child support with “significant outstanding” debt.
According to the department, the measure is intended to ensure parents meet their obligations to their children while strengthening enforcement of existing federal laws.
The State Department said it is using “commonsense tools to support American families and strengthen compliance” with US laws in an effort to enforce parents’ “legal and moral obligations to their children”.
Parents with unpaid child support were advised to work with the relevant state agencies and arrange payment plans to avoid losing their travel documents.
Once a passport is revoked, it can no longer be used for international travel. The department also stated that affected individuals would not qualify for a new passport until the outstanding child support debt is cleared.
“This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law,” the department said in a statement.
The policy is based on a 1996 federal law that allows the US government to revoke passports from individuals owing more than $2,500 in child support. However, the law has rarely been enforced in the past.
Previously, the restriction was mainly applied when affected individuals attempted to renew their passports. Under the new system, authorities will actively identify people with unpaid child support and revoke their passports even before renewal applications are made.
The State Department said it will work together with the US Department of Health and Human Services to trace those with outstanding debt and enforce the policy.
Officials did not give a specific date for the start of the enforcement exercise, although the Associated Press reported that implementation would begin on Friday.
The BBC reported that it had contacted the State Department for further clarification on the rollout.
Americans whose passports are revoked while outside the country will be required to visit a US embassy or consulate to obtain emergency travel documents that will allow them to return home, according to the Associated Press.