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The process of family envelopes in the context of expatriation is examined. The envelope concept is used here to understand the passage between different spaces, which is a distinctive feature of expatriation. The hypothesis put forward is that expatriation is a critical moment in the work of envelopes, thus affecting the therapeutic framework of the families coming in for consultation. Having defined the envelope concept, a clinical illustration of family therapy is provided. This analysis illustrates the family envelope work and its plastic qualities in the context of mobility. It transpires that expatriation can be used as a way of regulating how the family group functions thanks to the distancing of certain traumatic elements in the family history.