09/26/2026
Can someone get divorced in another country and potentially leave their spouse without a claim to more than $100 million in community assets in Texas?
That is essentially the issue at the center of a recent Texas Supreme Court case—and it involves a question our office gets surprisingly often:
“If I get divorced in another country, will Texas recognize it, and could I be better off filing there instead?”
Because our family law practice represents many people with family, marriages, property, and business interests spanning the United States, Asia, Latin America, and other countries, international divorce issues come up more frequently than people might expect.
The Texas Supreme Court just issued an important opinion addressing exactly this issue.
In Azhar v. Choudhri, the parties married in Pakistan but lived in Houston during their marriage. According to the Court, they accumulated more than $100 million in community assets while married.
The husband later traveled to Pakistan and obtained a unilateral divorce through a talaq proceeding. The wife was not personally served, did not participate, and did not learn about the divorce until approximately two years later. Notice had instead been published for five days in a local Pakistani newspaper.
When the wife later returned to Houston, she filed for divorce in Harris County and sought a division of the marital estate.
That became extremely important because the evidence presented to the Texas trial court was that Pakistan does not recognize community property the way Texas does. Instead, property generally belonged to the spouse in whose name it was titled.
The trial court recognized the Pakistani proceedings and ruled against the wife. The First Court of Appeals affirmed.
The Texas Supreme Court reversed.
The Court held that the notice provided to the wife was constitutionally inadequate and that Texas courts could not give this particular foreign judgment comity.
In other words, simply having a divorce decree from another country does not necessarily end the analysis in Texas.
Foreign divorce cases can raise complicated questions involving:
• Whether Texas will recognize the foreign divorce
• Whether both spouses received proper notice and an opportunity to be heard
• Where the spouses were actually living during the marriage
• Where the marital property is located
• Whether Texas community-property rights remain at issue
• Whether enforcing the foreign judgment would violate Texas constitutional protections or public policy
The Supreme Court was also careful to say that it was not holding that every foreign divorce using different procedures is invalid in Texas. These cases are fact-specific.
For people with international marriages or assets, the lesson is simple: before assuming that a foreign divorce decree settles everything—or deciding that filing for divorce overseas is the better strategy—find out what that decision may mean for your rights in Texas.
Our office regularly handles family law matters involving international marriages, foreign divorce decrees, jurisdictional disputes, and property located in Texas and abroad.
If you were married or divorced overseas, your spouse obtained a foreign divorce without your participation, or you are considering whether to file in Texas or another country, contact our office to discuss your situation before making that decision.
C.Y. Lee Legal Group, PLLC
Houston • Katy
🌐 www.leelegalgroup.com 832-632-4639
Sometimes the question isn’t simply whether you’re divorced.
It’s what happened to your rights when the divorce occurred.
This post is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Every case depends on its individual facts and applicable law.
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1463375/240939pc.pdf
