WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of State announced during the month of May that it will begin revoking the passports of American citizens whose unpaid child support obligations exceed $2,500, in a move aimed at strengthening child support enforcement and ensuring parents meet their financial responsibilities toward their children.

The department explained that U.S. law prohibits parents with substantial unpaid child support debts from obtaining American passports and also allows the federal government, under legislation enacted in 1996, to revoke or restrict such travel documents, although enforcement had remained limited in recent years.

“Any U.S. citizen with significant child support debt should move quickly to resolve the matter with the appropriate state agency in order to avoid passport revocation,” The State Department said in a statement.

The statement added that once a passport is revoked, it may no longer be used for travel, and a new passport will not be issued until all outstanding child support debts are fully resolved with state child support enforcement agencies and verified through records maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Under the new rules, individuals affected by the measures will be notified that they can no longer use their travel documents and will be required to pay the full overdue balance before becoming eligible to apply for a new passport.

As for citizens who are outside the United States at the time their passports are revoked, they will be issued “limited-validity passports” intended solely to facilitate their direct return to the country.

The department did not specify an official implementation date, though media reports indicate the process has already begun, with current enforcement focused on cases involving child support debts exceeding $100,000.

The measures will be carried out in coordination between the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, which will provide detailed records regarding child support arrears exceeding $2,500. Officials have not yet disclosed the total number of individuals expected to be affected by the policy.

The action is based on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, signed into law in 1996 by former President Clinton, which grants the secretary of state authority to restrict or revoke passports for individuals owing substantial child support debts.

The State Department emphasized that the move is part of an effort to “put American families first” and support children’s well-being by imposing real consequences on those who fail to meet their financial obligations under current federal law.

For her part, Mora Namdar, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, said the expansion of enforcement practices is intended to pressure delinquent parents into fulfilling their obligations.

She noted that hundreds of parents have already begun settling their debts since reports about the plan first surfaced in February.