Last updated on November 25th, 2025 at 05:40 am
Yes, you can get a passport even if you owe taxes, but not if your IRS debt is considered seriously delinquent. Once your balance exceeds around $62,000, the IRS can certify your debt to the U.S. State Department, leading to a passport denial or revocation.
If you’re facing this issue, the good news is that you can restore your passport rights by resolving your tax balance or entering an approved payment agreement. The process isn’t instant, but with the right legal help, you can clear your status and travel again without IRS restrictions.
Key Takeaways
- You can get a passport if you owe taxes — unless your IRS debt is over ~$62,000 and certified as seriously delinquent.
- Once certified, the IRS can deny, revoke, or hold your passport, but this status can be reversed.
- Payment plans, Offers in Compromise, or hardship status protect you from certification and restore your travel rights.
- You’ll receive Notice CP508C if your passport is at risk, don’t ignore it.
- J. David Tax Law can remove IRS certification fast so you can travel again.
Passports & Back Taxes: The Basics
Owing taxes doesn’t automatically mean you’ll lose your passport, but it can affect your eligibility if left unresolved. To understand how tax debt connects to your passport, it’s important to first know what it actually means to owe taxes — and how back taxes differ. Once those balances grow large enough, they can trigger specific IRS actions that become the reasons to passport denial or revocation.
What Does It Mean to Owe Taxes?
When you owe taxes, it means you have a balance due to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after filing your return. This can happen if you underpay during the year, make a filing error, or don’t submit your return at all. The unpaid balance becomes a debt owed to the IRS and continues to accrue interest until it’s paid or resolved.
What Are Back Taxes?
Back taxes are simply unpaid taxes from previous years that remain outstanding after the filing deadline. Over time, penalties and interest make these balances grow — and if ignored, they can lead to IRS collection actions such as tax liens, levies, or wage garnishments.
How Back Taxes Relate to Your Passport
Having back taxes doesn’t automatically prevent you from applying for or renewing your passport. However, if the IRS classifies your debt as seriously delinquent, it can certify your tax debt to the U.S. Department of State. Once certified, the State Department has the authority to deny, revoke, or refuse to renew your passport until the issue is resolved.
In short, owing taxes alone won’t cause a passport denial, but ignoring them long enough can.
The IRS is Forgiving Millions Each Day. You Could Be Next.
Understanding Seriously Delinquent Tax Debt
Not every unpaid tax balance leads to a passport problem. The IRS only takes action when your tax debt reaches a certain threshold and meets specific legal criteria. When that happens, your balance is labeled as “seriously delinquent tax debt.”
What is Considered Seriously Delinquent Tax Debt?
A seriously delinquent tax debt means you owe more than $62,000 (including penalties and interest) and the IRS has already taken steps to collect it — such as filing a Notice of Federal Tax Lien or issuing a levy. This amount is adjusted annually for inflation, but the concept remains the same: once your debt is certified at this level, the IRS can alert the U.S. Department of State.
After certification, your name goes on the list of taxpayers at risk for passport denial or revocation. In other words, if you owe more than roughly $62,000 and haven’t set up a resolution with the IRS, your travel rights can be restricted.
Tax Debts Not Included in Seriously Delinquent Debt:
- Child support obligations owed through state or federal agencies.
- Debts being paid on time through an IRS-approved installment agreement or payment plan.
- Debts under an accepted Offer in Compromise (OIC) that are being paid as agreed.
- Penalties from FBAR (Foreign Bank and Financial Account) violations.
- Debts covered by settlement agreements made with the Department of Justice (DOJ).
- Taxes under a Collection Due Process (CDP) hearing, where a levy has been challenged in time.
- Debts suspended due to a request for innocent spouse relief.
Exceptions to IRS Certification Rules
- Their account is classified as “Currently Not Collectible” (CNC) due to verified financial hardship.
- They have a pending request for an Installment Agreement or Offer in Compromise.
- They’ve been identified as a victim of tax-related identity theft.
- They are currently in bankruptcy proceedings.
- They are located in a federally declared disaster area.
- The IRS has accepted an adjustment or correction that will fully satisfy their debt.
How the IRS Notifies You
Before your passport is affected, the IRS must first send you a written notice — Notice CP508C. This letter informs you that your tax debt has been certified as seriously delinquent and reported to the State Department.
You’ll typically receive it by mail at your last known address. Once the notice is sent, the State Department can begin the process of denying a new passport application or revoking an existing one.
If you resolve your debt, the IRS will issue Notice CP508R, confirming that your account has been decertified and your passport eligibility restored.
The FAST Act Connection
This entire process stems from the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, signed into law in December 2015. While originally a transportation bill, it included a tax enforcement provision allowing the IRS to share delinquent taxpayer data with the State Department.
Since the FAST Act took effect, the IRS has certified hundreds of thousands of taxpayers for potential passport restrictions. Many of these cases are resolved through payment agreements, offers in compromise, or temporary collection delays.
If your passport is at risk because of unpaid taxes, our tax attorneys can act fast to remove your IRS certification and restore your travel rights. At J. David Tax Law, only experienced attorneys handle your case — and we resolve most passport-related IRS issues in days, not weeks.
Can You Leave the Country If You Owe Back Taxes?
In most cases, yes — you can still leave the country if you owe taxes, as long as your debt hasn’t been certified as seriously delinquent by the IRS. The real risk begins when your name appears on the IRS passport revocation list. If your certification is active, the State Department can invalidate your passport mid-travel or refuse to issue one at all. While this doesn’t happen overnight, it can happen fast if your tax situation remains unresolved.
