People rarely think of paying their taxes when they’re preparing to travel. But getting (and keeping) your passport is actually dependent on being in good standing with the IRS—you can even have your passport restricted if you owe too much in back taxes. Here’s what you need to know about taxes and your passport.
Can You Get a New Passport if You Owe Taxes?
If you owe the IRS $51,000 or more, you likely will not be able to get a passport. If you’ve made a payment plan with the IRS to pay your debt, you should be allowed to get or renew your passport, but if the IRS has contacted you about your back taxes and you’ve made no attempt to amend the situation you will not be allowed to get a passport by the State Department.
Can the IRS Seize Your Passport?
Technically the IRS can’t seize your passport, but if you’re considered a “seriously delinquent tax debtor”, someone who owes the IRS $51,000 or more and has not made arrangements to pay, the IRS can contact the State Department. The State Department will restrict your passport so that you can’t leave the country or renew your passport.
What Should You Do if You Owe Taxes?
The IRS will contact you about taxes you owe, likely via mail. Once you receive a warning from the IRS, you need to respond immediately in order to stay in good standing and not be considered a seriously delinquent debtor. If you can’t pay the full amount you owe the IRS at once, you can arrange a payment plan. Once you have paid down some of your debt, you should be able to get a new passport.
Stay on Top of Your Taxes To Be Able to Travel
If you value the freedom to travel, make sure you pay off your taxes completely and on time. In order to make sure that debtors pay off their taxes, the IRS makes it very difficult to leave the country if you owe more than $51000. Once your taxes are paid off, we can help you renew your passport with our passport concierge service; you can also follow along with us here on the Skip Blog for more government-related news and information.
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