Traveling From Canada With A Criminal Record?
By admin. Filed in English |
Hello all!
In late 2007 I was charged with Theft Under $5000. I was given a 6 month condition sentence, where 4 of that were spent on house arrest. I then completed a 12-month probation, which was completed in June of this year. My conviction was a Summary conviction.
I understand that entering the U.S. will be tricky unless I first get a pardon (I’m not in their systems yet) however it is not impossible. It all depends on the customs agent you get and whether he/she decide to be aggressive or passive that day.
My real question, I guess, is whether or not I will be able to fly out of Canada and go OVER the U.S. to visit Mexico or the Dominican. Also, there are some European countries that don’t care about criminal records such as the Sheghen (I believe) countries. How does traveling outside of North America work? Is it similar to traveling anywhere else?
Also, what kind of laws does China / Japan / Other Asian Countries have about tourists with criminal records?
No trip of mine will exceed 21 days, just as a heads up.
Thanks all!
Saturday, December 26th 2009 at 8:23 pm |
If you have a flight that is not scheduled to land in USA, then their requirements should not apply. You have to meet the port of entry requirements for any country that you would be landing in.
So, if you are on a direct flight to Puerto Vallarta from Toronto, it is the Mexican customs that you must convince to let you in. However, if your flight is actually Montreal to Chicago, then Chicago to Acapulco, that little stop means that you would be entering USA (even if it was only for transit to another destination) and could mean that you need to convince USA to let you in.
Some other countries do ask you about a previous criminal record when you apply for a tourist or travel visa. If they do not ask, you do not need to volunteer the info. But you should never lie about it. In the BEST case scenario, you would only not be let in or get kicked out.
I would also recommend that you look to see if you have any way to expunge your record on or around 2013, when five years has passed. That is, if they allow it and your record has been clean since that time. It will help in your travels and even things like obtaining insurance.
Saturday, December 26th 2009 at 8:23 pm |
Asian countries can, and do, toss tourists in the clink for any number of reasons. With a dubious background, I’d stay away from there.
You can fly over the US with no problems - Mexico isn’t that stringent about entries, nor is the Dominican republic.
Go for the pardon if you can - it will simplify things for future travel, as restrictions are only going to get tighter.