Can the IRS Take my Passport?

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Have you been willfully ignoring notices about your outstanding tax bill and overdue balance? The IRS can and will notify the State Department to cease your passport renewal and overseas travel. This process is called de-certification.

All passports are issued by the State Department. As an agent of the government, the IRS can begin the process to request the restriction of your passport. Typically, this happens only to those who owe a large amount and fail to negotiate a repayment agreement.

Seriously delinquent tax debtors are defined by congress as those who owe taxes in excess of 51,000 dollars with no pre-arrangements to repay their outstanding debts.

Currently there are hundreds of thousands of people who fall under this classification.

Want to prevent your passport from being temporarily voided? Re-certification usually requires the help of a tax professional to set up a qualifying agreement. De-certification usually occurs in the form of monthly payments and those in non-collectible status or offers in compromise.

Make sure that you are in good tax standing prior to international travel and to feel free to contact us for any passport re-certification needs related to taxes.

Need help with the re-certification of your passport due as a result of overdue taxes? Contact us to assist you with this process.

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