US citizens could face new outbound travel ban

Tuesday, 10 Feb, 2017 0

As US President Donald Trump yesterday failed to get an appeal court to reinstate his travel ban on nationals of seven mainly Muslim countries, it emerged that American citizens could soon be banned from leaving the country

A new law could see many having their passports revoked for failing to pay their taxes. The move will also affect Americans living abroad.

Details of the new law, which was passed in 2015 and signed by President Obama, has just been added to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website.

Nigel Green, founder and CEO of independent financial advisory organisation deVere Group, said the site makes it clear that the IRS has the power to revoke US passports for taxes that remain unpaid.

"As President Trump hits out at the judge who has blocked his travel ban for citizens of seven Muslim majority countries, there are more travel complications from US authorities being introduced – ones that could prevent US citizens from traveling internationally," he said.

"The IRS is to have a new tool to collect taxes. The new law will use the threat of stopping people being able to travel by revoking passports if there are unpaid taxes.

"It was passed by Congress in 2015 and details are now on the IRS website."

Green said the IRS would inform the State Department of anyone with ‘seriously delinquent tax debt, and the Department will ‘generally not issue or renew a passport to you after receiving certification from the IRS’.

The IRS website confirms that certifications will begin in early 2017.

Green described it as ‘a toxic law on many levels’ and said efforts are being made to have it repealed.

Meanwhile, President Trump has declared that he will continue the fight to have the travel ban reinstated.

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.