U.S. Will Begin Revoking Passports This Friday Over Child Support Debt

US passport revocation over child support debt

Parents with unpaid support face sanctions

US toughens restrictions

The United States Department of State will begin revoking US passports from parents with large unpaid child support debts.

The measure will take effect this Friday. According to authorities, it will initially affect individuals owing $100,000 or more, according to Univision.

The State Department indicated that around 2,700 people could lose their passports during this first phase.

US passport revocations will affect thousands

Breaking News | Thousands of citizens could lose their passports if they have child support debt. pic.twitter.com/W8uxOzz3zN

— N+ UNIVISION (@nmasunivision) May 7, 2026

The figures were provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Why it matters: The policy significantly expands sanctions related to unpaid child support.

Until now, restrictions mainly applied to individuals attempting to renew their passports.

Under the new approach, the government will be able to revoke valid passports already in circulation.

New child support debt policy will expand revocations

The U.S. will begin revoking passports from parents who owe child support, according to AP. #Latinus #InformaciónParaTi https://t.co/24Cixzm5kI

— Latinus (@latinus_us) May 7, 2026

The State Department said the program will soon extend to individuals with child support debts exceeding $2,500.

That threshold was established under a 1996 law.

However, authorities acknowledged that the rule was rarely enforced strictly.

The HHS is still collecting state data to determine how many passport holders exceed that minimum debt level.

Officials said the number could involve many thousands more people.

You May Also Be Interested In: New Legal Battle Against SB4: Effort to Block Texas’ Toughest Immigration Law

Under the new policy, the HHS will directly notify the State Department about individuals with overdue payments.

Parents placed on that list could lose their passports even if they are not currently applying for renewal.

The US State Department explained that individuals affected by the passport revocation will receive an official notice.

That communication will inform them that they may no longer use the document for international travel.

Those sanctioned will need to apply for a new passport once payment of the debt has been confirmed.

Government says the measure has been effective

Mora Namdar defended the decision.

“We are expanding a common-sense practice that has proven effective in getting people who owe child support to pay their debts,” she stated.

Namdar added that individuals who resolve their payments will be able to regain the privilege of holding a US passport.

The State Department reported that since the expansion of the program was announced on February 10, hundreds of people have settled their debts.

US Authorities stated that those actions occurred after the possibility of proactive passport revocations became public.

“Although we cannot confirm a causal relationship in every case, we took this measure precisely to encourage these parents to do the right thing for their children and for US law,” the department stated.

Authorities consider the policy a pressure mechanism designed to recover overdue payments.

Americans abroad will need to visit consulates

The State Department described the program as a “powerful tool.”

Officials stated that since 1998, states have recovered approximately $657 million in overdue child support payments.

They also noted that more than 24,000 unique individual payments were recorded during the last five years.

Those payments represented more than $156 million recovered.

The new policy also includes cases involving US citizens who are outside the country.

If a person has their passport revoked while abroad, they will need to visit a US embassy or consulate.

There, they may request an emergency travel document.

That permit would allow them to return to the United States.

The US State Department reiterated that the passport revocations are intended to increase compliance with child support obligations.