Yes, you can get a passport if you are a felon in most cases. A felony conviction by itself is not a disqualifier under federal law. The State Department only blocks or restricts passports in a narrow set of situations: certain drug trafficking convictions tied to international travel, outstanding felony warrants or extradition requests, unpaid child support above $2,500, seriously delinquent federal tax debt, and sex offense registrations involving a minor. If none of those apply to you, you go through the same application process as anyone else.
Drug Felonies Tied to International Travel
One felony category directly bars passport issuance. If you were convicted of a federal or state drug felony and the offense involved using a passport or crossing an international border, the State Department cannot issue you a passport.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 2714 – Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers Both elements have to be present. A domestic drug felony with no international component does not trigger this provision.
The bar is also not permanent. It applies only while you are imprisoned, on parole, or on supervised release for that conviction.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 2714 – Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers Once you finish your sentence and complete all supervision, the restriction lifts and you can apply normally.
Outstanding Warrants and No-Travel Orders
The State Department can refuse a passport to anyone with an outstanding federal or state felony arrest warrant, a federal grand jury subpoena in a felony investigation, or a foreign extradition request.2eCFR. 22 CFR 51.60 – Denial and Restriction of Passports These are discretionary denials, evaluated case by case rather than triggered automatically.
Court orders forbidding departure from the United States are also grounds for denial. If your probation or parole conditions include a federal court order prohibiting you from leaving the country, and violating that order could produce a federal arrest warrant, the Department can refuse your application.2eCFR. 22 CFR 51.60 – Denial and Restriction of Passports
Unpaid Child Support Over $2,500
Owing more than $2,500 in past-due child support is a mandatory passport bar. When a state child support agency certifies your arrears to the federal Passport Denial Program, the State Department is required by law to refuse your application and can revoke or restrict a passport you already hold.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary There is no discretion involved. If the certification is in the system, the passport is blocked.
Clearing this hold means working directly with the state agency that submitted the certification. Some states withdraw certification once you set up a payment plan; others require partial or full payment. Only the certifying state can request your removal, and if multiple states have certified arrears against you, every one of them has to request withdrawal before the State Department will act.4Administration for Children and Families. Passport Denial Program 101
Seriously Delinquent Federal Tax Debt
Federal tax debt can also block a passport. Under 26 U.S.C. § 7345, when the IRS certifies that you have seriously delinquent tax debt, the State Department must deny your application and can revoke an existing passport.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7345 – Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Tax Delinquencies For 2026, the threshold is $66,000 in assessed, legally enforceable federal tax debt where the IRS has filed a lien or begun a levy.6IRS. Rev. Proc. 2025-32 Inflation-Adjusted Items for 2026
The IRS sends notice CP508C when it certifies your debt. You can get the certification reversed by paying in full, entering an installment agreement, or securing an accepted offer in compromise. If the State Department is already holding your application, you generally have 90 days to resolve the issue. Travelers with trips booked within 45 days can request expedited reversal in as few as nine days by contacting the IRS with proof of travel.7IRS. Revocation or Denial of Passport in Cases of Certain Unpaid Taxes
Tax debt you are already paying through an installment agreement, or that is under review in a due process hearing, does not count as seriously delinquent and will not trigger certification.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7345 – Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Tax Delinquencies
Registered Sex Offenders
Federal law treats registered sex offenders whose offenses involved a minor as “covered sex offenders.” The State Department will not issue a passport to a covered sex offender unless the book contains a printed endorsement identifying them as such, and the Department can revoke any previously issued passport that lacks the endorsement.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 212b – Unique Passport Identifiers for Covered Sex Offenders The endorsement reads: “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to 22 USC 212b(c)(1).”9U.S. Department of State. Passports and International Megan’s Law
This is not a bar on issuance. Covered sex offenders can still hold a passport. The endorsement is visible to border officials in destination countries, and those countries can decide independently whether to admit you.
How Pardons and Expungement Affect Eligibility
A presidential pardon lifts the federal penalties attached to a conviction. If you were pardoned for a federal drug felony that triggered the 22 U.S.C. § 2714 bar, the pardon removes the underlying punishment and the passport restriction should no longer apply. The pardon does not erase the record of conviction, but it eliminates the legal consequences flowing from it.
Presidential pardons cover only federal offenses. A state drug conviction requires state-level relief, and whether that relief restores passport eligibility depends on whether the conviction still meets the statutory criteria after the state action takes effect. Expungement is primarily a state process, and its effect on federal passport decisions is not clearly defined by statute. If a conviction is the sole basis for a passport restriction, pursuing expungement is worth doing, but confirm the outcome with the State Department before relying on it for travel.
Applying for a Passport With a Felony Record
If none of the restrictions apply to you, the process is the same one every applicant follows. The standard passport forms do not ask about criminal history. You provide proof of U.S. citizenship, a valid photo ID, and a recent color photograph. First-time applicants apply in person at a passport acceptance facility such as a post office, clerk of court, or public library, using Form DS-11.10U.S. Department of State. Passport Forms
Because the application does not ask about your record, there is nothing to disclose. Answer every question truthfully as written. Making a false statement on a passport application is a separate federal crime carrying up to 10 years in prison for a first offense.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1542 – False Statement in Application and Use of Passport
Appealing a Denial
If the State Department denies your passport or revokes one you already hold, you can request a hearing. The request must be in writing and must reach the Department within 60 days of the date you received the denial notice.12eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51, Subpart F – Procedures for Review of Certain Denials and Revocations Miss that deadline and the denial becomes final.
At the hearing, the burden is on you to show that the Department’s decision was improper based on the facts and law when it was made.12eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51, Subpart F – Procedures for Review of Certain Denials and Revocations Documentation matters. If your conviction has been pardoned, the child support balance has been paid, or the warrant cited in the denial has been quashed, bring that proof. You can submit the request yourself or have an attorney do it.
A Passport Is Not Permission to Travel
Two things the passport itself does not do are worth knowing before you plan a trip.
First, if you are on parole or probation, holding a valid passport does not let you leave the country. Supervision conditions routinely restrict travel, often beyond U.S. borders and sometimes to your home county. Traveling internationally without your supervising officer’s approval is a violation that can revoke your supervision and return you to custody. Check your specific conditions before making any plans. Some officers approve international travel for work or family emergencies case by case, but do not assume permission.
Second, a U.S. passport guarantees your right to leave and return to the United States. It does not guarantee that any other country will admit you. Many countries run criminal background checks at the border or during visa processing, and a felony conviction can result in denial of entry regardless of how long ago it occurred. Canada, for instance, treats a wide range of offenses as grounds for inadmissibility, including assault, impaired driving, theft, and drug possession or trafficking. There are ways to overcome Canadian inadmissibility, including deemed rehabilitation after enough time has passed or an individual rehabilitation application, but the process takes planning.13Government of Canada. Overcome Criminal Convictions The European Union’s forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), expected to go live in late 2026, will ask about criminal convictions within the past 10 years and 20 years for terrorism-related offenses, with flagged applications going to manual review. Research the entry rules of your specific destination before booking.