Yes, you can lose your passport for unpaid federal taxes. If you owe over the threshold for seriously delinquent tax debt ($66,000 as of 2026), the IRS can certify your tax debt to the State Department, and the government will refuse to renew your passport and may even revoke your existing passport.
To save your passport, you must make payment arrangements on the tax debt and ensure you respond to IRS revocation notices as promptly as possible. An IRS tax debt resolution attorney from Damiens Law can help you deal with the IRS and protect your right to international travel.
Key takeaways
- Passport revocation is when the State Department takes away a U.S. citizen’s passport.
- It’s a risk if you owe seriously delinquent tax debt of over $66,000 as of 2026.
- The IRS must certify your tax debt first. They’ll alert you with Notice CP508C.
- Then, the agency sends Letter 6152 about revocation.
- You have 30 days to respond or you lose your passport.
What Is IRS Passport Revocation?
This is when the IRS reaches out to the State Department to recommend that they take away your passport. Once the State Department takes away your passport, you will not be able to travel internationally, other than to return to the United States if you’re out of the country.
How to Save Your Passport: Responding to Letter 6152
The IRS will notify you before revoking your passport with Letter 6152 (Notice of Intent to Request U.S. Department of State Revoke Your Passport). You have 30 days to respond to this notice (90 days if you’re out of the country when the IRS mails it). Pay careful attention to the deadline on the notice – it’s usually 30 days after the IRS sent it, not after you received it.
If you make payment arrangements by the deadline, the IRS will not move forward with the revocation recommendation, and the agency will also reverse the certification of your debt. A back taxes attorney can help you figure out which resolution option is best for your situation as you navigate this process.
How the Passport Revocation Process Works
So, now you know that passport revocation is a risk, but what does the process actually look like? Here’s a timeline of what usually happens.
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- Tax debt: You incur a tax debt due to filing and not paying, incurring late filing or payment penalties, due to a return adjustment during a review or audit, or a substitute for return in a year you didn’t file.
- No resolution: You don’t make payment arrangements or respond to the IRS’s collection notices.
- Certification for seriously delinquent tax debt: Your unresolved tax debt passes the threshold for the year ($66,000 for 2026 and indexed to inflation for future years). The IRS certifies the debt to the State Department.
- Notice CP508C: The IRS sends Notice CP508C at the same time as it sends the certification to the State Department. This notice informs you of the certification and provides details about your outstanding tax debt balance, including penalty and interest charges.
- State Department actions: After it receives certification from the IRS, the State Department will not approve an application for a new passport, and it will not renew your existing passport. However, at this point, your current passport is still safe until it expires.
- Revocation recommendation: The IRS may decide to recommend revocation in certain situations, but before doing so, the agency will send Letter 6152.
- Revocation or resolution: If you resolve your tax debt after receiving the 6152 letter, you will be able to keep your passport, and when it expires, you should be able to renew it as usual. However, if you ignore this notice, the IRS will alert the State Department, and you will lose your passport.
Once you lose your passport, it’s time-consuming to get it back. You’ll have to resolve your tax debt. Then, the IRS will reverse the certification of the debt to the State Department. Once that happens, you can apply for a new passport, which takes anywhere from two to six weeks for processing plus up to four weeks for mailing the application.
When Does the IRS Revoke Passports?
The IRS handles revocation on a case-by-case basis and typically recommends revocation if:
- You have offshore activities or assets that could be used to pay your tax debt.
- You had seriously delinquent tax debt that was certified to the State Department, you set up payments that allowed the IRS to reverse the tax debt certification, and then you defaulted on the payment plan.
- You live abroad, or the IRS believes that you plan to move abroad.
- The IRS is about to mark your account as CNC because they can’t find you due to your international travels.
- You have a history of non-compliance – for example, you don’t withhold enough or have filed fraudulent forms with the IRS.
- Your situation indicates that allowing you to leave the country could prevent the IRS from collecting the tax debt.
Tax Debt Certification Vs. Passport Revocation
Before recommending passport revocation, the IRS must certify your tax debt as seriously delinquent to the State Department. Although certification and revocation are often confused online, they are not the same.
| Tax Debt Certification | Passport Revocation | |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | When the IRS tells the State Department that you owe seriously delinquent tax debt. | When the IRS recommends that the State Department take away your existing passport. |
| What triggers it? | Your tax debt crosses the seriously delinquent level, and you haven’t made payment arrangements. | Your tax debt has been certified, and the IRS believes the situation is serious enough to warrant revocation. |
| How the agency decides when to take this action | The IRS automatically certifies all seriously delinquent tax debts. | The IRS reviews each tax debt on a case-by-case basis. |
| IRS notice | CP508C | Letter 6152 |
| Response deadline | No deadline. The notice comes after the IRS certifies the debt. | 30 days (90 if out of the country). |
| Effect on your passport | You can’t get a new passport or renew your passport. You can keep your existing passport. | You lose your existing passport. You can’t get a new one until you resolve your tax debt. |
| How to resolve | Set up a payment plan, offer in compromise, or other IRS-approved agreement. | Get the IRS to approve a payment plan, settlement, or other arrangement. |
The IRS will not move forward with certification if you’re on an active payment plan or your account is marked as Currently Not Collectible (CNC). The agency also shouldn’t certify tax debt if you have a pending application for a payment plan or offer in compromise, you’re in bankruptcy, you’ve been a victim of identity theft related to taxes, you’re in a disaster area, or the IRS accepted a tax adjustment to cover your debts.
