New Law Allows the IRS to Take Your Passport Away

A new law taking effect in January 2016 will allow the IRS to take away your passport if you owe them more than $50,000.

The law was passed as part of a larger highway funding bill that could raise $398 million over the next 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on taxation.

It's unclear how many Americans abroad this will affect. Passports are required for many routine activities of daily life for those abroad, however - including banking, booking a hotel room, and enrolling a child in school.