IRS CP508 - Passport Certification: What To Do Now

A CP508 notifies you that the IRS has certified your seriously delinquent tax debt to the State Department. This certification can result in denial, revocation, or limitation of your U.S. passport. If you already have a passport, it may be restricted or revoked. If you apply for a new passport, it may be denied.

The clock: this notice generally carries a 30 days response window. Rights and options expire with it — the date on the letter controls, not the day you found it.

Do this, in order

1. Review the certified amount
2. Contact us immediately to discuss resolution
3. Consider a payment plan or Offer in Compromise
4. Don't ignore - passport action pending
5. Resolve debt to remove certification

Straight answers

How much tax debt triggers passport certification?

The IRS certifies debts of $59,000 or more (adjusted for inflation) as 'seriously delinquent.' This includes tax, penalties, and interest. If your certified debt is below this threshold, your passport should not be affected.

Can I still travel if my passport is certified?

If your passport is restricted, you may only be able to return to the United States — not depart. If it's revoked, you cannot travel internationally at all. The fastest resolution is to pay the debt or enter a payment arrangement that triggers decertification.

Where this sits in the machine

This notice belongs to the collections stage of the IRS process. Understanding the stage matters more than the single letter — read IRS Collections: The Enforcement Arm for the map, and the letter-by-letter anatomy in the firm's notice decoder for CP508.

What representation changes

This is the arena where representation pays for itself most directly: a timely CDP request stops a levy while the case is heard, and the right resolution is chosen from your numbers — reasonable collection potential, statute dates, priorities — not from fear.