The U.S. State Department will begin revoking the passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support, the Associated Press has learned.
New Policy Takes Effect
The department told the AP on Thursday that revocations would start Friday, targeting those who owe $100,000 or more. This applies to approximately 2,700 American passport holders, according to data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The program, first reported by the AP in February, will soon be expanded to cover parents who owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support — the threshold set by a 1996 law that has rarely been enforced.
Officials said it remains unclear how many passport holders owe more than $2,500, as HHS is still collecting data from state agencies. However, the number could encompass many more thousands of individuals.
Previous Enforcement Limited
Until this week, only those applying to renew their passports were subject to the penalty. Under the new policy, HHS will inform the State Department of all past-due payments exceeding $2,500, and parents in that group with passports will have their documents revoked.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, said: “We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt. Once these parents resolve their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a U.S. passport.”
Impact and Results
Since the AP reported the expansion on February 10, the department noted that “hundreds of parents took action and resolved their arrears with state authorities since news broke that the State Department would start proactively revoking passports.”
“While we can’t confirm the causation in all of those cases, we are taking this action precisely to impel these parents to do the right thing by their children and by U.S. law,” the department added.
Even before the policy expansion, the program had been a powerful tool. Since it began in earnest in 1998, states have collected some $657 million in arrears, including more than $156 million in over 24,000 individual lump-sum payments over the past five years.
What Happens Next
Those whose passports are revoked will be notified that they cannot use their documents for travel. They will need to apply for a new passport once their arrears are confirmed as paid.
For passport holders abroad at the time of revocation, they must visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain an emergency travel document allowing them to return to the United States.
