{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-146.4.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-146.4.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-146.4.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-146.4.html"}],"law_id":73892,"edition_id":1,"section_id":73892,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.4","catch_line":"International application","history":"1979, c. 229, \u00a7 20-146; 2001, c. 305.","full_text":"A\n\nA court of this Commonwealth shall treat a foreign country as if it were a state of the United States for purposes of applying this article and Article 2 (§ 20-146.12 et seq.) of this chapter.B\n\nExcept as otherwise provided in subsection C, a child custody determination made in a foreign country under factual circumstances in substantial conformity with the jurisdictional standards of this act must be recognized and enforced under Article 3 (§ 20-146.22 et seq.) of this chapter.C\n\nA court of this Commonwealth need not apply this act if the child custody law of a foreign country violates fundamental principles of human rights.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":265707,"text":"A court of this Commonwealth shall treat a foreign country as if it were a state of the United States for purposes of applying this article and Article 2 (§ 20-146.12 et seq.) of this chapter.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":265708,"text":"Except as otherwise provided in subsection C, a child custody determination made in a foreign country under factual circumstances in substantial conformity with the jurisdictional standards of this act must be recognized and enforced under Article 3 (§ 20-146.22 et seq.) of this chapter.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":265709,"text":"A court of this Commonwealth need not apply this act if the child custody law of a foreign country violates fundamental principles of human rights.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13274,"edition_id":1,"name":"General Provisions","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13273,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","permalink":{"id":179225,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13274,"identifier":"1","token":"20\/7.1\/1","url":"\/20\/7.1\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13273,"edition_id":1,"name":"Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act","identifier":"7.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:33","permalink":{"id":179223,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13273,"identifier":"7.1","token":"20\/7.1","url":"\/20\/7.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":82783,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/20-146.1\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.1","metadata":false},{"id":54269,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.10","catch_line":"Taking testimony in another state","url":"\/20-146.10\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.10","metadata":false},{"id":83304,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.11","catch_line":"Cooperation between courts; preservation of records","url":"\/20-146.11\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.11","metadata":false},{"id":78363,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.2","catch_line":"Proceedings governed by other law","url":"\/20-146.2\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.2","metadata":false},{"id":60654,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.3","catch_line":"Application to Indian tribes","url":"\/20-146.3\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.3","metadata":false},{"id":73892,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.4","catch_line":"International application","url":"\/20-146.4\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.4","metadata":false},{"id":84722,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.5","catch_line":"Effect of child custody determination","url":"\/20-146.5\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.5","metadata":false},{"id":78165,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.6","catch_line":"Priority","url":"\/20-146.6\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.6","metadata":false},{"id":56615,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.7","catch_line":"Notice to persons outside state","url":"\/20-146.7\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.7","metadata":false},{"id":56914,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.8","catch_line":"Appearance and limited immunity","url":"\/20-146.8\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.8","metadata":false},{"id":70807,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.9","catch_line":"Communication between courts","url":"\/20-146.9\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.9","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":60654,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.3","catch_line":"Application to Indian tribes","url":"\/20-146.3\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.3","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":84722,"structure_id":13274,"section_number":"20-146.5","catch_line":"Effect of child custody determination","url":"\/20-146.5\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.5","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-146.4\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1979. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 229 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1979 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2001, chapter 305<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":56827,"section_number":"20-146.12","catch_line":"Initial child custody jurisdiction","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.12\/"},{"id":63086,"section_number":"20-146.22","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-146.22\/"}],"permalink":{"id":179247,"object_type":"law","relational_id":73892,"identifier":"20-146.4","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.4","url":"\/20-146.4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-146.4\/","token":"20\/7.1\/1\/20-146.4","dublin_core":{"Title":"International application","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-146.4","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> A court<\/span> of this Commonwealth shall treat a foreign country as if it were a state of the United States for purposes of applying this article and Article 2 (§ 20-146.12<\/a> et seq.) of this chapter. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Except as otherwise provided in subsection C, a child custody<\/span> determination made in a foreign country under factual circumstances in substantial conformity with the jurisdictional standards of this act must be recognized and enforced under Article 3 (§ 20-146.22<\/a> et seq.) of this chapter. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> A court<\/span> of this Commonwealth need not apply this act if the child custody<\/span> law<\/span> of a foreign country violates fundamental principles of human rights. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nINTERNATIONAL APPLICATION (\u00a7 20-146.4)\n\nA. A court of this Commonwealth shall treat a foreign country as if it were a\nstate of the United States for purposes of applying this article and Article 2\n(§ 20-146.12 et seq.) of this chapter.\n\nB. Except as otherwise provided in subsection C, a child custody determination\nmade in a foreign country under factual circumstances in substantial conformity\nwith the jurisdictional standards of this act must be recognized and enforced\nunder Article 3 (§ 20-146.22 et seq.) of this chapter.\n\nC. A court of this Commonwealth need not apply this act if the child custody law\nof a foreign country violates fundamental principles of human rights.\n\nHISTORY: 1979, c. 229, \u00a7 20-146; 2001, c. 305.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}