INSTRUCTIONS : MARYLAND CHILD CUSTODY COMPLAINT
The Maryland Petition for Child Custody is the form required for Maryland residents seeking custody of their children through the court. This petition must be filed in order to obtain a court order for child custody in the state of Maryland.
The Maryland Petition for Child Custody can be obtained by searching online or through the state court.
This form is to be used for seeking any order of child custody or visitation, whether contested or not.
1. First you must fill out the case caption information at the top of the form. Include the court name, county, case number, name and contact information for both the plaintiff and the defendant.
2. In part 1, you should state your name as petitioner, and indicate your relationship to the children you are seeking custody. List the children’s names and dates of birth.
3. Provide the defendant’s name and relationship to the children in part 2.
4. For parts 3 and 4, you must put the child’s current residence and list any previous residences the children have lived in the past 5 years. You must also list the names of the people they resided with and their current address.
5. If any previous cases have involved the children, you must put those cases, the nature of each case, when they were filed, and the result of each case in part 5.
6. Part 6 requires that you list any previous custody cases that have been heard regarding these children.
7. If any other people, who are not named parties to your petition, have legal or physical custody claims over the children, you must indicate so in part 7 and list their relationship with the children.
8. Select your reason for seeking custody and the type of custody you are seeking. You can choose sole custody, joint custody, visitation rights, or denial of these rights in your petition. You can also include requests for child support and medical support.
9. Once completed, certify the petition by signing and dating the form at the bottom. You will need to provide a copy of the petition to the defendant and file with the appropriate court.