US begins revoking passports of parents who owe child support

The U.S. government has begun the process of revoking the passports of parents who are behind on child support payments, initially targeting those who owe $100,000 or more.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department announced that this policy would be implemented starting Friday, impacting around 2,700 American passport holders identified by the Department of Health and Human Services. Officials indicated that the enforcement will soon broaden to include anyone with an outstanding balance of over $2,500 in child support, the minimum amount stipulated by a seldom-enforced 1996 federal law.

Previously, only individuals seeking to renew their passports faced consequences for unpaid child support. However, under the new policy, authorities will actively revoke passports when overdue payments exceeding $2,500 are reported.

Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, stated that this measure aims to compel parents to fulfill their legal obligations. “We are expanding a commonsense approach that has shown success in encouraging those who owe child support to pay up,” Namdar explained, noting that affected individuals can reclaim their passport privileges once their debts are settled.

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The State Department reported that some parents have started addressing their outstanding payments since the announcement of the policy’s expansion earlier this year. Moreover, it revealed that this initiative has enabled states to recover approximately $657 million in unpaid child support since 1998, including over $156 million in lump-sum payments in the past five years.

Parents whose passports are revoked will be informed that their travel documents are no longer valid. Those currently outside the U.S. will need to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain emergency travel documentation to return home.