CP508C

A CP508C says the IRS has certified your tax debt to the State Department as seriously delinquent — a legal status under Internal Revenue Code section 7345 that lets the State Department deny a passport application or revoke a passport. Your current passport keeps working unless and until the State Department writes to you separately.

“We've told the State Department this debt is seriously delinquent. Pay in full or get into an approved arrangement, and we'll reverse the certification within 30 days of the resolution. A long list of situations also lifts it: an approved installment agreement, an accepted offer in compromise, hardship status, bankruptcy, identity theft, a pending hearing, and more.”

This one is about a status, not a countdown. The reassuring part is how mechanical the exit is: the IRS's own page lists exactly what reverses certification, and reversal is required within 30 days of resolution. Anyone with travel plans simply wants to start that machinery early.

• The notice
• Any travel dates that create real urgency
• Proof of payment if the debt is already paid — the certification may be erroneous
• Financial records for whichever resolution route fits

• Choosing and fast-tracking the arrangement that lifts certification — approved plan, accepted offer, or hardship status
• Challenging an erroneous certification with proof
• Coordinating timing when travel is imminent
• Confirming the reversal actually reaches the State Department