International family mediation

Online mediation for families living abroad with a connection to England and Wales.

Contents 6 sections

If you live outside the UK and something has to be decided – where the children will be, what happens to a house, how a separation is going to work across two countries – this section is for you.

Families do not stay in one country any more. One parent takes a posting, a marriage crosses two nationalities, a house is bought somewhere warmer, and then a separation has to be worked out across borders, time zones and two legal systems that were not designed to talk to each other.

This practice is based in London and works under the law of England and Wales. Where a family has a real connection here – an English divorce, a child moving to or from the UK, money or property in this country – mediation can often be held online wherever the two of you happen to be. Where the connection is not there, an English mediator is the wrong person, and we would rather tell you that at the outset than take a fee.

The question that comes first

Before anything else: which country decides? It is tempting to assume that a British passport, a child born here, a wedding here or a house here settles it. None of those things does, on its own. Jurisdiction turns on matters such as habitual residence and domicile, and it is a question for lawyers – in each country involved, because each will answer by its own rules.

Mediation does not decide it and cannot. What mediation can do is stop the practical decisions waiting while the legal ones are worked out.

Countries we are most often asked about

Each of these is written for that country’s situation rather than being the same page with a name changed.

UAEFor families living between the UAE and England or Wales, where decisions still have to be made about children or money.Middle East & GulfFor families in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman with decisions to make that connect to England or Wales.SpainFor families living between Spain and England or Wales, where children, a property or a pension still have to be sorted out.AustraliaFor families split between Australia and England or Wales, where distance, flights and school years all have to be worked around.USAFor families between the United States and England or Wales, where children or finances cross the Atlantic.FranceFor bilingual families between France and England or Wales, and for decisions about children, property or a business.CanadaFor families between Canada and England or Wales, where long-distance parenting and money both need working out.GermanyFor British-German families and for parents living between Germany and England or Wales.PortugalFor families between Portugal and England or Wales, including questions about a property and about children moving between two countries.IrelandFor families between the Republic of Ireland and England or Wales, where the two legal systems are separate despite the closeness.New ZealandFor families between New Zealand and England or Wales, across the largest distance and time difference of all.

There is also a page for families in Dubai specifically, and a guide to the Hague Conventions for cases where a child has been taken or kept without agreement.

England and Wales is not the whole UK

Worth saying plainly, because it causes real confusion abroad: Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own family law and their own courts. This practice works in England and Wales. A MIAM here does not meet another jurisdiction’s requirements, and an English order does not run automatically in Edinburgh or Belfast.

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

We both live abroad. Can you still mediate for us?

Sometimes. It depends on whether the decisions you need to make connect to England and Wales – a divorce here, assets here, or a child moving between countries. If they do not, mediation in your own country is the better route and we will say so.

Is my case governed by English law because I am British?

Not automatically. Nationality is one factor among several and rarely the decisive one. Habitual residence and domicile usually matter more, and it is a question for a solicitor rather than a mediator.

Can you promise to take our case?

No, and you should be wary of anyone who does before hearing the facts. Whether mediation is suitable – and whether an English mediator is the right one – is assessed at the first individual meeting.

Do you have offices abroad?

No. The practice is in London and works online with families overseas. We hold no overseas accreditation and do not act as lawyers in any country.

Sources

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. Which country can deal with a divorce, a financial claim or a decision about a child is a question of law, and it needs advice in each country involved.

Written by an FMC-accredited family mediator Last reviewed September 2026