The US State Department will begin revoking the American passports of thousands of parents who are in arrears on child support payments.

The State Department reported on May 7 Associated PressThe revocation will begin on May 8 and will target those who owe at least $100,000. According to data provided to the State Department by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this will affect approximately 2700 passport holders.

The recall program, plans for which first became known in February, will soon be significantly expanded to include parents with child support arrears exceeding $2500—the threshold established by a 1996 law. Previously, the State Department reported, this provision was rarely used.

As of May 7, it was unclear how many passport holders owed more than $2500 in debt, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continues to collect data from state agencies that track these figures. However, officials say the number could be in the thousands.

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Until this week, the sanction only applied to those applying for passport renewals. Under the new policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will notify the State Department of all overdue payments over $2500, so passport holders in this category will have their documents revoked, the department announced.

"We are expanding a practice that has proven effective in encouraging child support arrears to pay," said Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Namdar. "Once these parents settle their debts, they will once again be able to enjoy the privilege of holding a U.S. passport."

The department said that since February, hundreds of parents have taken action and paid off their debts to state authorities after news that the State Department was beginning to revoke passports.

"While it is impossible to confirm causation in all cases, we are taking these actions precisely to encourage these parents to do what is right for their children and in accordance with U.S. law," the agency said in a statement.

Even before the policy's expansion, the department said the program was a powerful tool for debt collection. Since its full implementation in 1998, states have reportedly collected approximately $657 million in back taxes, including more than $156 million in over 24,000 one-time payments over the past five years.

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Those whose passports are revoked under the program will be notified that they will not be able to use them for travel and will need to apply for a new passport once the debt has been cleared.

A passport holder who is outside the United States at the time of revocation will need to contact a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain an emergency travel document to return to the United States.

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