Tasks of the Cantons under the HC 96

The cantonal central authorities are responsible for the application of the HC 96 and exercise the powers that the Convention confers on the central authorities subject to the powers of the federal central authority under art. 1 FA-ACA.

It is their responsibility in particular to ensure the transmission of the communications and documents to the authorities and courts in Switzerland and abroad to which the cases have been referred and to encourage exchanges of views between Swiss and foreign authorities. It is also their responsibility to coordinate the action taken by the cantonal and communal authorities responsible for the protection of children and adults.

The HC 96 also enables the authorities with jurisdiction to protect children and the courts to communicate directly with a clearly identified foreign liaison agency, whether to jointly agree on the matter of jurisdiction, to request the information required to assess the relevance of the measures of protection relating to a child or to decide on the award of custody.

Last modification 31.10.2022

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