Has anyone told you that you can’t travel to Canada if you are convicted of a DUI in the United States? Well it is true. Anyone with a criminal record, including DUI, may be excluded from Canada. However, a process called Criminal Rehabilitation exists to gain travel privileges. If you were convicted of only one (1) DUI offense in the states, and a period of 10 years has passed since the completion of the sentence, you will be deemed Rehabilitated and Canada will allow you to travel freely. If you completed your sentence more than five (5) years ago, you can be eligible to apply to enter with a paperwork process. However you better have written proof establishing the timeline of your conviction(s) and completion and Canada has different calculations to determine when you “completed” your sentence. For example, if you were on probation, they start calculating the time after you ended probation. If your license was suspended for a DUI, they don’t start the 5 year clock until your suspension was over. Also, there is a process by which someone can get a waiver of this rule and a special Temporary Resident Permit or visa.
At the Judnich Law Office, we have helped many people through this process that has been convicted of a DUI and received notice that they had no problems after arrangements were made. Time is an important consideration though, IT TAKES TIME TO WORK THIS PAPERWORK OUT. Canada is not the United States, and they don’t care if you are in a rush. So don’t wait until the last minute. If you have a criminal conviction and want assistance getting into Canada, please contact us to find out how we can help you and what the cost associated with this help costs.
Marty is a former criminal prosecutor in the Cascade County Attorney’s Office and now uses that experience to defend those accused of crimes. A University of Montana School of Law graduate, Marty focuses his practice on personal injury and criminal defense and is a premier DUI defense attorney. He is also well versed in the insurance claims industry and has negotiated significant settlements with nearly every major insurance company.