely possible. That opens arrangements – alternate weekends, a night midweek in the holidays – that simply do not work at a greater distance.
Language and timing
Mediation is held in English. Interpreters are arranged for French where they are needed. Much of this site can also be read and listened to in six other languages.
France is currently 1 hour ahead of the UK, so sessions are arranged for a time that works in both places. Appointment times are agreed with each of you beforehand.
How this would work
Everything is held online. Each of you meets the mediator separately first – that is the MIAM, and it is where suitability is assessed, including whether an English mediator is right for your situation at all. After that, joint sessions are arranged at a time that works in both countries, or as shuttle sessions where being in the same call is not right.
A MIAM matters only if a case in England and Wales is possible; a MIAM certificate carries no weight before a foreign court. Mediation cannot decide which country has authority, cannot give legal advice, and what you agree is not enforceable until a lawyer makes it so – so independent advice, usually in both countries, runs alongside.
Where there has been abuse or controlling behaviour, mediation may not be suitable at all: see domestic abuse and mediation.
Fees: a MIAM is £125 per person and joint sessions £180 per person – full fees. The Government voucher and Legal Aid have eligibility rules most families living abroad will not meet; it is checked individually, never assumed.
Not sure an English mediator is the right choice? That is what the free chat is for. If a mediator in your own country would serve you better, we will say so.
Questions we are asked
Can we mediate in French?
The mediator works in English, Bengali and Hindi. Where French is needed an interpreter is arranged, and that is discussed with you before anything is booked.
Our children are bilingual. Can that be part of what we agree?
Yes, and it often should be. How each language is kept up, which school, time with each side of the family – these are exactly the things a parenting plan can record.
Sources
- HCCH – status table, 1980 Child Abduction Convention
- HCCH – status table, 1996 Child Protection Convention
- GOV.UK – international parental child abduction
Treaty status and official guidance checked on 27 September 2026.
This page is general information about family mediation. It is not legal advice about your own situation. Whether a court in England and Wales can deal with your case is a legal question, and it needs advice here and in France.