The Trump administration will start to revoke passports of Americans who owe child support in excess of $100,000 dollars, which would apply to around 2,700 U.S. passport holders, according to The Associated Press.
The State Department on Thursday posted a statement on its website announcing plans to enacted “unprecedented” coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “revoke passports of Americans who have racked up significant outstanding child support debt.”
However, the Associated Press reported on additional details, such as the scale of debt under consideration for qualification, as well as the fact that revocations will begin Friday and that the program could soon lower its threshold to those who owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support.
The number of Americans impacted by that lower threshold remains to be seen, however, as HHS continues to collect data from state agencies responsible for tracking those figures.
Those whose passports are revoked under the program will be notified that they will not be able to use their documents for travel and will have to apply for a new passport once their arrears are confirmed as paid.
The State Department stresses the initiative as a means of “putting American families first through our passport process.”
“This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law,” the department wrote.
Who Is At Risk of Losing a Passports?
Reports that the administration was considering this initiative first emerged in February, noting that it relied on a little-known 1996 law, which allows the State Department to revoke passports over unpaid child support exceeding $2,500, but the tool has rarely been used: Enforcement was generally only enacted when a parent approached a U.S. consulate or embassy for support.
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar told the Associated Press that those who lose their passports can regain them once they “resolve their debts.”
“We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt,” Namdar said.
The State Department also told the Associated Press that since reports broke in February about the expanded plan, “hundreds of parents took action and resolved their arrears with state authorities.” However, the department has not yet made clear if this is a universal policy or if certain exemptions will be allowed based on circumstances.
Connie Chesnik, President of the Wisconsin Division of Family & Economic Security, told Newsweek in an email statement that the process as it exists now allows for revocation but was “cumbersome and not utilized by many states.”
“States more routinely utilize the passport denial provisions in current law to seek the denial of initial applications for new passports and the denial of applications for renewal of existing passports when a payer meets the criteria for denial,” she said.
How Much Child Support is Paid Each Year?
According to census data, in 2022, about 4.7 million custodial parents who had legal or informal agreements for child support were supposed to receive, on average, around $6,400 annually – or around $530 per month.
The median amount for child support in 2022 was around $4,800, meaning that half of those set to receive child support would receive less than that amount and half would receive more.
This means that custodial parents were supposed to collectively receive around $29.9 billion in child support payments – but they only received around $19.2 billion. Of that, 16.2 billion of an expected $25.2 billion went to mothers and $3 billion of an expected $4.8 billion went to fathers.
Since 1998, the State Department through its enforcement against issuing passports forced repayment of $657 million in arrears, with $156 million of that sum paid over the past five years.
How Can I Renew My Passport?
Passports can be renewed online through the State Department website, which stresses it as the “only official, authorized place to renew your U.S. passport online.”
“Other websites or companies claiming to renew your passport online may be fraudulent. No one else can legally sign and submit your online passport application for you,” the department warns on its website.
Before renewing your passport, you must ensure that:
- Your previous passport is or was valid for 10 years
- Your previous passport expired less than five years ago or will expire in the next year
- You are age 25 or older
- You are not changing personal information such as name or sex
- You do not plan to travel within six weeks from the date of submission for renewal
- You are located within a U.S. state or territory at the time of submission
- You have your passport with you, and it is not damaged or mutilated
Renewing a full passport book will cost $130, while a passport card will cost $30, and you must submit a new photo for with your application.
Online application is only for renewing the same type of document: If you plan to change from a passport book to a card or vice-versa, that requires a mail-in application.
When Will Trump Passports Be Released?
The State Department is finalizing plans to include President Donald Trump’s portrait on new passports, in what would be the first time a sitting president has been featured on official travel documents.
The new passport design features the president on the inside cover to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, featuring “customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport the most secure documents in the world,” a State Department spokesperson previously told Newsweek.
The passports will be issued as part of a “limited run” of 25,000 to 30,000 passports, with the first books expected to be printed in July this year. The specialized passport will only be available to in-person applicants at the Washington Passport Agency, according to NPR.
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