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Losing your passport over back child support

If you worry about falling behind on child support, or currently owe unpaid child support, it is vital to understand the many ways in which this could affect you. Aside from financial penalties, damage to your reputation, anxiety, the loss of your license and even time behind bars, you could face other serious repercussions if you miss child support payments. For example, you could lose your passport.

It is crucial to understand when non-custodial parents lose their passport privileges over unpaid child support and take steps to address back support if you are in this position.

Passport denial due to unpaid child support

The U.S. Department of State says that parents who owe at least $2,500 in unpaid child support cannot obtain U.S. passports. In addition, parents who owe this much back child support can also have their passport revoked. For example, if you need to add pages or change your name, the government could revoke your passport after you hand it over.

Unpaid child support and restoring your passport privileges

If you lose your passport privileges due to failing to pay child support, there are steps you can take to restore these privileges. The Department of State notes that you can make arrangements to pay arrears with Arizona’s child support enforcement agency. Once you make suitable arrangements, the government will remove your name from their blacklist.

You should realize that it can take a few weeks for the government to remove your name from the blacklist, but after they remove your name you can move forward with your passport application.

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