To be eligible for a U.S. Passport, you must pay any outstanding child support. If you owe more than $2,500, federal regulations do not allow us to issue you a U.S. passport and we may revoke your valid U.S. passport.
If your U.S. passport is revoked because you owe more than $2,500 in child support, you will need to contact the state where you owe child support to pay your debt. Notices about passport revocations will be sent from the Department of State directly to the passport holder via email or to the mailing address provided on the most recent passport application.
Contact the state where your debt is owed for options to repay. After you have paid the state you will be eligible for a new U.S. Passport. A revoked passport may no longer be used for travel even if child support debt has been paid.
If you have urgent travel, be aware the process for your state and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to remove your name from its records may take a minimum of 2-3 weeks. We cannot issue you a passport until HHS verifies your eligibility for a passport.
If you are overseas and you received a notification that your U.S. passport has been revoked, please contact the state where you owe child support to pay your debt. You may contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for passport application procedures. You are only eligible for a limited-validity passport for direct return to the United States until HHS verifies repayment of the debt.
Dial 1-877-487-2778 or 1-888-874-7793 (TDD/TTY) if you have questions about this information.
Contact your state’s HHS office if you have questions about your child support payments. The State Department relies on certifications from HHS and is not involved in the certification or decertification process.
