Your U.S. Passport Doesn't Belong to You

Most Americans think they are entitled to a U.S. passport and have an inalienable right to travel.

It’s a reasonable expectation to have as a citizen.

However, you may not be aware that the U.S. government has the power to revoke your U.S. passport for many reasons. 

Just open your U.S. passport and turn to the fifth page. There, you'll see a highly revealing statement... U.S. GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.

Your passport is the property of the United States, and you must surrender it to the government upon demand.

The circumstances under which the government has the power to refuse or renew your passport vary... from a federal warrant being issued for your arrest to owing more than $5,000 in delinquent child support payments.

When the State Department revokes your passport, you lose all privileges associated with it. That includes the right to travel or live in a foreign country. If you're traveling or living abroad, suddenly you're an illegal alien subject to deportation to the United States.

It’s safe to say that the government’s control over passport issuance and revocation will only expand as time goes on.

This is already starting to happen... the government has come up with a way to use the tax system to limit our freedom of movement.

A recent report released by the Government Accountability Office claims the IRS could collect billions in owed taxes by blocking delinquent Americans from acquiring or renewing U.S. passports until they settle their alleged debts.

And as yet another sign than a quasi-police state is taking shape in America, last April the State Department proposed a “Biographical Questionnaire” (Form DS-5513) that you may need to complete in order to receive or renew a passport.

Big Government Plays 20-Questions

The entries on this form ask for everything from the details of your mother’s pre-natal and post-natal medical care, if any... to the name and telephone number of every supervisor you’ve had at every job in your life, including as a temporary worker.

You can see the draft of the proposed form here.

If I didn’t already have a passport, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with many of these details. My parents are deceased. I don’t know if my mother received pre-natal care, although I do have the name of the doctor who delivered me - he’s also deceased. And I would be hard pressed to recall every job I’ve ever had and every residence I’ve ever occupied, especially if I had to do so under penalty of perjury.

It turns out the State Department has used a version of this form illegally for years. Some passport applicants receive a “Supplemental Worksheet” that includes many of the exact same questions and in the exact same format as the proposed Form DS-5513. The Supplemental Worksheet (like form DS-5513) must be completed “in its entirety” under penalty of perjury.

But the State Department never bothered to obtain the required Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “control number” for the Supplemental Questionnaire. And that means you can't be forced to complete it.

But if you don't, you may not receive a passport.

Take Back Your Right to Free Movement

The Biographical Questionnaire is just a proposal for the time being... regardless, the fact remains that the government has hired someone to sit around and come up with a way to obtain the information that the Form DS-5513 seeks to extract from passport holders.

I could elaborate about the totalitarian implications of U.S. passport law and policy, but the only point you really need to know is that the government is doing everything in its power - and then some - to take away your right to leave.

I don’t know about you, but this makes me claustrophobic.

Clearly, our freedom of movement is being outlawed. The way I see it, we are left with only one course of action... to get a second passport.

If you qualify for a second passport by virtue of marriage or ancestry, don’t wait a moment longer to begin the process of acquiring it.

If you don’t qualify for a second passport on those grounds, you can acquire one by making a contribution or investment in exchange for permanent citizenship in a handful of countries, including theCommonwealth of Dominica and St. Kitts & Nevis. They are the only countries with an official, legally mandated, citizenship-through-investment program.

Several other countries, including two in the European Union, will award citizenship and passport upon performance of an outstanding service (including an investment). With an EU passport, you can live or work anywhere in the EU.

It’s important to take appropriate precautions before it’s too late. A second passport can help you rediscover your peace of mind. It can be your ticket to fewer government regulations and lower taxes - even an early retirement.