Can I get a passport if I owe child support?

by Anthony
(New York)

Question: I owe about $5000 on child support but I need to travel to go visit my father in the Dominican Republic. I haven't see him in like 3 years. What can I do?

Answer: The only way you can obtain a passport and travel to the Dominican Republic is if you contact the appropriate State child support enforcement agency to make payment arrangements before applying for a passport. Anyone that owes more than $2500 is ineligible to receive a U.S. passport.

Here are the steps you need to take:

1. Contact the State child support enforcement agency and make arrangements for the payment of the child support you owe.

2. Once this has been done, ask the agency to contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)and inform them concerning the arrangement.

3. Next, verify that HHS has contacted Passport Services to request the removal of your name from the electronic list HHS gives to Passport Services. It can take 2-3 weeks for your name to be removed from the list.

4. Once your name is removed from the list, apply for a new passport. Regular passport processing takes 4-6 weeks. Expedited services takes 2-3 weeks. To get your passport in less than two weeks, you can submit the application at a regional passport agency.