Guiding Australians and expats through cross-border separations, complex jurisdiction battles, and hidden foreign wealth, fairly and fast.
A huge number of Sydney families have a foot in another country. People move here for work and keep assets back home; couples marry overseas and settle on the Northern Beaches or in the Inner West; one parent holds a second passport and family abroad. None of that is a problem until a separation puts two legal systems in the same room.
In NSW, divorce, property and parenting disputes go through the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, mainly via its Sydney and Parramatta registries. Add a foreign element and the questions multiply: which country should hear the matter, what happens to an overseas asset, can a child travel or be kept here. This is the Sydney arm of our wider international family law practice.
A cross-border matter in NSW needs a lawyer who knows the local court process and the foreign moving parts. Here’s what Sydney clients get from us.
From filing in the Sydney or Parramatta registry to how local judges handle urgent travel and parenting, you’re not paying us to learn on the job.
Sydney is home to communities from all over the world; we can talk it through in plain English or another language.
You’ll know the cost of a defined stage before it starts, not after.
It’s all we do, so a whole Sydney team stands behind your matter, not one lawyer juggling other files.
Here’s how a Sydney international matter actually runs, from your first call to resolution.
We work out which countries, which courts and which deadlines are in play before advising you to do anything.
If a child is booked to fly out of Sydney or a foreign court date looms, that jumps the queue.
No jargon dumps: clear word on where things are up to and what’s next.
We set out what’s realistically achievable under NSW and overseas law, not just what you’d like to hear.
You’ll always know what you’re paying for, every step.
A no-cost session with a Sydney family lawyer, around 20–30 minutes. You’ll leave with an honest read on your options and a clear first step.
International matters drag when no one’s pushing them along. Ours don’t.
You'll know the likely steps and rough timing in the Sydney or Parramatta registry from the outset.
A change overseas or a new court date: you hear it from us first, not the other side's solicitor.
We aim for a sensible settlement and only run to court when that's genuinely the better route.
Most Sydney matters land in one of these areas. Find yours below; each links to the page that covers it properly.
Married abroad and now separating in Sydney? You can usually apply for a divorce here if you or your spouse are Australian, treat Australia as home, or have lived here for the past year. Already divorced overseas? The first question is whether it counts here.
If a child has been taken from Sydney or kept overseas without consent, urgent options may apply.
Hoping to move abroad with your child, or stop the other parent moving from Sydney? Start here.
A Sydney home plus assets offshore? See how a settlement treats them.
Worried a child is about to be taken out of the country? Learn what a DPO can do.
Plenty of Sydney separations involve more than the family home: an apartment, an account or a business in another country. The NSW approach follows the same four steps; the overseas part just takes more digging.
The Sydney property, the super, and any overseas house, account or company all go in, regardless of whose name is on the title.
Who brought what, who paid down what, and the non-financial contributions on both sides.
Care of children, earning capacity, health and age, plus any real difficulty getting at an asset held overseas.
A split that's fair overall and that can actually be carried out across the countries involved.
Holding an asset overseas doesn’t put it beyond a Sydney settlement, though tracing and enforcing against it can mean lawyers in that country.
overseas real estate
offshore accounts
foreign businesses
international super & pensions
undisclosed assets
enforcing NSW orders overseas
When children have ties to more than one country, parenting becomes the most urgent matter of all. A few things worth knowing if you’re in Sydney.
NSW judges start with the child’s best interests, not a 50/50 split between parents.
Relocating with a child usually needs the other parent’s consent or a court order. Leave Sydney without it and the move can be reversed.
Fear a child may be taken overseas? The court can make urgent orders and add the child to the Family Law Watchlist, an AFP alert at airports including Sydney Airport.
If a child has been wrongfully taken or kept abroad, the Hague Convention may allow steps for their return.
Hague Convention applications
child abduction
Family Law Watchlist orders
recovery orders
overseas travel & contact
If a child is about to be taken out of Sydney, ring us straight away; what you do in the first day or two counts for a lot.
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Sydney legal fees have a reputation, and international matters even more so. We keep ours honest and visible.
Before you commit, we’ll tell you what your matter is likely to involve, and why.
For clearly-defined stages we’ll quote a set price, so you’re not watching the clock.
If the scope changes, we talk it through with you first.
If a step costs more than it’s worth to you, we’ll say so plainly.
A free, no-obligation chat with a Sydney family lawyer.
Short, plain-English answers to the questions we hear most. Can’t see yours? Ask us. The first conversation is free.
Divorce, property and parenting in NSW go through the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, mainly via the Sydney and Parramatta registries. Where a foreign court is also involved, an early question is which country should run the case, so get advice before filing anywhere.
Usually yes. You can generally apply for a divorce in Australia if you or your spouse are Australian, treat Australia as home, or have lived here for the past twelve months.
An overseas divorce is often recognised in Australia, but it depends on where and how it was granted. It’s worth checking before you remarry or start a property matter.
No. Our Sydney office is a base, but we act for clients across the CBD, North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and Western Sydney, and run regional and overseas matters by phone and video.
Both Sydney and overseas assets can form part of the property pool. The overseas part usually takes more work to trace, value and enforce against.
Relocating with a child usually needs the other parent’s consent or a court order. Leaving Sydney without it can lead to the move being reversed.
Yes. The court can make urgent orders and add a child to the Family Law Watchlist, which alerts the AFP at airports including Sydney Airport.
Costs depend on the matter, but we aim to quote fixed fees for clearly-defined stages and tell you early what your matter is likely to involve.
The quickest way to a clear answer is a short, free chat with a family lawyer, by phone or video, around your time zone.
Or call 1300 000 000
Our Sydney office is a local base for clients across the CBD, the North Shore, the Eastern Suburbs and Western Sydney. In regional NSW or overseas, we run things by phone and video.
Sydney CBD
Level 5, 299 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Interstate and overseas clients welcome.
1300 667 461
24/7
or call 1300 667 461
Get a Response Within 30 Mins
During business hours
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