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Arrears in GA and passports

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misak1914

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia

I've read the information on the Georgia Child Support website that states that if a non-custodial parent is in arrears in excess of $2500 that this person will be denied a passport. I have also read the federal regulation from the travel.state.gov that says the same thing. Additionally, I have read 42 U.S.C. § 652(k) and The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) Section 7303 that describes the policy in detail. What I am not able to find is where it states that if the non-custodial parent has exceeded $2500 that they are required to pay off the entire arrears balance in order to obtain a U.S. Passport.

I went to my local child support enforcement office and was told that I must pay the amount in full but when I questioned her further, she could not show me the policy.

Can someone show me where I can locate the policy that states that child support must be paid in total before a passport can be obtained? Thanks.
 


Artemis_ofthe_Hunt

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia

I've read the information on the Georgia Child Support website that states that if a non-custodial parent is in arrears in excess of $2500 that this person will be denied a passport. I have also read the federal regulation from the travel.state.gov that says the same thing. Additionally, I have read 42 U.S.C. § 652(k) and The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) Section 7303 that describes the policy in detail. What I am not able to find is where it states that if the non-custodial parent has exceeded $2500 that they are required to pay off the entire arrears balance in order to obtain a U.S. Passport.

I went to my local child support enforcement office and was told that I must pay the amount in full but when I questioned her further, she could not show me the policy.

Can someone show me where I can locate the policy that states that child support must be paid in total before a passport can be obtained? Thanks.
So.... Let me get this straight, you think that if you get the arrears to below that $2500.00 mark, that you should be able to get your passport? How about doing what you should be doing... SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD!!!! :rolleyes:
 

mistoffolees

Senior Member
So.... Let me get this straight, you think that if you get the arrears to below that $2500.00 mark, that you should be able to get your passport? How about doing what you should be doing... SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD!!!! :rolleyes:
However, it may be that OP needs his passport to be able to keep his job - which is necessary to support the child.
 

nextwife

Senior Member
However, it may be that OP needs his passport to be able to keep his job - which is necessary to support the child.
Correct, today's jobs often involve the Global Economy. Factories, materials and production are often offshore. Depending upon the nature of one's job, international travel may be critical.

When I was laid off from my job, I had to option of cutting back what I spent on my household and child right away. When my dad was suddenly ill, he had the same option because there was no CS order. A person who loses their job and must accept a lower paying one is often legally presumed to still be "capable" of earning what they earned before, even though businesses that used to pay that salary are closing or going bankrupt (what does THAT tell us about the sustainability of the prior pay level?).

A CP who RECIEVES CS can legally cut back what they actually spend on the child, but a NCP who may temporarilly be unable to pay the same amount as before is criminalized.
 

mistoffolees

Senior Member
Correct, today's jobs often involve the Global Economy. Factories, materials and production are often offshore. Depending upon the nature of one's job, international travel may be critical.

When I was laid off from my job, I had to option of cutting back what I spent on my household and child right away. When my dad was suddenly ill, he had the same option because there was no CS order. A person who loses their job and must accept a lower paying one is often legally presumed to still be "capable" of earning what they earned before, even though businesses that used to pay that salary are closing or going bankrupt (what does THAT tell us about the sustainability of the prior pay level?).

A CP who RECIEVES CS can legally cut back what they actually spend on the child, but a NCP who may temporarilly be unable to pay the same amount as before is criminalized.
Add to that the fact that many people are not aware that they can petition the court for a reduction in CS if they lose their job.

Then there are those who are confident that they will get a new job quickly, so don't go through with the process.

And some who lose their income and know that CS can be reduced but do not file because they don't want to take away from the child and who possibly have enough in savings to carry through for a while.

There are sometimes legitimate reasons why a person might have arrears.
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
I think we are putting the cart before the horse here.

OP says NOTHING about requiring the passport so that they can obtain work out of the country. For all we know, they are attempting to flee the country and avoid having to pay the child support altogether. It sounds to me like this would be the spirit in which the law was established.

If OP is traveling outside the country for pleasure, then travel costs money. If they have money to travel, they have money to pay for their child support arrears before being allowed the privilege of getting a passport to facilitate their travels.

I'm actually curious to know just how much over $2500 OP actually owes. If he is motivated enough and can find enough money to pay down the child support arrears just so that he can get a passport, chances are that there is more money where that came from that can pay the arrears off entirely.
 

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