En esta noticia
Thousands of taxpayers do not know that a large tax debt can have consequences far beyond fines and interest. In certain cases, the U.S. Government can block the issuance of new passports, prevent their renewal, and even request the revocation of already valid documents.
The measure comes from coordination between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of State, which allows restricting passports of people with significant unresolved federal tax debts.
The procedure that blocks and can even revoke all passports
According to official IRS information, a person may be certified as a seriously delinquent taxpayer when they have an enforceable federal tax debt greater than USD 66,000, including taxes, interest, and penalties. This threshold is adjusted periodically for inflation.
For the measure to apply, the IRS must have initiated formal collection actions, such as:
- The filing of a federal tax lien
- The issuance of a tax levy (levy)
- The exhaustion of certain administrative remedies
They prohibit and invalidate the passports of everyone who has postponed this procedure
Once the IRS certifies the debt to the Department of State, the authorities may:
- Deny issuance of a new passport
- Reject a renewal application
- Suspend the ongoing renewal process
- Revoke a valid passport in certain cases
