Custody battles, child maintenance and paternity cases

Custody battles

The child’s best interests are crucial in all decisions regarding custody, residence and contact. This is the basic rule in Swedish parental law. Parents do not always take this into consideration when they are in the throes of separation and are disputing where the child shall live.

Child maintenance

When the custodial time is divided equally between both parents, usually there is no need for anyone to pay child maintenance. The parents can, however, come to an agreement on maintenance. If the children do not live equally with both parents, then the parents will be responsible for child maintenance according to what is reasonable and taking into consideration the child’s needs and the parents’ combined economic situation.

Paternity

In certain cases, paternity can be difficult to decide. Paternity is more difficult to determine than maternity as it is usually the biological mother who gives birth to the child. There are certain provisions in the Swedish parental law regarding the social welfare authority’s involvement in establishing paternity and decisions in cases of paternity. Do heirs of an estate have the right to pursue an annulment of paternity?