Even after you get divorced, you and your former spouse may still live in the same town or city. But that’s not guaranteed to last forever. Months or years in the future, you may decide that it’s time to relocate and move to another state or just another city within the same state.
Your freedom to do this could be somewhat restricted, depending on the outcome of your divorce case. If the two of you are parents and share custody of a child, then you may need to provide good-faith reasons to the court to show why you want to move. Some examples include seeking a lower cost of living, moving near extended family members, getting accepted into college or accepting a job offer.
The child custody arrangement
But why do you have to provide reasons to move? The issue is just that the two of you may share custody of your child. If you’re going to move, it may make it impossible to exchange the child and care for them in accordance with the custody agreement.
So it’s not actually the move that the court is approving or denying. Rather, you have to ask the court to modify your standing child custody order. The court can change it so that you and your ex continue to share custody even after you relocate. However, they may want to see these good faith reasons to make that modification to ensure your child’s best interests are being prioritized and that you’re not just trying to move to interfere with the standing custody order.
This scenario can get rather complex. As a co-parent, it’s very important for you to understand all of the legal options you have and the steps to take moving forward.