It is certainly a sign of the times that American passports for children are being harder to get but this really isn’t all bad. The numbers of children who are being abducted by parents is on the rise as is the divorce rate in homes with children. Passports can actually be used as a tool to create division between a parent and a child so in a difficult divorce, passports can become weapons. A law has been created to protect both parents as well as the child when child support is withheld and yet a costly vacation is planned.
In Section 51.70 (a) (8) of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, you will find outlined that if a parent owing more than $2500 is prohibited from purchasing a U.S. passport. With numerous parents unable to collect rightly owed child support, this law can certainly be a benefit when getting passports is involved.
If a parent wants to purchase a passport but owes child support, they must first contact the local county probation agency and arrange to make payment. Before the passport process can proceed, the US Department of Health and Human Services must receive proof from the State Child Support Enforcement Agency proving that acceptable payment has been made. The Department of Health and Human Services then advises the Department of State to remove the payer from its list of those prohibited from receiving a passport and the Department of State updates its list accordingly.
There are many other laws concerning safety when an attempt is made to purchase passports for children. The Two Parent Consent Law was enacted in 2008 and requires both parents consent before a child’s passport can be applied for. Another service whose intention is to protect children is the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program or CPIAP. This organization provides the service of alerting parents or guardians when a passport has been applied for their child. Information is also provided to foreign countries from the Office of Children’s Issues who also promote programs and policies to locate parents who abduct their children.
It must now be obvious to you that many agencies and programs are available to aid in the protection of children getting passports. It is certainly the hope of these agencies that their diligence and concern for the welfare of both children and their parents will lead to additional safeguards enacted to accomplish this goal. Getting a child’s passport might be a little more difficult these days but it’s a good thing when it adds another layer of protection to the child as well as the parent.
For more information about whether you are eligible for get a passport, visit US Passport Now.