Md. Code, Family Law § 10-363
This is the official text of Md. Code, Family Law § 10-363, part of Maryland’s Code, Family Law — governs marriage, divorce, child custody and support, and adoption.
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.
§10–363.
Official statutory text
(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a tribunal of this State shall recognize and enforce a foreign support agreement registered in this State.
(b) An application or direct request for recognition and enforcement of a foreign support agreement must be accompanied by:
(1) a complete text of the foreign support agreement; and
(2) a record stating that the foreign support agreement is enforceable as an order of support in the issuing country.
(c) A tribunal of this State may vacate the registration of a foreign support agreement only if, acting on its own motion, the tribunal finds that recognition and enforcement would be manifestly incompatible with public policy.
(d) In a contest of a foreign support agreement, a tribunal of this State may refuse recognition and enforcement of the agreement if it finds:
(1) recognition and enforcement of the agreement is manifestly incompatible with public policy;
(2) the agreement was obtained by fraud or falsification;
(3) the agreement is incompatible with a support order involving the same parties and having the same purpose in this State, another state, or a foreign country if the support order is entitled to recognition and enforcement under this subtitle in this State; or
(4) the record submitted under subsection (b) of this section lacks authenticity or integrity.
(e) A proceeding for recognition and enforcement of a foreign support agreement shall be suspended during the pendency of a challenge to or appeal of the agreement before a tribunal of another state or a foreign country.
(b) An application or direct request for recognition and enforcement of a foreign support agreement must be accompanied by:
(1) a complete text of the foreign support agreement; and
(2) a record stating that the foreign support agreement is enforceable as an order of support in the issuing country.
(c) A tribunal of this State may vacate the registration of a foreign support agreement only if, acting on its own motion, the tribunal finds that recognition and enforcement would be manifestly incompatible with public policy.
(d) In a contest of a foreign support agreement, a tribunal of this State may refuse recognition and enforcement of the agreement if it finds:
(1) recognition and enforcement of the agreement is manifestly incompatible with public policy;
(2) the agreement was obtained by fraud or falsification;
(3) the agreement is incompatible with a support order involving the same parties and having the same purpose in this State, another state, or a foreign country if the support order is entitled to recognition and enforcement under this subtitle in this State; or
(4) the record submitted under subsection (b) of this section lacks authenticity or integrity.
(e) A proceeding for recognition and enforcement of a foreign support agreement shall be suspended during the pendency of a challenge to or appeal of the agreement before a tribunal of another state or a foreign country.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a family matter in Maryland?
See all Maryland 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.