Estate Planning

The following series of posts contain articles posted at Kaboose.com, featuring an interview with my colleague and fellow Personal Family Lawyer, Kimberly Hegwood. If you have any questions or want to speak with me about these issues, please call me at 770-425-6060.

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Your family is on vacation in another country and in a terrible car accident.  Perhaps it?s even a foreign-speaking country. You and your husband/partner are deceased or incapacitated.  Your children are fine. You don?t have anything with you other than your passports and wallets.

What happens to your children in the next 24 - 48 hours?

Kimberly: Every country?s laws are different regarding death and accidents for foreign travelers. Local laws take precedence. The State Department would be the best source of information for your family and can help advise them of how to proceed. There are some things you can do to prepare.

What can you do to avoid this or better prepare?

Kimberly: First of all, anytime you travel in a foreign country with your children, you should contact the State Department in that country to let them know your itinerary. Before leaving, make sure your assigned temporary guardian knows where you are going, has a passport, and can be contacted to travel if needed. Be sure that they also have a copy of your temporary guardianship paperwork. It might not hurt either to ask the State Department if they?d like a copy of that along with your itinerary as well.

Each parent should carry emergency contact numbers on them, as well as a copy of the temporary guardianship paperwork.