Note on Child Support Payments and U.S. Passport Services

Section 51.70 (a) (8) of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations states, in part, that if you are certified to Passport Services by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be in arrears of child support payments in excess of $2,500, you are ineligible to receive U.S. Passport Services and your existing passport will be retained by the Embassy.

If this applies to you, you must contact the appropriate State child support enforcement agency to make payment arrangements before your passport may be issued. This is because:

• The State agency must certify to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that acceptable payment arrangements have been made.
• Then, HHS must advise the State Department to remove your name from the electronic list of persons with child support arrears.  We cannot perform passport services until your name has been removed.

Please note that it can take 5-10 working days from the time you make payment arrangements with the State agency until your name is removed from HHS’s electronic list. The Embassy has no information concerning individuals’ child support obligations and may not issue the passport until HHS removes your name from its list.

Please direct any questions to the appropriate state child support enforcement agency. You may go to the Department of Health and Human Services – State Child Support Enforcement website for a listing of HHS state and local agencies.