Is Your Child’s Parent Behind on Child Support? Denying Them a Passport Could Be Possible

Is Your Child’s Parent Behind on Child Support? Denying Them a Passport Could Be Possible

Having a parent owe you for your child’s support can be devastating. You could have trouble making ends meet, all while you see your co-parent living their life without issue. The good news is that the government is starting to take this situation more seriously and is adding more and more options to prevent people from skipping out on child support payments.

If you are owed child support then your best option is to contact Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell at 909-482-1422 for a consultation. We can assess your specific case to find the right solutions. In the meantime, read on to learn about the option of having a non-paying parent’s passport revoked.

The federal government will prevent the passport from being issued

If a person becomes delinquent in child support payments then the Department of Child Support Services is legally required to tell the federal government, provided the amount owed is in excess of $2,500. Once the government gets proof of this situation, they will not issue a passport to the debtor until the same child support agency that reported them delinquent reports the debt satisfied. Local agencies have no discretion.

How the passport system works

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a database with updated information on people in the United States who owe child support in excess of $2,500. This database is shared with the U.S. Passport Agency. It is part of the Passport Denial Program, which came to be as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed in 1997.

When a person has their passport request denied by the U.S. Passport Agency, that agency has no power to take the person’s name off the list. The only way the person in question can then get a passport is to have the DHHS take their name off the list. If a person owes child support in more than one state then payments will have to be negotiated or other arrangements must be made before a person’s name can be cleared to get a passport.

The parent in default must go through many steps to have their passport issued

Once a parent has been denied a passport due to overdue child support, they must contact the agency they owe child support to and make a satisfactory arrangement for payment. The State Child Support Enforcement Agency must then report this to DHHS, DHHS must take their name off the list, and DHHS must provide the U.S. Department of State with an updated list. Note that even if the debt gets below $2,500, once a person is on the list they must satisfy the entire amount before getting a passport.

If you have a child support agreement that is not meeting your needs, or if it was an informal agreement not spelled out in your divorce agreement, then it may be time for a divorce modification. Reach out to Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell at 909-482-1422 to find out more about the options.