State Department to Revoke Passports of Parents Owing $100,000 or More in Child Support

The U.S. State Department will begin revoking passports of thousands of Americans who owe substantial unpaid child support, officials said.

Revocations start Friday. They will first target parents who owe $100,000 or more in past-due child support. That group includes about 2,700 passport holders, according to figures from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal law allows denial of a passport or revocation of an existing one for anyone with more than $2,500 in unpaid, court-ordered child support, the State Department said in a release Thursday. Officials said the department is expanding coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services to cover parents above that threshold.

The enforcement aims to pressure delinquent parents to meet court-ordered child support obligations, officials said.

A revoked passport cannot be used for travel, even if the debt is paid later, according to State Department guidance. The department advised Americans with significant child support debt to contact the relevant state agency and arrange payment before any passport action.

"Eligibility for a new passport will only be restored after child support debt is paid to the relevant state child support enforcement agency and the individual is no longer delinquent according to HHS records," officials said.

Affected individuals must work with the state child support enforcement agency where the debt is owed. HHS must update its records before the State Department can process a new passport. That process can take at least two to three weeks, the department said.

It was not clear Thursday how many passport holders owe more than $2,500. HHS is still collecting data from state agencies that track the figures, but officials told the Associated Press it could encompass many more thousands of people.

A passport holder abroad at the time of revocation must contact the state where the debt is owed. They may visit a U.S. embassy or consulate for passport application procedures. Such individuals may qualify only for a limited-validity passport for direct return to the United States until HHS verifies repayment, the State Department said.

"The State Department is putting American families first through our passport process," officials said.

The passport denial program has existed for decades. Federal and state officials use it to enforce past-due child support obligations. State child support agencies submit qualifying cases, and federal officials forward those records to the State Department, according to the Administration for Children and Families.