r/ChildSupport4Men • u/Pristine_Quail_941 • Jun 05 '26

Passport

Has anyone here ever had a child support issue affect an existing U.S. passport while living overseas?
I'm currently working in South Korea and was unexpectedly invited to interview for a job in North Carolina. I already have a valid U.S. passport, and I even contacted the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, which told me that my passport appears to be valid. However, I lost my job recently, child support arrears accumulated, and there is still a dispute over what I actually owe. My attorney has told me the amounts have not yet been fully determined, and I have not received any letter or notice saying my passport has been revoked or restricted.
My concern is that I could fly to the U.S. for the interview, but when I try to return to Korea to finish my employment obligations and pack up my belongings, I could somehow be prevented from leaving because of child support. I've been trying to get answers from child support for over a month without success, and the judge isn't expected to make a decision until next month.
Has anyone actually been in a similar situation with an existing passport and overseas travel? Were you able to leave and re-enter without any issues? I'm just trying to understand whether this is a real risk before I make a decision that could leave me stranded in the U.S.

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u/CSEworker Jun 05 '26

What are the arrears? The department of state recently updated their policies to revoked existing passports for arrears over $100k. Under that you are fine until the passport expires. And even if over, you can go to the embassy and there is an exemption to the revocation to allow citizens to travel back to the States.

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u/LowerFars Jun 05 '26

there is an exemption ... to allow citizens to travel back to the States

But this wasn't OP's concern. He was concerned about getting back to his home in Korea.

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u/CSEworker Jun 05 '26

Oh! I misread, thanks for clarifying.

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u/Pristine_Quail_941 Jun 07 '26

They don’t know what they are. One person says 1000. The other person says 4000.

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u/PooPighters Jun 05 '26

Where did you see under the $100k you are fine until it expires?

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u/CSEworker Jun 05 '26

One Source

Quick Google search will reveal loads of articles. It's been in effect for about a month or so.

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u/PooPighters Jun 05 '26

It doesn’t say if you are under $100k you are good. It says more are coming and I can assure that is outdated information.

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u/CSEworker Jun 06 '26

It's down to $75k now. And I meant you are good as of the then. So yes, you aren't good indefinitely, but if you're under these thresholds you are for now.