What happens if I move?
Your protection order should be valid and can be enforced in all of Puerto Rico and the United States. Federal law contains a provision called “full faith and credit” that mandates that if you have a criminal or civil protection order, it is valid in every US state, including US territories and tribal lands. You can contact a local domestic violence program or a clerk of court to find the specific rules in your state. If you move out of state you may want to call a domestic violence program in your new state to find out how that state treats orders from other states. You can read more on our Moving to Another State with a Protection Order page.
If you move to another state, you can also call the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit (1-800-903-0111) for more information about how to enforce your order.
Note: For information about how to enforce a military protection order (MPO) outside of a military base, or how to enforce a civil protection order (CPO) on a military base, please see our page Military Protective Orders.