Can I use my passport if I owe more than $5000 in child support?
by Rudolph
(Miami, Fl USA)
Question: If you owe more than $5000 in child support and you try to travel internationally round trip on your existing, valid passport, will you be denied travel? What will happen?
Answer: First of all, the amount for which a person can be denied a passport has been changed to $2500.
You should only have a problem with your current, valid passport if it has been revoked. If that had occurred, you would have received notice of the fact.
According to federal law, "Passport revocation may be effected when the person obtained the passport fraudulently, when the passport was issued in error, when the person’s certificate of naturalization was canceled by a federal court, or when the person would not be entitled to a new passport under 22 CFR 51.70 (a) or (b)."
It goes on to say, "The physical revocation of a passport is often difficult, and an apparently valid passport can be used for travel until officially taken by an arresting officer or by a court."
Seriously problems can arise if your passport is lost or stolen while traveling abroad and need to obtain another in order to return to the United States.
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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 10 and 13 weeks. This timeframe does not include delivery time. Mailing times vary across the country.
Expedited service takes from 7 to 9 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.
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.
A registered expedited passport courier can often assist in obtaining a passport as quickly as the same day. You can learn more about this service here.
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