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Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§6039E Information Concerning Resident Status

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— Procedure and Administration › Chapter 61— INFORMATION AND RETURNS › Subchapter A— Returns and Records › Part III— INFORMATION RETURNS › Subpart A— Information Concerning Persons Subject to Special Provisions › § 6039E

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When you apply for a U.S. passport, a passport renewal, or a green card, you must provide certain tax information. That includes your taxpayer identification number if you have one. Passport applicants must report any foreign country where they live, and green card applicants must say whether they were required to file U.S. income tax returns for their three most recent tax years. Failing to provide the required statement triggers a $500 penalty for each failure, unless you can show reasonable cause rather than willful neglect. The agency that collects the statement, such as the State Department, must pass it to the IRS and must also report the names of people who refuse to comply. The IRS can exempt groups of people when the requirement is unnecessary.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §6039E

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any individual who—
(1)applies for a United States passport (or a renewal thereof), or
(2)applies to be lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws,
(b)Information required under subsection (a) shall include—
(1)the taxpayer’s TIN (if any),
(2)in the case of a passport applicant, any foreign country in which such individual is residing,
(3)in the case of an individual seeking permanent residence, information with respect to whether such individual is required to file a return of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for such individual’s most recent 3 taxable years, and
(4)such other information as the Secretary may prescribe.
(c)Any individual failing to provide a statement required under subsection (a) shall be subject to a penalty equal to $500 for each such failure, unless it is shown that such failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.
(d)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any agency of the United States which collects (or is required to collect) the statement under subsection (a) shall—
(1)provide any such statement to the Secretary, and
(2)provide to the Secretary the name (and any other identifying information) of any individual refusing to comply with the provisions of subsection (a).
(e)The Secretary may by regulations exempt any class of individuals from the requirements of this section if he determines that applying this section to such individuals is not necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 245A of the Immigration and Nationality Act, referred to in subsec. (d), is classified to section 1255a of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality. The date of the enactment of this sentence, referred to in subsec. (d), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 100–647, which was approved Nov. 10, 1988.

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–647 inserted sentence at end relating to disclosure of information subject to section 245A of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–647 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if included in the provision of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99–514, to which such amendment relates, see section 1019(a) of Pub. L. 100–647, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 99–514, title XII, § 1234(a)(3), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2566, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this subsection [enacting this section] shall apply to applications submitted after December 31, 1987 (or, if earlier, the

Effective Date

which shall not be earlier than January 1, 1987) of the initial

Regulations

issued under section 6039E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as added by this subsection).”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 6039E

Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73