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The US State Department will begin revoking the passports of thousands of Americans who owe significant amounts of unpaid child support, according to officials.
The revocations will begin Friday and will initially focus on parents who owe $100,000 or more in back child support. That group includes about 2,700 passport holders, according to figures provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Under federal law, anyone with more than $2,500 in unpaid court-ordered child support can have their passport denied or their existing one taken away, according to a State Department statement Thursday. Officials said the department is expanding coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services to include parents above that threshold.
The move is intended to pressure delinquent parents to comply with court-ordered child support obligations, officials said.
A hand holds a US passport and an approved vaccination card along with luggage and a laptop bag, prepared for a business trip amid new travel requirements. (iStock)
Once a passport is revoked, it can no longer be used for travel, even if the debt is later paid, according to State Department guidelines. The State Department advised any American with significant child support debt to contact the appropriate state agency and arrange payment before taking any passport action.
STATE DEPARTMENT TO WITHDRAW ADDITIONAL PASSPORTS FROM PARENTS WHO OWE CHILD SUPPORT
“Eligibility for a new passport will only be restored after the child support debt is paid to the appropriate state agency and the individual is no longer delinquent according to HHS records,” they said.
Passengers queue to use automated passport control kiosks at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, on March 4, 2015. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Affected individuals should work with the state child support enforcement agency where the debt is owed. HHS must then update its records before the State Department can process a new passport, a process the department says can take at least two to three weeks.
It was unclear Thursday how many passport holders owe more than $2,500 because HHS is still collecting data from state agencies that track the numbers, but it could encompass many more thousands of people, officials told the Associated Press.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department will suspend all Afghan passport visas after visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel on October 24, 2025. (Getty Images)
A passport holder who is abroad at the time of revocation must contact the state where the debt is owed and may visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to complete passport application procedures. The State Department says such individuals may be eligible only for a limited validity passport to return directly to the United States until HHS verifies payment of the debt.
“The State Department is prioritizing American families in our passport process,” they said.
The passport denial program has been around for decades and is used by federal and state officials as a tool to enforce overdue child support obligations. The Administration for Children and Families says state child support agencies file qualified cases and federal officials send those records to the State Department.
