Parents who struggle to pay their child support may have diverse concerns, such as losing their tax refund or facing other penalties associated with unpaid child support. What some may not realize is that unpaid child support can interfere with life in all sorts of other ways, such as making one ineligible to obtain a passport. Moreover, you may be wondering how much unpaid child support one must owe in order to have their passport eligibility revoked. In this post, we will examine back child support and applying for a U.S. passport.
According to the U.S. Department of State’s site, unpaid child support totaling $2,500 or greater will leave a person unable to get a U.S. passport. The Department of State recommends that parents who owe this much in unpaid child support should pay arrears prior to submitting their passport application. Once this has been satisfied, the parent’s name will be removed from their list but you should realize that it can take a matter of weeks in order for passport eligibility to be restored.
Losing the ability to get a passport can prevent you from carrying out travel plans that you have had for years, or it may get in the way of a business trip or some other important occasion that is taking place outside of the country. You should make sure that your unpaid child support is addressed promptly and, if possible, prevent yourself from falling into this position in the first place by modifying your child support order or arranging a payment plan.