Planning to head to a foreign country? If you have excessive amounts of child support that you have failed to pay on time, the United States Consulate won't let you go anywhere. According the U.S. Department of State, if you owe more than $2,500 in child support, you aren't even eligible to receive a passport. This is because the government doesn't want parents fleeing the country to get out of financial obligations like alimony. You were given a mandate by the court to pay an allotted amount of child support to your children, and you must pay it.

This restriction on passports helps the U.S. to keep divorced parents accountable to their financial support obligations. If you have a child support debt at the moment, you will need to make arrangements to pay all your dues before you submit your application for a passport. If you have any questions about the child support arrears or want to know if your payment has been recognized, the best idea is to contact your state child support enforcement agency. Each state has one of these organizations, which can aid you in all things that have to do with child support.

Once you have made all of your payments, then it will probably take 2-3 weeks before Passport Services can process your application. They may want to double check that the payments were indeed granted. There is an intricate web of phone calls that need to take place before you can get your passport and be on your way to your destination. After you have contacted the state agency that you owe child support to and paid the amount owed, then the state child support enforcement agency will need to report the payments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They will tell people in this agency that the appropriate payments have been made.

Next the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will need to remove your name from their list of outstanding arrears and give the U.S. Department of State an updated list that excludes you. Then Passport Services must receive the updated list from the HHS, and verify that your name is no longer on the list. They will then be able to process your application, and you will have to wait until that is approved and your passport comes in the mail. Passport Services will not have any information regarding your specific child support case. All they will know is that your name was on a list which barred you from getting a passport and that once your payments are satisfied you will be able to apply for a passport.

Passport Services isn't the only agency that takes paying your child support seriously. When you filed for a divorce, you committed to pay the amounts that were set by the judge in your family court. If you abandon your duty to pay your ex-spouse and children, then they may be suffering. You need to stay true to your commitment or you may wind up in a difficult position. The courts can bring charges against you for failing to pay. You may be sentenced to pay an exorbitant fine, spend time in community service, or have some of you visitation privileges revoked. Divorce cases are often messy, and the hurt feelings and disputes carry on long after the divorce is final. If you ex-spouse claims that you haven't paid your child support when you know that you have, you may want to contact your family lawyer. The last thing you want is to be caught in a debate about alimony, especially if you are trying to plan for a trip to go abroad.