You Can Now Lose Your Passport For Carrying This Type Of Debt

Debts of all kinds can affect things like your credit score, with recent troubling consumer debt stats indicating that more people are financially struggling than you might think. While there are plenty of debt strategies to help lower things like interest rates and even important considerations before settling debt, some kinds of debt require a far more straightforward approach. Case in point, unpaid child support. While this kind of debt can lead to things like accruing interest, wage garnishment, and even property liens –- now this debt can also affect your ability to travel. On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the U.S. State Department announced it would begin revoking U.S. passports for those who owe what is deemed a 'significant' amount of unpaid child support.

Adding additional context, the department told The Associated Press (AP) that these revocations would begin Friday, May 8, and would, for now, focus exclusively on those who owe $100,000 or more in child support. Per data supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this means revocations will affect roughly 2,700 passport holders beginning Friday. As the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Mora Namdar, explained to the AP, "We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt." Whether the practice proves fruitful remains to be seen, but Namdar did add, "Once these parents resolve their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a U.S. passport."

Part of the State Department's announcement also included the fact that passport revocations will eventually expand beyond those who owe more than $100,000. While not clear exactly when, the plan is to expand the program to include those who owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support. This threshold, and the authority behind it, are a direct result of a 1996 law that allows the State Department to revoke a passport for someone owing more than $2,500 in child support. However, it's worth noting that, up until now, this law was rarely enforced.

In fact, up until May 7, 2026 parents with unpaid child support generally only faced consequences when/if they attempted to renew their passports. Now, any existing documents will be revoked, regardless of expiration date. Per the State Department's release, those with existing child support debt should contact the child support enforcement agency in the state in which support is due as soon as possible in order to set up a payment plan. Once revoked, eligibility to receive a new passport will only be granted after the person is no longer considered delinquent in HHS' records. It's also worth noting that anyone who is out of the country at the time of this revocation will need to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate in the country they are visiting in order to obtain emergency travel documents. Without these, they will be unable to return to the U.S.