Whether you recently lost your job or went through a costly and unexpected medical crisis, you could have difficulty paying child support for many different reasons. If you find yourself in this position, it is pivotal to do everything in your power to stay current or pay back child support as soon as possible. In fact, failure to pay child support can lead to various consequences, including the loss of your passport privileges.
Without a passport, you might have to cancel an important business trip, miss a wedding or some other type of family-related event or call off a vacation you have planned for years.
Passport denial and unpaid child support
The Administration for Children and Families published information on how back child support can affect passports. According to the ACF, if a parent owes at least $2,500 worth of unpaid child support, the state notifies the federal government, which revokes their passport privileges.
If the State Department receives notification that you owe more than $2,500 in back child support, they will deny your application for a U.S. passport and prevent you from using passport services.
Paying child support and protecting your passport
In order to safeguard your passport privileges, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of your options with respect to paying child support. If you owe back child support, look over your potential options, such as setting up a payment plan. Furthermore, if major financial changes have jeopardized your ability to pay what you owe on time, you might have the ability to modify your child support order.
