It is important to familiarize yourself with the various penalties associated with failing to make child support payments on time. Whether you worry about the loss of your driving privileges, tax refund interception or suffering damage to your reputation, many different hardships can come up when you do not pay child support on time. Furthermore, it is important to understand that missing child support payments can also jeopardize your passport.
Losing your passport, or losing the ability to obtain a passport, could shatter your plans. For example, if you have a crucial business trip or you want to visit another country for a family event, the loss of passport privileges could prevent you from leaving the U.S.
Back child support and passport problems
The U.S. Department of State says that if you owe more than $2,500 in unpaid child support, you lose your eligibility to receive a U.S. passport. They also inform parents to pay back child support to the enforcement agency in their state before trying to apply for a U.S. passport. If you fail to address unpaid child support and you owe at least $2,500 in arrears, the government will turn down your passport application.
It is also important to note that parents who owe back child support can lose their passports if they submit it to the government for various services, such as adding pages, changing their name, etc.
Paying child support to restore passport privileges
After you pay back the child support you owe, the government will take your name off of their list, but this can take up to three weeks. If you want to apply for a passport or avoid the revocation of your current passport, make sure you set up child support payment arrangements with the agency in your state.