- A passport is required to travel outside the United States.passport image by isatori from Fotolia.com
The denial of a United States passport can happen for a number of reasons. Without a United States passport, travel outside the country is illegal and can lead to arrest and even imprisonment. Common blocks to obtaining a passport include failure to establish citizenship, owing back child support and felony charges. - The number one cause of the inability to obtain a passport is lack of documentation establishing citizenship, particularly lack of a birth certificate. Currently, to obtain a passport the recipient must produce a birth certificate and two forms of identification such as a social security card and a driver license. If a birth certificate is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced by contacting the hospital where the birth occurred. That hospital must fax the information to the passport office.
- In 1998 the United States government passed the Child Support Act which resulted in passport ineligibility for a person owing $5,000 or more in back child support. This act was passed in response to the growing tendency of lower-income parents to leave the country when child support bills became overwhelming. Since its inception, the act has been amended to change the amount of money owed from $5,000 to $2,500 in further attempts to keep parents in the country.
- The state department considers an outstanding felony charge a red flag for passport denial. Oftentimes, persons charged with felonies attempt to flee to other countries to avoid sentencing. Each person going into Mexico is now checked for criminal charges before being allowed through the United States/Mexican border. There have also been provisions denying passports to past felons involved in international crimes such as smuggling or espionage.
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