If you wish to travel abroad, you will need a passport. The process starts with applying for your U.S. passport from the State Department. Not every passport application gets process. There are specific reasons that the State Department will deny your application. However, there are exceptions to the rules that may still allow you to get your travel document. If you want to know why your application could get denied, continue to read this article.
Reasons to Deny Your Passport Application
The U.S. State Department will deny a passport application for many reasons. These reasons derived from extreme circumstances. However, there is still a chance of getting a passport even after your passport application was denied.
Here are some reasons a passport application gets deny:
- Drug Offenses
- Crimes or Felonies
- Child Support
- Federal Loans & Debts
- Minors & Incompetents
Drug Offenses
If you are convicted of a federal or state drug felony, your application gets denied. Also, if you use a passport to cross an international border and commit a drug offense, your application gets rejected. Some misdemeanor drug offenses can also lead to an application getting rejected. However, if you served your time and not on parole, you may be able to get a passport but only if the State Department approves it.
Crimes or Felonies
Your application will get denied if you have a warrant against you if you are on parole or probation. Also, if the court has a no travel restriction on you. Crimes that include sexual offenses will deny your passport application. The U.S. State Department will reject any application if the applicant has a warrant for his arrest issued by a foreign country and seeks extradition.
Child Support
Any person who owes more than $2,500 in child support will not get a passport. Before you apply, contact the state agency to arrange payments for the arrears. Once the agreement is made, the agency then contacts the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The DHHS removes your name from its list of arrears and then inform the State Department. At this point, you should start the passport application process.
Federal Loans & Debts
If you received a loan from the government, you must repay it. Regardless of the type of loan, or the reason for the loan, you must repay to avoid your default. If the loan becomes outstanding, when you apply for a passport it will get denied. There are ways you can make arrangements to pay the loan, arrange a payment method to avoid the repercussions that will follow.
Minors & Incompetents
The State Department requires both parents or guardians to be present when submitting a passport application for a child. If both are not present, then a notarized consent form must accompany the documents. One reason for the presence of both parents is to avoid abductions by noncustodial parents as a result of custody disputes. Individuals who are declared incompetent by the court or who are in a mental institution cannot get a passport. In both circumstances, a passport application gets denied.