Travelore Warning: Thousands Of Americans Could Get Their Passports Revoked For Owing Child Support

The State Department is set to revoke the passports of American parents who owe substantial amounts of unpaid child support, barring them from international travel until their payments are made.

U.S. officials told the Associated Press that passport holders who owe more than $100,000 in outstanding child support payments will be in the first group affected by this rule. However, individuals who enroll in a payment plan with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can avoid passport revocation.

Under the act’s Passport Denial Program, government officials are authorized to revoke travel documents for parents with unpaid child support payments totaling more than $2,500.

In the past, the State Department has invoked this program to revoke passports only when someone approached them seeking to renew their travel documents or other consular services.

U.S. officials said the department will soon begin passport revocations using data from HHS.

It’s currently unclear how many people will be affected by the State Department’s initiative to revoke passports of parents with outstanding child support payments, but it could be in the thousands. The officials told the Associated Press that, because so many people may owe child support, the change will be implemented in tiers.

Those owing more than $100,000 in child support will be in the first group impacted. The officials said that there are fewer than 50 people in this group, but they can enroll in a payment plan to avoid revocation after being notified.

The officials also shared that when the tier is lowered to those owing smaller outstanding payments, the number of people affected will increase.

The State Department emailed the AP about this change, saying it “is reviewing options to enforce long-standing law to prevent those owing substantial amounts of child support from neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children.”

“It is simple: deadbeat parents need to pay their child support arrears,” it added.

According to the Office of the Administration for Children & Families (OCSE), the average amount of outstanding child support owed by noncustodial parents is over $19,000, making it more difficult to collect.

The Passport Denial Program is an enforcement tool that helps collect child support arrears and supports children and families who rely on it.

The Office of Child Support Services forward the names of parents owing over $2,500 in unpaid child support to the State Department, which then contacts the parent with a Pre-Offset Notice outlining repayment options. The State Department can reject their passport applications or revoke a current passport.

The OCSE reported that since the start of the Passport Denial Program, nearly $621 million in overdue child support has been collected, and nine collections have totaled more than $300,000.