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Passports and child support enforcement

On Behalf of | Aug 9, 2022 | Blog, Child Support |

It is essential to realize that a number of consequences can arise if a parent fails to pay child support, whether you owe support yourself or your child’s other parent refuses to pay. In addition to license suspension, the interception of tax refunds and even jail time, a parent could lose passport privileges if they fail to pay child support.

It is important to understand how passport denial and revocation work. Moreover, you should analyze your options, whether you want to receive back support or you want to address child support that you have not paid.

Unpaid child support can result in passport denial

The U.S. Department of State reports that if you have more than $2,500 worth of back child support, you lose your eligibility to receive a passport in the U.S. As a result, if you try to apply for a passport, the government will reject your application if you have $2,500 in unpaid support. In addition, you could lose your passport if you hand it over to add pages or for another reason.

Restoring passport privileges by paying child support arrears

If you want to restore your passport privileges, you will have to pay child support arrears to the enforcement agency in your state. After you have made suitable payment arrangements, the state will inform the federal government and they will restore your privileges. That said, it can take two to three weeks for them to remove your name from their list and process your passport application.

When it comes to passports and other child support enforcement issues, it is essential to have a clear understanding of your options and steps you need to take.

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