DCL-9867 The Slovak Republic Declared Foreign Reciprocating Country

Giving Hope and Support to America's Children

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children & Families
Office of Child Support Enforcement

DCL-98-67

TO ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: The Slovak Republic Declared Foreign Reciprocating Country

Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to announce that the Slovak Republic has been declared a foreign reciprocating country for child support enforcement.

Section 459A of title IV-D of the Social Security Act [42 USC 659A] authorizes the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to determine that a foreign country has established, or has undertaken to establish, support enforcement procedures available at no cost to residents of the United States.

Services must include the establishment of paternity and support orders for children and custodial parents, enforcement of support orders, and collection and disbursement of support payments under such orders. Slovak Republic laws provide for such services.

Slovak Republic laws specifically provide that a declaration by the Minister of Justice on reciprocity of another State "shall be binding on the courts and other authorities" and that "aliens shall be entitled to exemption from court fees and deposits and to the appointment, free of charge, of a representative for the protection of their interests if reciprocity is guaranteed."

The Slovak Republic Minister of Justice made the formal declaration that the United States and "its individual States" are reciprocating jurisdictions with the Slovak Republic on December 22, 1997, to be effective February 1, 1998.

Requests for services may be sent to the Slovak Republic Central Authority, which is also the Central Authority under the Hague Convention on international parental child abduction, at:

Center for International Legal Protection of Children and Youth

Spitalska 6

P.O. Box 57

814 99 Bratislava

Slovak Republic

This Slovak Republic agency has had a history of cooperation with U.S. jurisdictions dating back to the time that it was the central authority for the former Czechoslovakia. Our governments look forward to strengthening further that cooperation under this new federal level reciprocity declaration.

OCSE looks forward to concluding additional federal level reciprocity declarations in the future to strengthen the expanding system of bilateral agreements and stands ready to undertake its statutory duty "to facilitate support enforcement" in cases involving residents of the U.S. and foreign reciprocating countries, such as the Slovak Republic.

OCSE's international child support central authority, established under P.L. 104-193, continues to explore ways for state IV-D and other partners to access the most current technical assistance on foreign reciprocating countries, both in hard copy and through electronic means. OCSE will continue working to make up to date international child support enforcement information routinely available.

For further information about the Slovak Republic reciprocity declaration or other international child support enforcement matters, please contact Stephen Grant, OCSE's International Child Support Officer [OCSE, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW, 4West Aerospace Building, Washington DC 20447; phone: 202-260-5943; fax: 202-401-5539].

CC:	ACF Regional Administrators ACF Assistant Regional Administrators CSE Regional Program Managers

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