Cal. FAM § 5700.701
This is the official text of Cal. FAM § 5700.701, part of California’s Family Code — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, domestic violence protections, and adoption. This particular section falls under Division 9, “Support.”
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
In this chapter:
(1) “Application” means a request under the Convention by an obligee or obligor, or on behalf of a child, made through a central authority for assistance from another central authority.
(2) “Central authority” means the entity designated by the United States or a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D) to perform the functions specified in the Convention.
(3) “Convention support order” means a support order of a tribunal of a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D).
(4) “Direct request” means a petition filed by an individual in a tribunal of this state in a proceeding involving an obligee, obligor, or child residing outside the United States.
(5) “Foreign central authority” means the entity designated by a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D) to perform the functions specified in the Convention.
(6) “Foreign support agreement”:
(A) means an agreement for support in a record that:
(i) is enforceable as a support order in the country of origin;
(ii) has been:
(I) formally drawn up or registered as an authentic instrument by a foreign tribunal; or
(II) authenticated by, or concluded, registered, or filed with a foreign tribunal; and
(iii) may be reviewed and modified by a foreign tribunal; and
(B) includes a maintenance arrangement or authentic instrument under the Convention.
(7) “United States central authority” means the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
(1) “Application” means a request under the Convention by an obligee or obligor, or on behalf of a child, made through a central authority for assistance from another central authority.
(2) “Central authority” means the entity designated by the United States or a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D) to perform the functions specified in the Convention.
(3) “Convention support order” means a support order of a tribunal of a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D).
(4) “Direct request” means a petition filed by an individual in a tribunal of this state in a proceeding involving an obligee, obligor, or child residing outside the United States.
(5) “Foreign central authority” means the entity designated by a foreign country described in Section 5700.102(5)(D) to perform the functions specified in the Convention.
(6) “Foreign support agreement”:
(A) means an agreement for support in a record that:
(i) is enforceable as a support order in the country of origin;
(ii) has been:
(I) formally drawn up or registered as an authentic instrument by a foreign tribunal; or
(II) authenticated by, or concluded, registered, or filed with a foreign tribunal; and
(iii) may be reviewed and modified by a foreign tribunal; and
(B) includes a maintenance arrangement or authentic instrument under the Convention.
(7) “United States central authority” means the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in California?
See all California Family lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.