The people who cannot get a U.S. passport fall into a handful of clear categories: those who owe more than $2,500 in child support or have seriously delinquent federal tax debt, people convicted of certain drug trafficking or sex tourism offenses, registered sex offenders whose passports lack the required identifier, applicants with outstanding felony warrants or court orders barring foreign travel, people declared legally incompetent or under court-ordered commitment, individuals flagged on national security or extradition grounds, minors without proper parental consent, and anyone who cannot document U.S. citizenship. Some of these grounds trigger an automatic refusal; others give the State Department discretion.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC Ch. 4 Passports
Automatic Disqualifiers You Cannot Talk Your Way Around
These are the blocks with no room for discretion. Until the underlying issue is resolved, the State Department is prohibited from issuing a passport.
Child Support Arrears Over $2,500
Owing more than $2,500 in child support is one of the strictest passport blocks in federal law. State child support agencies report delinquent obligors to the Department of Health and Human Services, which certifies the debt to the Secretary of State.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary Once that certification arrives, the application must be refused. Travel plans, work needs, and family emergencies do not change the outcome.
To clear the block, you pay down the arrearage or set up a payment arrangement with the state agency that issued the original support order. The agency then notifies HHS, which sends an updated certification to the State Department. Several weeks of processing time is normal. In rare life-or-death situations, such as a family member’s serious illness or death abroad, a temporary limited-validity emergency passport may be available, but substantial documentation is required and the passport is restricted to direct travel for that emergency.
Seriously Delinquent Federal Tax Debt
The FAST Act of 2015 gave the IRS a passport tool. When a taxpayer owes a “seriously delinquent tax debt” — meaning an assessed, legally enforceable federal tax balance exceeding $66,000 in 2026, adjusted annually for inflation — the IRS certifies the debt to the State Department.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7345 – Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Tax Delinquencies The debt qualifies only after the IRS has filed a tax lien and appeal rights have expired, or after it has begun levying assets. The threshold includes penalties and interest.
Unlike child support, the tax route gives you a window. When you apply with a certified tax debt, the State Department issues a denial letter and holds your application open for 90 days.4Internal Revenue Service. Revocation or Denial of Passport in Cases of Certain Unpaid Taxes Resolve the debt or enter an installment agreement inside that window and the certification reverses. Miss it and the application is denied and closed.
Some situations prevent certification in the first place: debts being paid through an IRS installment agreement, debts covered by an accepted offer in compromise, debts where collection is suspended due to an innocent spouse claim, and debts on hold because of a pending Collection Due Process hearing.
Defaulted Repatriation Loans
When U.S. citizens are stranded or destitute abroad, the State Department can loan them money to get home. Defaulting on one of these repatriation loans creates one of the strongest blocks in the system: no passport may be issued, except one for direct return to the United States, until the loan is repaid.5eCFR. 22 CFR 51.60 – Denial and Restriction of Passports Repayment must be verified through the State Department’s own financial records before the hold comes off.
Drug Trafficking Convictions Involving Border Crossing
A federal statute enacted as part of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 bars a passport for anyone convicted of a federal or state drug felony if that person used a passport or crossed an international border while committing the offense.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 2714 – Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers The Secretary of State must also revoke any passport already issued. The bar lasts while the person is imprisoned or on supervised release afterward.
Certain drug misdemeanors can trigger the restriction at the Secretary’s discretion, though a first-time simple possession conviction is specifically excluded. The statute includes an emergency and humanitarian exception, allowing a passport in extraordinary circumstances even when the bar otherwise applies.
Sex Tourism Convictions
People convicted of sex tourism offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 2423 face a flat passport ban, with revocation of any existing passport, if they crossed an international border during the offense.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC Ch. 4 Passports – Section 212a Restriction of Passports for Sex Tourism
Covered Sex Offenders Without the Identifier
Registered sex offenders whose convictions involved a minor face a distinct rule under International Megan’s Law. A “covered sex offender” is someone currently required to register under any jurisdiction’s sex offender registry for an offense against a minor.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 212b – Unique Passport Identifiers for Covered Sex Offenders The State Department cannot issue a passport to a covered sex offender unless the passport book contains a conspicuous identifier reading: “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 Any existing passport without the identifier is revoked. Passport cards cannot be issued to covered sex offenders at all.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Angel Watch Center handles the certification. Applicants are required to self-identify and submit a signed statement acknowledging their status. If the Angel Watch Center later determines the person is no longer required to register, the Secretary of State can reissue a passport without the identifier.
Discretionary Grounds the State Department Can Use
The following grounds allow, rather than require, a refusal. In practice the department almost always refuses when a live warrant or comparable issue surfaces, but the refusal is subject to a hearing (see the last section).
