The State Department said Thursday it will begin revoking passports from Americans who owe significant child support debt, a move that could cut off international travel for parents with more than $2,500 in overdue payments. The department said people with that debt should arrange payment with the relevant state agency now to avoid losing the ability to use their passports.
The policy is aimed at debtors who owe more than $2,500, and once a passport is revoked, it cannot be used for travel. People whose passports are taken away will not be eligible for a new one until their child support debt has been paid and they are no longer listed as delinquent in Health and Human Services records. The reported the enforcement would begin Friday.
The State Department said it is acting with the Department of Health and Human Services and using “commonsense tools” to support American families and strengthen compliance with U.S. laws. It said the approach enforces parents’ legal and moral obligations to their children and that U.S. law requires Americans to comply with child support obligations in order to receive a U.S. passport.
The action rests on a rarely used federal law passed in 1996 that allows passport revocations for unpaid child support of more than $2,500. Under the previous practice, the consequence was only imposed when people with that debt tried to renew their passports. Now the department says it will work with HHS to identify those with outstanding debt and revoke passports on an unprecedented scale.
That raises a practical problem for Americans already abroad. Those outside the United States when a passport is revoked will need to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document to get back into the country. The department did not say when the policy would be enforced, but it warned parents with unpaid obligations to settle their debts immediately to avoid sanctions. The message is plain: pay the child support debt, or lose the passport until the state says the account is clear.
