The US State Department says it is revoking the passports of Americans with significant outstanding child support debt.
Passport revocations for unpaid child support of more than $2,500 are allowed under a rarely enforced 1996 federal law.
Previously, the consequence was imposed only when people with such debt sought to renew their passports.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, the department said it would coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revoke the passports of Americans who have accumulated “significant” outstanding child support debt.
A revoked passport may no longer be used for travel, even if the child support debt has been paid.
Citizens will only be eligible for a new US passport after their debt has been paid to the state child support enforcement agency to which they owe money, the statement said.
Affected Americans outside the country will only be eligible for a limited-validity passport for direct return to the US until HHS verifies repayment of the debt, the statement added.
Last month, when the move was announced, the State Department said the action supports the welfare of American children by “exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law”.
The department added that the measure would also prevent those who owe substantial amounts of court-ordered child support from neglecting their legal and moral obligations to their children.
