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The U.S. Department of State began revoking passports for citizens with significant child support debts this Friday, in a measure officially announced that represents the most aggressive expansion of an existing federal program since 1996.
In the initial phase, the action targets approximately 2,700 passport holders who owe $100,000 or more in child support, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The program will later expand to include all debtors who exceed the legal threshold of $2,500, which could impact “many more thousands” of individuals.
The central novelty of the measure is that, until now, the penalty only applied when the debtor requested a new passport or its renewal.
Starting this Thursday, HHS will proactively notify the Department of State about all debts exceeding $2,500, triggering the automatic revocation of already issued and valid passports.
"We are expanding a common-sense practice that has proven effective in ensuring that those who owe child support pay their debts. Once these parents settle their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a U.S. passport," stated Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.
The official statement from the Department of State directly warns those affected: "Any American with a significant child support debt must address the payment with the relevant state right now to avoid passport revocation."
Once the document is revoked, it cannot be used for travel. Eligibility to obtain a new one is only restored when the debt is settled with the appropriate state child support enforcement agency and the individual is no longer listed as delinquent in the HHS records.
The measure is part of the Trump administration's policy to coordinate with HHS "on an unprecedented scale" to enforce child support legal obligations.
The State Department describes it as a tool to "put American families first through the passport process."
The federal program for passport denial due to child support debts is legally based on the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006, which set the threshold at $2,500.
Its historical results support its effectiveness: in the fiscal year 2022, 9,657 passports were denied, generating $383 million; in 2023, denials rose to 10,200 with $410 million collected.
In total, the program has collected $621 million in child support debts.
This action is in addition to other measures from the Trump administration related to identity documentation, including the launch of commemorative passports featuring Trump's image, the assessment to involve banks in citizenship verification, and the request to the Supreme Court to limit birthright citizenship.
Critics of the measure warn that preventing debtors from traveling for work could reduce their disposable income and, consequently, their actual ability to pay, particularly impacting parents with criminal records.
However, the initial announcement of the expanded program, reported in February 2026, would have already produced results: since then, hundreds of parents have paid their arrears to the state authorities before the formal revocation of their documents occurs.
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