Passport Renewals

[cswift1]

Hi Everyone,

I have a friend who is a US citizen. He needs to renew his passport real soon. Here's the thing: he defaulted on a school loan about 20 years ago and owes back taxes!

All US passport renewals are now running through a "clearing house" of sorts in Vermont and ALL are sent there first.

Any experience with this, folks? Will my friend get busted? Passport revoked? Next stop GITMO???

Thanks,

Dude

[expatinasia]

God willing, he'll get caught.

[lomatopo]

Hi Everyone,

I have a friend who is a US citizen. He needs to renew his passport real soon. Here's the thing: he defaulted on a school loan about 20 years ago and owes back taxes!

All US passport renewals are now running through a "clearing house" of sorts in Vermont and ALL are sent there first.

Any experience with this, folks? Will my friend get busted? Passport revoked? Next stop GITMO???

Thanks,

Dude

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I renewed my U.S. passport last year, I was in the U.S. and I sent my application (w/ photos, old passport, etc.) to Pittsburgh. AFAIK this is still where you would send a renewal if you are in the U.S.? If your friend is here in Thailand I think they have to submit the application to the Embassy? They say it takes two weeks, so presumably you are without a passport, as your old one gets submitted (and subsequently returned voided), with the application. Does the Embassy give you some sort of paperwork to cover any requirements for a passport in the interim?

Not sure about your frien?. What choice does he have but to apply for a renewal and wait to see how bad the damage is? Who holds the college loan? How bad are the back taxes? Federal and state?

[cswift1]

Hi Everyone,

I have a friend who is a US citizen. He needs to renew his passport real soon. Here's the thing: he defaulted on a school loan about 20 years ago and owes back taxes!

All US passport renewals are now running through a "clearing house" of sorts in Vermont and ALL are sent there first.

Any experience with this, folks? Will my friend get busted? Passport revoked? Next stop GITMO???

Thanks,

Dude

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I renewed my U.S. passport last year, I was in the U.S. and I sent my application (w/ photos, old passport, etc.) to Pittsburgh. AFAIK this is still where you would send a renewal if you are in the U.S.? If your friend is here in Thailand I think they have to submit the application to the Embassy? They say it takes two weeks, so presumably you are without a passport, as your old one gets submitted (and subsequently returned voided), with the application. Does the Embassy give you some sort of paperwork to cover any requirements for a passport in the interim?

Not sure about your frien?. What choice does he have but to apply for a renewal and wait to see how bad the damage is? Who holds the college loan? How bad are the back taxes? Federal and state?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure of too many details from him. Not being a US citizen, I'm not sure of all the details. He a good guy. Screwed up a long time ago, but a good guy none the less. I think he has to go to Bangkok, fill out a form (duh), pay the cash, submit the old passport, then they send the whole deal to the Vermont guys.

He hasn't really delved into details but my impression is that the load is big (5 figures US?) and possibly the taxes, too.

Anyway, you're right. No choice here. Submit and hold tight.

Dude

[sriracha john]

Yes, all the passport applications at the embassy are now sent back to the USA for processing.

As part of that processing, cross references are made with the IRS (the tax guys) and other governmental agencies.

He can expect to be found out and pay up as their databases are pretty complete.

While waiting for his passport in thailand, he'll be issued with an official paper stating he has applied for a replacement passport.

Edited November 27, 2005 by sriracha john

[lanny]

I haven't had any experience with this sort of problem for some time. However, I have had clients who were denied passport renewals/replacements because of IRS problems. In one case, a client needed to replace his expiring passport (it had been renewed once) but the Embassy told him he had to contact the State Department. IRS had put a flag on his account and the Embassy couldn't issue him with a passport. Nor could they tell him what the problem was; only that it was something to do with IRS.

Tax account information is confidential, so the only thing the Embassy knows is that the IRS is interested.

I suspect that, in your friend's case, he will have to settle with IRS before he can get a new passport. And, unless it is simply a matter of paying off a back tax bill, this probably is not a "do it yourself project."

[taxout]

Simply being in arrears on your Federal taxes or student loan is not grounds for denial of a passport.

Passports can be denied on several other grounds, though, which are set out at the link below under Sections 51.70 and 51.71.

Arrears on child support over $5,000 is probably the most common reason for denying a passport, but you can also be denied a passport if there's a felony warrant outstanding for your arrest or if you're under subpoena in connection with a felony, among other reasons.

http://www.washingtonwatchdog.org/document...rt51.html#51.70

[John K]

“IRS” That’s one fear that won’t go away. I can clearly recall working out at Bally fitness about 10 years ago, and by all account this very attractive woman was a member there. She had been a member for about 3 months. One day she was working out on the machine next to me and I struck up a conversation with her. Come to find out she worked for the IRS and had the full power of the agency. Meaning all that is yours was hers with the stroke of a pen. No wonder she was having a hard time finding a boyfriend. Needless to say I found my way to the other side of the room in short order. Combining that power with PMS, what a scary thought.

[cswift1]

Combining that power with PMS, what a scary thought.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe we could call it PMRS: Pre-Menstrual Revenue Sluts!