Originally Posted by ESpen36

Um...that's incorrect. Of course US Citizens have to get government permission to leave the country. In fact, it's a two-step process:

1) Applying for a passport means applying for permission to leave the country. The State Dept can approve or deny these applications. If you get into legal trouble, one of the easiest things they can do is confiscate your passport (which remains US Govt property at all times).

2) Obtaining a boarding pass for an international flight. Before the airlines are permitted to issue you a boarding pass, your passport data are entered and your record must be checked against multiple government databases to be sure you aren't fleeing US jurisdiction with an active arrest warrant, outstanding child support, custody issues, tax problems, etc. If the US Govt doesn't want you leaving the country, agencies can red-flag you, and the airlines will deny you boarding.



So....yes, US Citizens do need government permission to leave the country, for each and every instance of international travel. Now, it usually doesn't involve an investigation/interrogation of the type that citizens of some other countries get from officials as they try to leave, but rest assured, an investigation is happening in the background every time the airline agent swipes your passport in the computer to request permission to generate an international boarding pass for you.