Can I take my child out of state after a divorce?

Whenever you get a divorce, some type of child custody agreement is generally put into place. This child custody agreement will outline:

• Who has visitation rights to the child and when
• What the limitations of those visitation rights are

For example, you may be granted custody of your child every other weekend and you might be able to do whatever you want with the child when you have custody- including take him or her out of state if needed. On the other hand, you may not be able to take the child of state without securing prior permission from the other parent or from the court prior to doing so.

The court will generally look at what your intent is if you want to take a child out of state. If you want to move, then you'll have to convince the court it is in your child's best interests to move with you and get the custody arrangement changed to allow you to move out of state. If you just want to take your child to grandma's one state over for the weekend, it may be less of an issue. 

Ultimately, you should make sure not to do anything in violation of the law or your custody agreement, and to do this, you should make sure you consult with an experienced lawyer for help.