The Justice of Brazil facilitates the collection of alimony payments in Portugal
The Brazilian Ministry of Justice informed on Thursday that it has streamlined, based on international agreements, requests for alimony made to resident citizens without a foreign country, for the benefit of children, with Portugal being the main destination of these occurrences.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Ministry resolved about 250 requests for international cooperation based on the Hague Convention on Food, the main agreement for this purpose and which enables, for example, an execution of a sentence or a request for the other country to take your own decision for compliance.
Requests can range from the fulfillment of a Brazilian decision abroad, and its execution, to the location of the debtor and recognition of paternity, for example.
“This service supports fathers and mothers or guardians when family ties go beyond the physical borders of countries. When families separate and live in different countries, court decisions also need to be effective, which depends on their recognition by the foreign authorities, according to the rules of each country, “indicated the director of the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation, Sílvia de Oliveira.
Currently, there are around 400 processes in progress, involving 18 countries. The majority of alimony applications go to Portugal (50%) and the United States (21%), followed by Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom (20% together).
In a statement sent to Lusa, the Brazilian Minister of Justice, Anderson Torres, highlighted that the guarantee of alimony, among other precautions, is one of the basic rights of children and adolescents.
“Through international agreements, it is ensured that the parties need access to administrative and legal assistance that allows them to receive the maintenance due, preventing the debtor from relinquishing his obligations when changing country of residence,” emphasized Torres.
Guidance on the submission of requests can be requested by e-mail [email protected] and by the website www.justica.gov.br/alimentos, informed sources from the Ministry of Justice of Brazilà Lusa.
Information on requests from Portugal to Brazil can be found on the website https://dgaj.justica.gov.pt/Tribunais/Cooperacao-Judiciaria-Internacional