The IRS Doesn’t Know How To Get In Touch With American Expats. But It Can Revoke Their Passports

Thousands of Americans could be denied a new or renewed passport if they don’t settle their tax bills soon. But if they live abroad, they may not even know that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service the tax agency reportedly struggles to send mail to foreign addresses. At least 362,000 Americans risk having their requests to renew or get a new passport denied if they’ve failed to settle overdue tax debts, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. According to a new policy, the IRS is sending names of Americans affected by this law to the State Department, which confirms it has already denied passports to some debtors. The State Department also has the power to revoke debtors’ passports, though for now, authorities are focusing on denying new passport requests.