DoubleDTown

I also do my American taxes first, using TurboTax.   Remember the American deadline in April is automatically extended to June for foreign filers (right?) and can be extended to October without much effort.  But don't forget your state's deadline, if applicable (e.g., rental income).

  try sending a letter with Deutsche Post.  it will be there tomorrow.  sounds old fashioned, but if email and phone didn't succeed this is another avenue. 

  @ProtonAnna: in the vein of some of my other Toytown comments: use that Rechtsanwalt.  You noted earlier that you don't want to wind up making a mistake because you tried to save attorneys fees.  Keep that in mind.  Is saving 400 EUR or even 1.000+ EUR a good investment if you wind up unhappy with the custody situation, or with sleepless nights second guessing what you should have done?     learn as much as you can about each aspect of the process to know best how to approach it.    Don't assume anything about any aspect of this process.  If you don't know, ask your Rechtsanwalt.    for example, for the Verfahrensbeistand learn what you should or shouldn't, must or mustn't say or discuss.      

  PCBilliger.de and ThinkStore24.de sell perfectly good used laptops.  I don't have "hundreds" of tabs open, but I can run Word and Excel and Outlook as well as MS365 apps through browsers and do a video conference.  All with old machines like Dell 7440 and 6430.  And eBay Kleinanzeige is your friend for used 22 inch monitors, then with a few 10 EUR USB video adapter (Amazon, etc.) can give you plenty of screen real estate.  Add a USB hub with Netzteil to plug everything in to and/or a universal USB docking station and the laptop is still easily portable.  

  tip: don't wait until Monday to line up some phone numbers to call.  Use your time today for researching possible Rechtsanwalt.     also, maybe there are nonprofits out there that might give you some advice on the logistical, practical aspects of 'what to do' about the concern of the child being taken to Hungary.  For example, is it a good idea, or a bad idea, to get the child's Hungarian grandparents involved?  Would they say to their son "don't do anything crazy"?  Or maybe they'd say to their son "sounds great, come home and bring our grandchild"?   Perhaps there are nonprofits in Romania that you can speak with by phone in your native language that might have practical advice. 

  happened to us in Dresden too.  Nutty.  Didn't the measles vaccination requirement go into effect in Feb. or Mar. 2020?  But they waited until Dec. 2021 to immediately need documentation?  We had no prob as our docs weren't in another language or stored in another town.

1.  Keep it to yourself (and maybe your future lawyer) that you have recorded audio/video of your spouse (or anyone else) doing anything without them having consented to the recording.  You could literally get yourself into more trouble than you might make for your spouse.  (whether you think that is odd or not doesn't matter, that's how things are in Germany).   2.  Find some well-informed legal advice ASAP.  Yes, it's hard during the holidays because lots of people close their offices.  Find someplace like a help line for domestic violence situations.  You're Dutch?  Maybe call a help line in the Netherlands that speaks your native language.  The law in the Netherlands is likely not identical, but start out with a counselor that is familiar with the stress of this situation and they can likely guide you better than many on Toytown.   3.  Calling police or Jugendamt might be the right thing, but it will escalate this situation and remove significant control from you and your spouse -- try calling a help line first unless she returns and there is imminent or actual violence.   perhaps https://weisser-ring.de/english   Telephone:  116 006   You or a close person to you is affected by a crime? You witnessed a crime? The online consultation of WEISSER RING can support you! The online consultation is anonymous and free. All data is stored encrypted on an external server and kept absolutely confidential.  If you need help immediately, please contact one of our more than 400 branch offices or our free and nationwide victims helpline at 116 006.    

U.S. State Dept. says Germany does not do service by mail.    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/Judicial-Assistance-Country-Information/Germany.html But, Germany is a member of the Hague Convention.  Service via Hague Convention procedures is not free however.  You have to do stuff.  Your friend’s U.S. lawyer should be capable of learning how to do this.  It's probably going to involve the U.S. lawyer coordinating with a German lawyer.  And your friend is going to have to find the money to pay people to do this complicated international stuff for her, or wait for the ex-husband to show up in the U.S. and then serve him herself or with a normal U.S. process server. https://www.hcch.net/index.cfm?oldlang=en&act=authorities.details&aid=257 

  so you want to visit a language school in Germany between now and the end of March.   At the moment, Dresden language schools are either closed or might be closed any moment because of Covid.  But check with ones you might be interested to be sure. Even the Volkshochschule has online offerings though.  Yeah, it's not like living in Germany -- but it's not subject to close due to Covid.  You could travel to Germany and to get the "being in Germany" experience and still do an online course to guard against Covid related cancellations.

  off topic, but why oh why can't we just pay at the pump.  It's 2021.  The technology has been around for decades...

  Two weeks and you haven't found a lawyer?  Seems odd.   Maybe start calling the ones you haven't heard back from. 

  Nooo.  If you are in trouble with the law, the last thing you should do is talk to law enforcement.  In general Germany is a just society and I'd sure call the police if I needed help, but once they are investigating you that's out.  Clam up.  If you are under investigation, your "common sense" ideas of how to "just clarify" the situation might actually dig you a deeper hole.  Get a lawyer.  Seems odd the OP's legal insurance won't help him, that sucks.   But then he needs to pay a lawyer.  Expect to pay circa 200 EUR per hour.  That might seem like a lot, but please don't call the Staatsanwalt or the police without talking to a Rechtsanwalt.