State Department set to revoke passports of thousands of parents with unpaid child support debt

The U.S. State Department is acceptable to statesman revoking the passports of thousands of Americans who beryllium important unpaid kid support, according to officials.

Revocations volition statesman Friday and volition initially absorption connected parents who beryllium $100,000 oregon much successful past-due kid support. That radical includes astir 2,700 passport holders, according to figures supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Under Federal law, anyone with much than $2,500 successful unpaid, court-ordered kid enactment tin beryllium denied a passport oregon person an existing 1 yanked, according to a merchandise by the State Department Thursday. Officials said the section is expanding coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services to see parents supra that threshold.

The enforcement propulsion is intended to unit delinquent parents to comply with court-ordered kid enactment obligations, officials said.

A manus holds a US passport and an approved vaccination paper alongside luggage and a laptop bag, prepared for a concern travel amid caller question requirements. (iStock)

Once a passport is revoked, it whitethorn nary longer beryllium utilized for travel, adjacent if the indebtedness is aboriginal paid, according to State Department guidance. The State Department advised immoderate American with important kid enactment indebtedness to interaction the applicable authorities bureau and put outgo earlier immoderate passport enactment is taken.

STATE DEPARTMENT TO PULL ADDITIONAL PASSPORTS FROM PARENTS WHO OWE CHILD SUPPORT

"Eligibility for a caller passport volition lone beryllium restored aft kid enactment indebtedness is paid to the applicable authorities kid enactment enforcement bureau and the idiosyncratic is nary longer delinquent according to HHS records," they said.

Passengers hold successful enactment to usage Automated Passport Control Kiosks astatine Miami International Airport successful Miami, Fla., connected March 4, 2015. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Affected individuals indispensable enactment with the authorities kid enactment enforcement bureau wherever the indebtedness is owed. HHS indispensable past update its records earlier the State Department tin process a caller passport, a process the section says tin instrumentality astatine slightest 2 to 3 weeks.

It was not wide connected Thursday however galore passport holders beryllium much than $2,500 due to the fact that HHS is inactive collecting information from authorities agencies that way the figures, but it could encompass galore much thousands of people, officials told the Associated Press.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department volition halt each Afghan passport visas aft visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center successful confederate Israel connected Oct. 24, 2025. (Getty Images)

A passport holder who is overseas astatine the clip of revocation volition request to interaction the authorities wherever the indebtedness is owed and whitethorn sojourn a U.S. embassy oregon consulate for passport exertion procedures. The State Department says specified individuals whitethorn beryllium eligible lone for a limited-validity passport for nonstop instrumentality to the United States until HHS verifies repayment of the debt.

"The State Department is putting American families archetypal done our passport process," they said.

The passport denial programme has existed for decades and is utilized by national and authorities officials arsenic a instrumentality to enforce past-due kid enactment obligations. The Administration for Children and Families says authorities kid enactment agencies taxable qualifying cases, and national officials guardant those records to the State Department.