Question: If I owe child support, can I get a passport?

Answer: If a person ordered to pay child support and has an arrearage, the US State Department will not issue or renew the passport, depending on the amount owed. The gatekeeper on this matter is the US State Department. In order to obtain a passport, you must meet the requirements of the US State Department.

The easiest way to address this issue is to pay off any child support arrearage, so that then the child support becomes a non-issue.

Child support is considered a unique obligation and its collection in subject to a long statute of limitations. However, the law now requires that a child support collection action must be filed no later than the tenth anniversary of the child's graduation from high school. Then, if a judgment is granted, it may be collected as any judgment. In addition, reporting a child support arrearage that is existing does not violate any Fair Debt Collection Act. Payment of arrearage may be negotiated. You may need to have the amount of child support due determined by a court. This is accomplished with a Motion to Determine Arrearage.