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The United States has announced it will revoke the passports of parents who owe more than $2,500 in outstanding child support, coordinating with the Department of Health and Human Services on an unprecedented scale.
“U.S. law requires Americans to comply with child support obligations in order to receive a U.S. passport and allows the Department of State to revoke the passport of an individual who owes more than $2,500 in child support,” the Department of State said in a statement on Thursday.
“Under the Trump Administration, the Department of State is coordinating with the Department of Health and Human Services on an unprecedented scale to revoke the passports of Americans who have racked up significant outstanding child support debt.”
The department said the action supports the welfare of American children by exacting “real consequences for child support delinquency” under existing federal law.
The State Department advised parents with significant child support debt to arrange payment to the relevant state to prevent passport revocation.
“Once a passport is revoked, it may no longer be used for travel,” the statement said.
“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,” the department said.
The State Department said the measure is part of using “commonsense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance with U.S. laws.”
“The State Department is putting American families first through our passport process,” the statement said.