If you’ve received a revocation notice about a tax debt that you believe was certified in error, reach out to a tax attorney immediately. They can help you stop the revocation and get the IRS to reverse the certification of the tax debt.
Ways to Prevent Passport Revocation
Even if you have seriously delinquent tax debt and you’ve received an IRS notice about passport revocation, you can still turn things around at this stage. You can avoid passport revocation in a few different ways, including:
Pay Off the Debt in Full
If possible, paying the tax debt in full is the fastest way to resolve this situation and protect your passport. Full payment lets you avoid further collection actions, including more penalties and interest.
Set Up a Payment Plan
If you can’t pay the full balance, you can set up an installment agreement with the IRS ASAP. This plan lets you pay off your debts over a set period of time, so you can make a smaller payment now. If you have an active installment agreement in place, your passport won’t be revoked.
Apply for an Offer in Compromise
Another way to protect your passport from revocation is to set up an offer in compromise. You must send in an application that outlines your financial situation and provides an offer to the IRS to essentially settle your debt for less. They may approve it if they believe your offer is all they can reasonably expect to collect from you.
Talk to the IRS about CNC Status
If you’re going through a financial hardship of some kind, the IRS will usually work with you. Let them know what your situation is. If you demonstrate financial hardship, they’ll put your account into a temporary CNC status, and you’ll be protected from passport revocation while in that status.
Request Innocent Spouse Relief
If your tax liability is because of your spouse’s mistake on your joint tax return, you could qualify for innocent spouse relief. If approved, you wouldn’t be liable for your spouse’s tax liability from their error, such as underreported income that led to inaccurate information about taxes owed. Your debt will be suspended because of your request, which will prevent your passport from being revoked.
Dispute the Certification
If you believe the amount shown on Notice CP508C is incorrect or that the IRS made other errors when certifying your tax debt, contact the IRS right away using the phone number on the notice. Let the IRS know why it’s incorrect and provide any proof you have to back it up.
You also have the right to bring a civil action if you think the IRS made an error when certifying your tax debt to the State Department, or if the agency didn’t reverse it after it was required to do so.
In any of these scenarios, remember you don’t have to deal with the IRS on your own. Work with an attorney who can help you understand your options and how to move forward.
What If I’m Going Out of the Country Soon?
The IRS may expedite the certification reversal process if you have travel plans within the next 45 days and have an outstanding passport application. If the State Department sends you a denial letter for your application, you still have 90 days to resolve the matter with the IRS.
If the IRS agrees to expedite the reversal, they’ll reverse the certification (also called decertifing the tax debt) within 14 to 21 days instead of the full 30 days usually required for processing. You’ll likely need to show the IRS proof of travel plans and a copy of the denial received from the State Department.
Get Help with Passport Revocation from a Tax Expert
A revoked passport isn’t something you want to deal with, but if you have unresolved tax debt over a certain threshold, it’s a risk.
If you received Notice CP508C, Letter 6152, or you owe over $100,000 and want to avoid serious consequences, it’s time to reach out for help. Call our office at Damiens Law right away. We’ll get to the bottom of the tax issue and provide guidance on your best options for resolution. Our team also helps with tax liens and levies, unfiled tax returns, tax audits, tax penalties, and much more.
We’re the experts you need when you’re struggling with tax debt. Contact Damiens Law to find out more about how we can help with your tax issue.
FAQs: Passport Revocation & IRS Tax Debt
Does the IRS have to notify me before revoking my passport?
Yes, the agency must send you a notice giving you 30 days to respond before it tells the State Department to revoke your passport.
What is Letter 6152?
This is the letter the IRS sends about passport revocation if you haven’t responded to earlier certification notices. You get 30 days to respond. Then, the agency asks the State Department to revoke your passport.
How does the IRS have the right to revoke my passport?
The IRS only has the right to recommend revocation to the State Department. The IRS gained this right in 2018 when the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was signed into law. IRC § 7345 outlines the process.
Will I be able to get back to the United States if I’m out of the country?
Yes, if you are out of the country when the State Department revokes your passport, you will be able to return. The Department will either limit your passport for return travel only, or they’ll issue a limited document that only allows for return travel. That’s based on IRC Section 2714(e)(2)(B).
If I make a payment to get my debt under the threshold, will I get my passport back?
No, once your tax debt has been certified, you cannot get it reversed just by making a payment to put it under the seriously delinquent threshold. Instead, you must get payment arrangements (monthly payments, CNC status, settlement, etc.) approved with the IRS. Similarly, if some of the tax debt expires and the rest is under the threshold, that also will not prevent revocation or reverse the certification.
Does Notice 508C mean my passport is getting revoked?
Not yet, but it means that you’re at risk of revocation. Notice CP508C means the IRS has certified your tax debt, so you can’t get a new passport (including renewals). However, the agency will send another notice before moving forward with revocation.
Can I sue the State Department for taking away my passport?
Unfortunately, no; the law prevents you from holding the State Department liable for a passport revocation. However, you can bring suit against the IRS. Consult with an attorney to see if that’s the right option for your situation.
Sources:
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp508c-notice
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/revocation-or-denial-of-passport-in-cases-of-certain-unpaid-taxes
