If you currently owe back child support, you likely worry about many different challenges. This is a serious debt that can turn many facets of your life on end, whether you cannot drive, you face financial repercussions or you have to spend time behind bars. Furthermore, it is important to understand that unpaid child support can also interfere with your passport and your ability to leave the country.
It is essential to know your options if you owe back support and do everything you can to get caught up. Also, you should do everything in your power to pay on time, even if you do not have arrears.
The Office of Child Support Enforcement states that when a parent owes more than $2,500 in overdue child support, they lose their U.S. passport privileges. This means that if you turn in an application for a U.S. passport, the government will deny your application. Or, if you need to add pages, change your name or submit your passport to the government for some other reason, they will revoke your current passport if your overdue child support surpasses this threshold.
If you want to regain the ability to use a passport, reach out to the child support agency in your state and pay back child support that you owe. After fulfilling your obligations, the government will take your name off their list. That said, you should understand that it can take some time for the government to process your passport application after paying overdue child support and address this issue promptly.