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Ice on Immigration: Child Support Agreements Complicate Passport IssuanceQuestion: I am a naturalized United States citizen. I have had plans to go on a scuba diving vacation in Central America for several months. I recently applied for a U.S. passport and was denied because I owe child support money. I have been paying the child support under a court ordered agreement for the last four years. Is there any way I can get a passport? I really want to go on this trip.Answer: A section of the United States 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 a U.S. passport. However, if you have payment arrangements in place, you may be able to obtain a passport. The State agency where you pay child support must certify to HHS that acceptable payment arrangements have been made. The HHS must then notify Passport Services by removing your name from the electronic database of offenders. Passport Services cannot issue you a passport until your name has been deleted by HHS. It may take 2-3 weeks from the time you may payment arrangements with the State agency until your name is removed from HHS’s electronic list. It may also take more than a week for the State agency to receive notice of court ordered payment arrangements you have. Passport Services has no information concerning child support obligations and has no authority to take action until HHS removes your name from its list. For a list of appropriate State child support enforcement agencies go to the Department of Health and Human Services State Child Support Enforcement Web Site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/extinf.html.
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