Can Your Passport Be Revoked, If You Don’t Pay Child Support?
No matter what, an individual who has been ordered to pay child support must do so. A failure to pay child support can lead to that individual facing a number of consequences.
Just as the title of this article implies, one of these consequences has to do with an individual’s passport. But, there are other, related, consequences that everyone should be aware of.
What Are The Consequences Of Not Paying Child Support?
A variety of consequences come with not paying child support. Some of the most notable consequences a parent who doesn’t pay child support can face are as follows:
- A suspension of their driver’s license.
- A suspension of their vehicle registration.
- A suspension of their professional and/or business licenses.
- A seizure of their bank accounts.
- A seizure of their tax refunds.
- A lien placed on their home.
- A lien placed on their car.
- A significant fine.
- A damaged credit score.
Outside of the consequences outlined above, there is one other, very significant, penalty a parent who fails to fulfill their child support obligation may face: being prevented from acquiring/renewing their passport.
Can Your Passport Be Revoked, If You Don’t Pay Child Support?
The simple answer to this question is “No.” But, the real answer is slightly more complex as, even though a parent’s passport cannot be revoked, their ability to use it can be greatly affected.
Every single parent who fails to pay their child support in a timely, efficient manner has their name and status recorded by the Florida Department of Revenue. The names of these parents, and the amount of child support that they owe, are given to the U.S. Department of State.
Right after the Department of State receives a parent’s information and status, they are placed into something known as the “Passport Denial Program.”
Just as the name suggests, the Passport Denial Program is a program that denies a parent’s passport from being used. But, unlike what is often assumed, this program does not prevent parents from traveling.
Rather, the Passport Denial Program is used to perform the following actions:
- Prevent the non-paying parent from obtaining a new passport.
- Prevent the non-paying parent from renewing their current passport.
- Prevent the non-paying parent from replacing pages in their passport.
- Prevent the non-paying from adding new pages to their passport.
Each one of these actions makes it difficult for a parent to use their passport, but far from possible.
How Can A Parent Regain The Use Of Their Passport?
To regain the use of their passport, a parent can do one of the following:
- Pay the amount of child support they owe.
- Go to a judicial hearing and outline why they should be able to use their passport.
- Approach the Florida Department of Revenue to have the order removed.
Each one of these avenues is much easier to pursue when a lawyer is there to offer assistance.
Speak With A Tampa Child Support Lawyer Today
Even though your passport cannot be revoked if you owe child support, the court can make it more difficult for you to use your passport.
Speak with a Tampa child support lawyer today. We will assist you in regaining the use of your passport.
Sources:
congress.gov/bill/98th-congress/house-bill/4325
floridarevenue.com/childsupport/compliance/Pages/passport_denial.aspx
