Important Due to Covid-19, processing times for passports are taking longer than normal for both standard and expedited services.

Can I get my minor child's passport suspended?

by Chris
(Columbus, Oh, USA)

Question: My ex-wife lied to me to get me to sign off for my son to get a passport. She asked me to sign so she could take my kids to Honduras to see her get married to her deported boyfriend. Instead, she sold everything she owned and took my son out of school and went to Honduras. Now she has to come back and I know as soon as she can go back she will take my son out of school again and go back to Honduras without my permission.


Answer: The United States government has established numerous laws and implemented several projects in order to prevent international parental child abduction and punish those who commit this crime.

One of the principal means of prevention is the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program. Since your child already has a passport, the program would only alert you if an application was submitted for a renewal.

The State Department does not revoke passports that have already been issued to a minor. If you believe that your ex-wife will abduct your son from the U.S., you can ask a court or your attorneys to hold the child's passport.

For more information and preventative measures, click the link below.

Guarding Against International Parental Child Abduction

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UPDATE: Mailing delays and high demand are impacting passport processing. The Department of State's processing times begin when applications are received at a passport agency or center and not when you mail them or apply at a local acceptance facility. Standard service may take between 8 and 11 weeks. This timeframe does not include delivery time. Mailing times vary across the country.

Expedited service takes from 5 to 7 weeks excluding mailing times on the front and back end. Current mailing delays are significant. Requesting 1-2-day mailing service is recommended.

Regional passport agencies are offering two types of appointments: Life-of-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service.

Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel outside the United States within 3 business days.

If you need to travel due to a qualified life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center for an appointment:

Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. ET, call 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY:1-888-874-7793) Outside of these hours, call 202-647-4000.

For Urgent Travel Service, you need to call 14 days before your scheduled international travel or 28 days if you also need to secure a foreign visa.

If you need to travel urgently for reasons other than a life-or-death emergency, please call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. ET.

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