8 Responses to “What Is The Deal With Driving Or Flying To Canada If You Have Had A Dui?”

1. freeside Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 2:14 am

   On april,16 you can still cross border with just a birth certificate and drivers license but best to have passport . As of June this year you will need a passport even to drive across and back./
   There is a chance you will be turned around from Canada on a DUI as technically, until you are pardoned it sits there on your record and can bar you from entering. That said its an off chance especially if you have passport or going overnite they will either bother with or notice the DUI. or may question you on it, just answer honestly and let them know you did your sentence. Its simple they either let you go or dont its sort of up to the individual customs guy,
   If you are in seattle already its a nice drive up the coast anyways to see some of the northwest and a couple hours drive at most. Worse case, they turn you around and you end up visting blaine, washington rather than vancouver, BC.. for the evening. Bellis Fair Mall in bellingham or Nootsak Casino are both along the I-5 route too if you remain stateside with nothing to do.

2. Randy B Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 3:34 am

   You can certainly fly or drive TO Canada but in all likelihood you will not be able to get in with a criminal record. And yes, it sucks but thats what happens when you have a criminal record and no pardon. It also works the other way for Canadians trying to go to the States with a record so it’s not as though you are being picked on. Many European countries have similar restrictions too.

3. clicknes Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 10:10 am

   Agree with everyone else here, you probably won’t get in. I have a friend who is a trucker in Canada but has a very minor possession conviction from about 15 years ago. He has applied for and received a pardon, but he still gets hassled at the border.
   Criminal convictions are taken very seriously by guards on both sides of the border. It makes sense, we don’t want American trash, and I’m sure Americans wouldn’t like Canadian trash. Not saying that a DUI makes you trash of course — but it is a criminal conviction, so you get lumped in with the same.
   Sorry — entrance denied!

4. Sanjay Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 10:38 am

   If you’re an American, and have paid taxes to defend Canada, you can be excluded from entry to Canada for a USA misdemenor dui no matter how long ago
   Meanwhile, Canadians come into the United States by the 10s of thousands on H-1b and TN visas taking tech jobs from Americans in what could be a depression
   Meanwhile, a Mexican can enter the USA illegally, get several DUIs in the USA, and march in the streets demanding his rights. US congress will pay more attention to his demands than the US citizen, and the citizen will pay the mexican for section 8 housing, birthright citizenship for any children he has, food stamps and welfare
   Meanwhile, an American with no dui, can be imprisoned in mexico for any political action whatsoever
   The real question is, why is our government letting in criminals of all kinds into the USA, while simultaniously testifying against it’s own citizens for old misdemenors to a foreign government? Canada may be entitled to it’s policies, but it’s NOT entitled to our data
   American citizen, are you tired of this? Then go to http://www.numbersusa.com

5. Chris I Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

   This is an Ontario Tourism site that explains the process of having your record rehabilitated so you can enter Canada.http://www.noto.ca/bordercrossing.cfm
   I would suggest you phone to see if you are eligible.The phone numbers for Canadian Border Information Services are
   204-983-3500
   506-636-5064

6. tuppenyb Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

   in Canada a DUI is a criminal offence and Canada will not let criminals in
   you say it sucks i say its the law

7. pinkpigl Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 6:52 pm

   You cannot get into Canada if you have a DUI on your record unless you get a pardon.
   I’m sure someone will come on and tell you how you can go about doing that.

8. Rick M Says:
   September 24th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

   Seeking to travel to Canada with criminal convictions from the U.S. (or any other country, for that matter) requires unique advice. Living in a state next to Canada means that we must be aware that many of our clients are likely to seek entry into Canada, and be extremely disappointed if they are turned back at the border. Because so many of our clients take entry into Canada for granted, it is important to consider several issues relating to entry to Canada. These include who can enter Canada, who can be excluded from Canada, how to overcome exclusion from Canada, and whether a client who is ineligible for rehabilitation can nonetheless seek entry.
   A. Who Can Enter Canada.
   Most people assume, without question, that just about anyone can enter Canada. This is not true. The Canadian Customs and Immigration Officers have ultimate authority to permit and deny anyone entry to Canada. No one has an automatic right to enter Canada. However, most people if they have no criminal record are allowed entry. What if you have a criminal conviction?
   B. Who Can’t Enter Canada.
   To begin, in Canada a DUI is a felony and therefore an excludable offense under the Immigration Act. A DUI is an indictable offense in Canada that may be punished by imprisonment for up to a five year term. Anyone with a conviction in the U.S. that is treated as a felony or indictable offense in Canada is excludable from Canada, but even if the offense is not a felony or indictable offense in Canada, Customs and Immigration Officers have ultimate authority to permit and deny entry to Canada.
   Almost all convictions (including DUI, DWI, reckless driving, negligent driving, misdemeanor drug possession, all felonies, domestic violence (assault IV), shoplifting, theft, etc) can make a person inadmissible to Canada, regardless of when they occurred. For this reason, it is not recommended that persons with past convictions attempt to enter Canada without first obtaining necessary documents. It is always the final decision of officers at ports of entry to decide whether a person should be allowed into Canada.
   The Seattle Times explained the vortex travelers enter when they try to get into Canada: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.co… As the article makes clear, entry is frequently denied in spite of signs warning travelers before they get on a plane.
   The reason for this exclusion is contained in Canadian law. The Canadian Immigration Act, in § 19; states:
   (2) No immigrant and, except as provided in subsection (3), no visitor shall be granted admission if the immigrant or visitor is a member of any of the following classes:
   (a) persons who have been convicted in Canada of an indictable offence, or of an offence for which the offender may be prosecuted by indictment or for which the offender is punishable on summary conviction, that may be punishable under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, other than an offence designated as a contravention under the Contraventions Act;
   (a.1) persons who there are reasonable grounds to believe
   (i) have been convicted outside Canada of an offence that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence that may be punishable by way of indictment under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, or
   (ii) have committed outside Canada an act or omission that constitutes an offence under the laws of the place where the act or omission occurred and that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence that may be punishable by way of indictment under any Act of Parliament by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years, except persons who have satisfied the Minister that they have rehabilitated themselves and that at least five years have elapsed since the expiration of any sentence imposed for the offence or since the commission of the act or omission, as the case may be;
   Later, in § 3 of the Immigration Act, there is a provision that permits discretionary entry:
   A senior immigration officer or an adjudicator, as the case may be, may grant entry to any person who is a member of an inadmissible class described in subsection (2) subject to such terms and conditions as the officer or adjudicator deems appropriate and for a period not exceeding thirty days, where, in the opinion of the officer or adjudicator, the purpose for which entry is sought justifies admission.
   Again, the Canadian Consulate emphasizes that this entry is discretionary, and in the post 9/11 aftermath, officers are more typically exercising their discretion to deny entry than to grant entry. Even if a Canadian Minister (I’m not sure which minister) has approved a client’s entry, the border person can still reject the person.
   Finally, there is a permit process that requires prior application and may permit an otherwi

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