What if one of us lives outside British Columbia?

Last updated on March 6, 2024

Support orders or agreements filed with the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP) can be enforced even when the payor or the recipient lives outside of B.C.

British Columbia has agreements with all Canadian provinces and territories, all of the United States, and several other countries. These are called reciprocal agreements. This means the FMEP can ask another province, territory, state, or country to take enforcement action on its behalf, and they can do the same for the FMEP.

If enforcement is necessary, the other program will take action based on its laws and enforcement methods. (The FMEP cannot tell another program what action to take or when to take it.)

If the payor lives in a country where B.C. does not have a reciprocal agreement, the FMEP will not be able to take enforcement action unless the payor has income or assets remaining in Canada, or has a Canadian passport, marine, or aviation licence.