How to Complete and File California Form FL-580: Out-of-State Custody Order

California Form FL-580 is the two-page court form you use to register a child custody or visitation order from another state, a tribal court, or a foreign country with a California superior court so it can be enforced here. Complete the form with the children’s and parties’ information, attach two copies of the original order (one certified), sign the declaration under penalty of perjury, and file the packet with any superior court in the state. The order becomes enforceable in California the moment the clerk files it.¹

The form’s full title is “Registration of Out-of-State or Tribal Custody Order and Notice of Registration.” It was last revised on January 1, 2025, and you can download it from the California Courts website or pick up a blank copy at any courthouse self-help center.² Under Family Code Section 3445, you can register the order on its own or combine registration with an immediate request for enforcement.³

What to Gather Before You File

Pulling these items together first makes the filing itself quick:

Two copies of the out-of-state or tribal custody order. One must be a certified copy carrying a stamp, seal, or other authentication from the clerk of the issuing court. If you don’t have a certified copy, request one from that clerk’s office; depending on the court, it can take several weeks to arrive.
Full legal names and current mailing addresses for yourself, the other parent, and anyone else who has custody or visitation rights.
The original case’s court name, the county and state (or tribe) where it was issued, and the case number.
Each child’s full name, date of birth, and age.
A certified English translation if the order is in another language. The translator must be a neutral third party and must sign a statement affirming their competence and the translation’s accuracy. You cannot translate your own order.

You will also sign a sworn statement, built into the form at item 6d, that the order has not been modified.² If the order has been modified since it was issued, you cannot truthfully sign that declaration as written. Include the modification order with your filing and describe the history accurately on the form.

Filling Out the Form

At the top of page one, enter the name, county, and street address of the superior court where you plan to file. Fill in the petitioner’s name (that’s you, the person registering the order) and the respondent’s name (the other parent or party). Leave the case number blank; the clerk assigns and stamps it when you file.

The numbered items then walk through the substance:

Item 1 asks for every child covered by the order, with each child’s full name, date of birth, and current age.
Items 2, 3, and 4 cover the parties: the petitioner, the respondent, and any other person or agency with custody or visitation rights. Give each person’s name, relationship to the children, and mailing address.
Item 5 asks who should receive notice of the registration. The clerk mails copies to the people you list here.
Item 6 captures the out-of-state or tribal order details: the issuing court’s name, the county and state or tribe, and the case number. You confirm that two copies of the order are attached (one certified) and declare under penalty of perjury that the order has not been modified.

Sign and date the form at the bottom. The declaration printed above the signature line means that by signing, you are affirming under California law that everything on the form is true and correct.

Keeping Your Address Off the Form

Family Code Section 3445 lets you withhold your address if disclosing it would put you or your child at risk, and the address fields on FL-580 are marked with an asterisk noting that confidentiality may apply under Family Code Section 3429.¹ Check the confidentiality box when you fill in that section.

California also runs the Safe at Home program through the Secretary of State’s office, which provides a substitute mailing address for victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and related threats. State and local government agencies, courts included, are required to accept the Safe at Home address in place of your residential address.⁴ If you’re enrolled, use that address on the form.

Where to File and What It Costs

You can file FL-580 at any California superior court. You are not limited to the county where you live.¹ Bring the completed form and attachments to the family law clerk’s window, or mail them in. If you mail the packet, call the court first to confirm the right department and address.

There is a filing fee, and the official instructions tell filers to ask the clerk for the current amount because it varies. If you can’t afford it, ask for a fee waiver application, Form FW-001. You qualify if you receive certain public benefits, including Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, SSI, food assistance, or unemployment, or if your income is too low to cover the fee and basic household needs.⁵

What Happens After the Clerk Accepts Your Filing

Once the clerk files the paperwork, three things happen in sequence.

The court files your order as a foreign judgment. From that moment the order is enforceable in California exactly as if a local judge had issued it. You do not need to wait for anything else before relying on it.¹

The clerk then mails the FL-580 itself to every person you named in item 5, along with a certificate of mailing. The form doubles as the notice of registration, which is why its full title ends with “and Notice of Registration.”² The notice tells the other parent that the registered order is enforceable immediately, that they have 20 days to request a hearing to contest the registration, and that failing to act within that window costs them the right to challenge it later.

If no one requests a hearing within 20 days of being served, registration is confirmed as a matter of law. Everyone involved gets notified of the confirmation, and the other parent is then permanently barred from attacking the registration on any ground they could have raised in those 20 days.³

If the Other Parent Contests the Registration

A parent who wants to challenge the registration must request a hearing within the 20-day window using Form FL-585, Request for Hearing Regarding Registration of Out-of-State or Tribal Custody Order.⁶ At the hearing, the court confirms the registered order unless the contesting party proves one of three things:

The court that issued the original order lacked jurisdiction under the UCCJEA.
A court with proper authority has since vacated, stayed, or modified the custody determination.
The contesting parent was entitled to notice of the original custody case but never received it.

The burden sits with the person contesting the registration. If they can’t prove one of those grounds, the court confirms the order.³

Mistakes That Cause Delays

Most FL-580 problems are paperwork problems. The single most frequent issue is forgetting the certified copy of the order. A regular photocopy will not satisfy the requirement, and if you have to order a certified copy from another state’s clerk, build in several weeks of lead time.

The next most common issue is the perjury declaration at item 6d. Signing it when the order has in fact been modified gives the other parent an easy ground to challenge the registration at a hearing. Attach the modification order and describe the full history on the form instead.

Finally, list every person with custody or visitation rights so the clerk can send notice to all required parties. If someone entitled to notice never receives it, that alone can undo your registration and send you back to the beginning.

What FL-580 Does Not Do

FL-580 registers and enforces an existing custody order. It does not contain any option to request a modification of custody or visitation. Changing the terms is a separate proceeding that you would file only after the order is registered, and only if California has authority to modify it. The state that issued the original order keeps exclusive power to modify it as long as one parent or the child still lives there.⁷

Registration also takes time, and a child in immediate danger cannot wait for it. California Family Code Section 3424 lets a court act on an emergency basis without registration if the child is physically present in California and has been abandoned or faces mistreatment or abuse, including threats against a sibling or parent.⁸ Emergency orders are temporary and run on their own separate track from the FL-580 process.

1
California Courts. How to Register and Request Enforcement of Your Out-of-State or Tribal Custody Order
2
California Courts. California Courts Form FL-580 – Registration of Out-of-State or Tribal Custody Order and Notice of Registration
3
Justia Law. California Family Code Chapter 3 – Enforcement
4
California Secretary of State. Safe at Home
5
California Courts. Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs
6
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Request for Hearing Regarding Registration of Out-of-State or Tribal Custody Order
7
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 3421
8
Justia Law. California Family Code Chapter 2 – Jurisdiction