Outstanding Felony Warrants and Federal Subpoenas
An outstanding felony arrest warrant, issued by a federal court, a state court, or a foreign government, gives the State Department grounds to refuse.5eCFR. 22 CFR 51.60 – Denial and Restriction of Passports The same applies to a federal subpoena tied to a felony prosecution or grand jury investigation. Misdemeanor warrants alone do not appear in the list of grounds. Once the warrant is dismissed, recalled, or satisfied, the basis for denial goes away.
Probation, Parole, and No-Travel Orders
A criminal conviction by itself does not disqualify you. What matters is whether your sentence includes a condition forbidding you from leaving the country. A passport can be refused when the applicant is on probation, parole, or under any court order barring departure from the United States, provided violating it could lead to a federal arrest warrant. People subject to military restraint or apprehension orders under the Uniform Code of Military Justice face the same restriction.
If your supervision terms do not prohibit international travel, you may still qualify. Even then, most probation and parole officers require advance permission before any trip abroad.
Legal Incompetence and Court-Ordered Commitment
The State Department can refuse a passport to anyone committed to a mental institution by a U.S. court order, and separately to anyone who has been legally declared incompetent by a court. Both grounds are discretionary. A person under guardianship generally cannot execute a passport application on their own behalf in any event, and the underlying court order may independently restrict travel.
National Security and Extradition
The broadest ground is national security. The Secretary of State can refuse a passport when the applicant’s activities abroad “are causing or are likely to cause serious damage to the national security or the foreign policy of the United States.” The provision is used sparingly but remains enforceable. A related ground applies when a foreign government has submitted an extradition or provisional arrest request to the United States, or when the U.S. has submitted such a request abroad on the applicant’s behalf.
Defaulted Emergency Medical and Evacuation Loans
A softer rule than the repatriation loan block applies to unpaid emergency medical loans and evacuation assistance the U.S. government provided abroad. Default allows the State Department to refuse a passport, but the refusal is discretionary.
Minors Without Proper Parental Consent
Children under 16 need both parents or legal guardians to appear in person and consent to the application.10U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Child’s U.S. Passport Under 16 If one parent cannot appear, the other must submit a notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053) with a photocopy of a government-issued ID. That notarized form expires three months after signing.
When only one parent has legal custody, the applying parent needs the custody order, a birth certificate showing them as the sole parent, or a death certificate for the other parent. If the other parent cannot be found, a Statement of Special Family Circumstances (Form DS-5525) is required, and the State Department may ask for supporting evidence such as a restraining order or incarceration record.
If a court has granted sole custody to one parent or restricted a child’s travel, the State Department will deny the application.11U.S. Department of State. Passport Information for Judges and Lawyers Parents concerned about the other parent applying without their knowledge can enroll the child in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program, a free service that sends a notification whenever a passport application is filed for that child.12U.S. Department of State. Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program
Citizenship and Identity Problems
None of the other categories matter if you cannot prove you are a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national. Applicants born in the United States typically submit a certified birth certificate; those born abroad provide a Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, or Consular Report of Birth Abroad.13U.S. Department of State. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport If the documents are missing or their authenticity is questioned, the applicant carries the burden of producing additional proof.
Applicants must also provide a Social Security Number on the application. Failing to include one, or intentionally providing a wrong number, can result in a $500 IRS penalty per application.14eCFR. 26 CFR 301.6039E-1 – Information Reporting by Passport Applicants The IRS sends a written notice before assessing the penalty, giving you 60 days to respond (90 days if you are abroad). If you have never been issued a Social Security Number, you enter zeros on the form.
If You’ve Been Denied
A denial under one of the discretionary grounds — felony warrants, probation restrictions, incompetence, extradition, or national security — can be challenged. The request for an administrative hearing must be in writing and received by the State Department within 60 days of the denial notice. Miss that window and the denial becomes final with no further review.15eCFR. 22 CFR 51.70 – Request for Hearing to Review Certain Denials and Revocations The State Department will make reasonable efforts to hold the hearing within 90 days of receiving the request, and it must share copies of the evidence it relied on before the hearing.
The hearing right does not reach the mandatory blocks. Child support arrears, repatriation loan defaults, sex offender identifier requirements, drug trafficking convictions, and tax debt certifications are specifically excluded from the hearing process. For those categories, the only path forward is resolving the underlying problem: paying the debt, completing the sentence, or obtaining the required identifier. Among the mandatory grounds, the tax debt process is the most forgiving, thanks to the 90-day window to set up a payment plan with the IRS before the State Department closes your application for good.