The United States Department of State has announced plans to begin revoking the passports of parents owing significant amounts in unpaid child support as part of efforts to enforce compliance with child maintenance laws.

The department disclosed on Thursday that the enforcement process will begin on Friday, initially targeting individuals owing $100,000 or more in child support arrears.

According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), about 2,700 Americans are expected to be affected in the first phase of the crackdown.

Officials explained that the move is part of a broader enforcement strategy tied to a 1996 federal law, which allows the government to deny or revoke passports of individuals owing more than $2,500 in child support.

The law has existed for decades but has not been aggressively enforced until now.

Under the new arrangement, HHS will provide the State Department with the names of all individuals owing more than $2,500 in unpaid child support, after which their passports may be revoked.

Previously, sanctions mainly affected individuals attempting to renew their passports.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Mora Namdar, said the policy expansion was intended to compel parents to fulfil their obligations to their children.

“We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt,” Namdar said.

“Once these parents resolve their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a US passport.”

The State Department noted that reports of the planned enforcement had already prompted some affected parents to begin settling their debts.

According to officials, the policy has helped states recover about $657 million in unpaid child support since its introduction in 1998, including more than $156 million from over 24,000 lump-sum payments made within the last five years.

Parents whose passports are revoked will be notified that their travel documents are no longer valid and will only be eligible for new passports after clearing their debts.

The department also clarified that Americans whose passports are revoked while abroad would need to visit a US embassy or consulate to obtain emergency travel documents to return home.