[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#032832″ background_image=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HERO-divorcio-contencioso.jpg” background_position=”top_center” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” custom_css_main_element=”align-items: center;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”cedfac72-3741-4d99-b5fd-56fbe9f86638″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Having a court order is not the same as having it followed. If your ex-partner has stopped paying child support, is not respecting the custody or visitation schedule, or is otherwise ignoring what a Spanish court or your settlement agreement established, there are legal steps you can take to enforce it. We help you act quickly and effectively when a court order is not being complied with.<\/p>\n
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field_title=”Name” fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” 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button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Mensaje” field_title=”Message” field_type=”text” fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Canal” field_title=”How did you hear about us?” field_type=”select” select_options=”%91{%22value%22:%22Google%22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:-1},{%22value%22:%22Social Media%22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:0},{%22value%22:%22Press%22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:1},{%22value%22:%22Friend \/ Family member%22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:2},{%22value%22:%22Others%22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:3}%93″ fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Privacidad” field_title=” ” field_type=”checkbox” checkbox_options=”%91{%22value%22:%22I have read and agree to the %22,%22checked%22:0,%22dragID%22:-1,%22link_url%22:%22\/en\/privacy-policy\/%22,%22link_text%22:%22Privacy Policy%22}%93″ fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” form_field_font_size=”12px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_contact_field][\/et_pb_contact_form][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”rgba(87,209,209,0.1)” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”%224_4%22″ make_equal=”%22on%22″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”%22default%22″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”%22{}%22″][et_pb_column type=”%224_4%22″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”%22default%22″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”%22{}%22″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”%22default%22″ custom_css_main_element=”font-size: 12px;” locked=”%22off%22″ global_colors_info=”%22{}%22″]Zabalgo Abogados<\/a><\/span><\/span>[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/divorcio-juzgado.jpg” alt=”Enforcement of family court orders in Spain” title_text=”divorcio-juzgado” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”458718e3-05ad-4aa4-8049-b950fe86e4a5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(87,209,209,0.1)” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/impago-alimentos-scaled.jpg” alt=”Non-payment of child support and enforcement proceedings” title_text=”impago-alimentos-scaled” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”458718e3-05ad-4aa4-8049-b950fe86e4a5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Spanish law provides an enforcement procedure<\/strong> specifically designed for situations where a party does not voluntarily comply with a court order or a judicially approved agreement. Rather than starting a new lawsuit from scratch, this procedure allows you to ask the same court to take active steps to make sure the original order is complied with.<\/p>\n The court can order the seizure of the other party’s salary, bank accounts, or other assets to recover unpaid amounts, and interest may apply to the overdue sums. In cases of persistent, wilful non-payment, there can also be criminal consequences under Spanish law, separate from the civil enforcement process.<\/p>\n The court can take a range of measures depending on the severity and pattern of the breaches, which may include financial penalties, adjustments to the existing arrangement, or, in serious and repeated cases, a broader review of the custody arrangement itself.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n This is the situation we are asked about most often, and the good news is that a Spanish decision does not lose its force the moment the other party crosses a border. If the person who must pay lives in another EU Member State, Council Regulation (EC) No 4\/2009<\/strong> on maintenance obligations allows a Spanish maintenance decision to be enforced there without any intermediate recognition procedure<\/strong> and without any review of its substance, provided the decision comes from a Member State bound by the 2007 Hague Protocol.<\/p>\n Two practical consequences matter to you. First, you are not required to have a postal address or an authorised representative<\/strong> in the country where enforcement takes place. Second, no translation of the decision is required<\/strong> unless the debtor formally opposes enforcement. The Regulation also sets up a network of Central Authorities<\/strong> whose job includes locating the debtor and establishing their income and assets, which is frequently the real obstacle rather than the law itself.<\/p>\n Where the other parent lives outside the European Union, the route is the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007<\/strong> on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, in force since 1 January 2013 and now ratified by a wide group of States. It works through the same logic of cooperation between Central Authorities, although the timescales are usually longer.<\/p>\n A note for British clients.<\/strong> The United Kingdom ceased to be an EU Member State on 31 January 2020, and EU law continued to apply until the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Proceedings begun before the end of that period continue under EU law, but for anything started from 1 January 2021 onwards the applicable instrument is the 2007 Hague Convention, to which the United Kingdom is a party in its own right. In practice this means the route still exists; it is simply a different one, and identifying it correctly at the outset saves months.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(87,209,209,0.1)” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Juzgados-en-Espana-bajo-el-sol.png” alt=”Spanish courts handling enforcement of custody arrangements” title_text=”Juzgados-en-Espana-bajo-el-sol” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”458718e3-05ad-4aa4-8049-b950fe86e4a5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Where the breach concerns custody or contact rather than money, the relevant instrument within the European Union is Regulation (EU) 2019\/1111<\/strong>, known as Brussels II ter, applicable since 1 August 2022 and replacing the earlier Regulation (EC) No 2201\/2003. Under this Regulation, a decision on parental responsibility that is enforceable in the Member State where it was given is enforceable in the other Member States without any declaration of enforceability<\/strong>. If a child has been wrongfully removed from Spain, the applicable framework is the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980<\/strong> on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and time is critical: the sooner action is taken, the stronger the position.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/menor-decision-juez-sentencia-scaled.jpg” alt=”Enforcing custody and contact arrangements” title_text=”menor-decision-juez-sentencia-scaled” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”458718e3-05ad-4aa4-8049-b950fe86e4a5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(87,209,209,0.1)” custom_padding=”54px||54px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”183a4314-7f30-4731-97fb-eae1c24275fc” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/palomazabalgo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Resoluciones-Patrimoniales-Internacionales.jpg” alt=”Documents needed for enforcement proceedings” title_text=”Resoluciones-Patrimoniales-Internacionales” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”458718e3-05ad-4aa4-8049-b950fe86e4a5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”bullet-check” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”41d5ff63-8269-4804-bc6b-06a5fd9c48b4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nWhat counts as non-compliance?<\/h2>\n
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What can you actually do about it?<\/h2>\n
For unpaid child support or maintenance<\/h3>\n
For custody and visitation breaches<\/h3>\n
When the other parent lives outside Spain<\/h2>\n
Enforcement of custody and contact arrangements across borders<\/h2>\n
What you will need to bring to us<\/h2>\n
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How we work<\/h2>\n