To avoid last-minute travel problems, it’s best to check your certification status before making international plans. If you’ve received Notice CP508C or suspect your passport could be affected, a tax attorney can help you resolve your debt quickly and request IRS decertification so your travel rights remain protected.
How Can You Find Out If You’re on the Passport Denial List?
If your tax debt has been certified as seriously delinquent, the IRS will send you Notice CP508C by mail. This letter confirms that your information has been sent to the U.S. Department of State, which may deny or revoke your passport until the issue is resolved.
Having a current passport can also be affected once your name is on the passport denial list, even if it hasn’t yet expired. If you’re unsure about your status, you can check in several ways:
- Online: Visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport application status page to see if your passport is active, denied, or under review.
- By Phone: Call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (or 1-888-874-7793 if you’re hard of hearing) to verify your passport’s status.
- Through the IRS: You can contact the IRS Passport Certification Unit or review your tax account transcript to determine whether your debt has been certified.
How to Get Back Your Passport Rights
If your passport has been denied or revoked due to back taxes, you’re not stuck — there are several ways to get your travel rights restored. Below are the most effective ways to fix the issue and regain your passport eligibility.
Pay Your Tax Balance in Full
The fastest way to clear your status is to pay the total amount owed. Once full payment is posted, the IRS will notify the State Department that your debt has been resolved. Your certification is then reversed, usually within a few weeks, and your passport rights are reinstated.
If paying in full isn’t realistic, there are other legal options that protect your passport while you work to resolve your tax debt.
Enter an IRS Payment Agreement
Setting up an approved Installment Agreement (payment plan) with the IRS will remove your certification, even if you still owe taxes. The agreement shows you’re in good standing, and the IRS will notify the State Department to lift your travel restrictions once it’s active.
This is one of the most common solutions for taxpayers who are close to or already past the $62,000 threshold.
Qualify for an Offer in Compromise (OIC)
If you can’t afford to pay the full amount, you may qualify for an Offer in Compromise, which lets you settle your tax debt for less than what you owe. Once the IRS accepts your offer, your certification is reversed, allowing your passport privileges to be restored while your offer terms are finalized.
$1,500
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $60,000
Debra K.
$100
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $57,000
Ian M.
$1,000
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $88,000
Nicholas G.
$100
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $83,000
Eryka A.
$80
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $32,000
Deseree W.
$1,074
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $38,000
Dennis J.
$2,500
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $43,000
Anthony C.
$25
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $40,000
Tommy B.
$21,000
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $302,401
Valerie B.
$60,300
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $1,622,404
Kenneth J.
$157
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $10,000
Chris A.
$168
Offer Amount Accepted
Total Debt: $30,000
Heather N.
Request Currently Not Collectible (CNC) Status
If you’re experiencing financial hardship, you can request that the IRS place your account in Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status. While this doesn’t erase your debt, it temporarily suspends IRS collection and qualifies you to have your passport certification reversed during that period.
J. David Tax Law can help you regain your passport fast! book your free consultation now.
Steps to Apply for a New Passport
If your passport application was denied or delayed due to seriously delinquent tax debt, you can still regain eligibility by following a few key steps.
Other Reasons For Passport Denial
The U.S. Department of State may deny or delay your passport for several other legal or administrative reasons. Understanding these can help you avoid unnecessary travel issues.
Common reasons a passport may be denied include:
- Unpaid child support of more than $2,500, as reported by the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Outstanding federal loans, such as government-funded student loans or repatriation loans.
- Criminal warrants, court orders, or probation violations.
- Incomplete or inaccurate application information, such as missing documents or identity discrepancies.
- National security restrictions or prior passport fraud investigations.
If none of these apply to you but you’re still facing a passport denial, unresolved tax debt may be the cause. In that case, resolving your IRS balance or establishing a payment plan is often the fastest way to restore eligibility.
Conclusion
Owing back taxes doesn’t have to stop you from seeing the world — but ignoring IRS notices can. Once your debt becomes seriously delinquent, your passport can be denied or revoked, limiting your ability to travel or renew it in the future. The good news is that these restrictions are not permanent. With the right legal help, you can reverse your certification, restore your passport rights, and get back to life as normal — often within weeks.
Don’t wait for the IRS to restrict your passport, call us at (888) 342-9436 and start resolving your tax debt today.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The IRS will only request revocation or denial if your tax debt is certified as seriously delinquent — typically over $62,000. You’ll receive Notice CP508C before any action is taken, giving you time to resolve the balance or enter a payment agreement.
You can confirm your status by checking for IRS Notice CP508C, which is mailed when your debt is certified to the U.S. Department of State. You can also call the National Passport Information Center (1-877-487-2778) or review your account transcript through the IRS to verify certification.
You can remove the certification by paying your balance, setting up an Installment Agreement, or submitting an Offer in Compromise. Once your account is in good standing, the IRS will reverse your certification and notify the State Department to restore your passport rights.
State tax debt alone doesn’t trigger federal passport denial. However, if your state debt is also linked to a federal tax lien or enforcement action, it may contribute to IRS certification. Always resolve both state and federal tax obligations to avoid travel complications.
Yes, you can still travel internationally unless your IRS debt is certified as seriously delinquent. Once that happens, your passport can be revoked or denied renewal, so it’s best to resolve your balance before making international travel plans.
