American parents who owe “significant child support” will have their passports revoked under new plans to implement an existing but little-used federal law.
The US State Department under President Donald Trump says it will use “common sense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance with US laws”.
Under the plans, parents with outstanding child support debt of more than $2,500 (£1,400) will have their passports revoked.
The state department says the revocations will take place on an “unprecedented scale”.
Anyone affected won’t be eligible for a new passport until the debt has been repaid.
Passport revocation over child support debt is allowed under a rarely implemented 1996 federal law.
Previously, it was only applied when people when debtors sought passport renewal – as opposed to existing passports being revoked.
The State Department said it will work with the US Department of Health and Human Services to identify people holding outstanding debt and revoke passports.
In a statement it said: “This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law.”
It advised any American with significant child support debt to “arrange payment to the relevant state or states now to prevent passport revocation”.
The department also said eligibility for a new passport will only be restored after child support debt is paid and “the individual is no longer delinquent according to Health and Human Services records”.
“The State Department is putting American families first through our passport process,” the statement added.
The State Department media briefing didn’t confirm when the new policy would come in, but a report from Associated Press suggests it will begin on Friday.
Today’s Media has contacted the State Department for further comment.
