Don’t let a passport revocation damage your worldwide journey plans

Why is the State Department allowed to restrict or revoke my passport attributable to unpaid taxes?

In December 2015, Congress handed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. That act approved the IRS to certify to the State Department taxpayers who owe a significantly delinquent tax debt. A significantly delinquent tax debt is an unpaid, legally enforceable federal tax debt totaling greater than $64,000 (Amount is adjusted yearly for inflation) for which a discover of federal tax lien has been filed and all administrative cures beneath the regulation have lapsed or been exhausted, or a levy has been issued. The IRS started certifying these money owed to the State Department in 2018. Under the regulation, the State Department should deny your passport utility and should revoke or restrict your passport if the IRS has licensed you as having a significantly delinquent tax debt. A significantly delinquent tax debt doesn’t embrace non-tax money owed collected by the IRS, such because the Foreign Bank and Financial Account penalties and little one help.

How will I do know if I’m vulnerable to revocation?

The IRS will ship a Notice CP508C to your final identified deal with on the time it certifies your significantly delinquent tax debt to the State Department. 

There are some exceptions from passport revocation; see more on denying, revoking passports because of tax debt for a listing of these particular circumstances. For taxpayers serving in a fight zone and who’ve a significantly delinquent tax debt, the IRS will postpone certifying their tax debt to the State Department whereas they continue to be performing such service. 

Before contacting the State Department about revoking your passport, the IRS will ship you a Letter 6152, Notice of Intent to Request U.S. Department of State Revoke Your Passport, to let you already know what it intends to do and provide you with one other alternative to resolve the debt earlier than it takes that motion.

What ought to I do if I obtain an IRS Notice or Letter about passport revocation?

Don’t delay! Call the IRS instantly or a minimum of inside 30 days from the date of the letter. Generally, the IRS received’t advocate revoking your passport if you happen to’re making an excellent religion try to resolve the tax money owed. However, some cost resolutions take longer than others, so don’t take a threat by ready.

If you imagine you’ve gotten been a sufferer of id theft which has resulted in your receiving Letter 6152 or different IRS discover regarding your tax debt, use the assets obtainable at Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance to appropriate your account.

What if I’ve already been licensed and my journey plans are in jeopardy?

The IRS has an expedited decertification process for taxpayers who reside overseas or have plans to journey inside 45 days.

If you’re leaving quickly for worldwide journey, have to resolve passport points and have a pending utility for a U.S. passport, it is best to name the telephone quantity listed on high right-hand nook of your Notice CP 508C.

If your passport is cancelled or revoked after you’re licensed, you will need to resolve the tax debt by paying the debt in full, making different cost preparations or displaying that the certification was inaccurate.

The IRS will reverse your certification inside 30 days of the date you resolve the tax debt and supply notification to the State Department as quickly as practicable.

However, if you happen to’re unable to resolve your stability with the IRS or your passport difficulty, the Taxpayer Advocate Service could possibly assist.

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