What if one of us lives outside British Columbia?
Last updated on May 15, 2024Support orders or agreements enrolled with BC Family Maintenance Agency (BCFMA) can be administered even when the payor or the recipient lives outside of B.C.
British Columbia has agreements with all Canadian provinces and territories, the United States, and several other countries. These are called reciprocal agreements. This means BCFMA can ask another province, territory, state, or country to take collection action on their behalf, and they can do the same for BCFMA.
If additional collection steps are necessary, the other program will take action based on their laws and collection methods. (BCFMA 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, BCFMA will not be able to take any collection action unless the payor has income or assets remaining in Canada, or has a Canadian passport, marine, or aviation licence.