Most people don’t realize that if you owe more than $2,500 in child support payments, you are not eligible to receive a U.S. passport. This pertains to new passports as well as passport renewals. Also, even if you owe less than $2,500 in overdue child support payments, there is still no guarantee that you will receive a U.S. passport because you are in arrears and Passport Services will be notified of the delinquency. If you have outstanding child support payments, you should NOT apply for a passport until all payments are brought up to date. You should make arrangements to pay the state where the child support is owed BEFORE you submit your application for a U.S. passport. Any questions or problems in amount discrepancy should be directed to the state child support enforcement agency. After you pay the delinquent amount, the state child support enforcement agency will notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that acceptable payment arrangements have been made. Then the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will remove your name from their list of outstanding arrears when it provides the U.S. Department of State with the updated list. Finally, once Passport Services verifies that your name has been removed from the list of outstanding arrears, Passport Services may process your application for a passport. This may take 2-3 weeks before Passport Services is permitted to process your application for a U.S. passport in addition to the standard passport processing timeframe.
In Illinois you may contact Child Support Services under the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services at 1-800-447-4278 to make payment arrangements. You may find more information on their website at http://www.childsupportillinois.com/. In Illinois, state law also allows for a suspension of a driver’s license of a parent who is delinquent in payment of child support.
If you believe that you may be behind in payment of child support, it is best to contact Child Support Services prior to applying for a U.S. passport so your application is not denied or delayed if your name is found on a list of outstanding arrears. Make sure to plan well ahead of your planned departure date, so you don’t miss your flight or a long-planned vacation!