Going to america . ive a criminal record .do i need a visa ??

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Graham I

Most EU citizens travelling to the USA do not need a visa - they are eligible to enter under the Visa Waiver Program. However, anyone with a criminal conviction is excluded from this scheme, and must apply for a visa. As others have noted, the default situation is that you will never be able to enter the USA, and you have to apply for permission to have your conviction "waived" by the US authorities. Please see the linked website for more details. You need to act quickly, as you do not have long to sort out your visa before your intended trip.

Note that these rules apply even to spent convictions.

Note: Anyone arriving in the US and attempting to enter under the Visa Waiver Program is obliged to sign a declaration that they do not have any criminal convictions. If you admit you have a conviction at this point you will be refused entry. If you falsely deny that you have a conviction, and this subsequently comes to light, you will be deported (if still in the US) and will be permanently be excluded from entry.

mmuscs

Yes, you will need a special visa, but do not count on getting one. People with criminal histories are usually not allowed to enter the US.

Even if you are from a Visa Wavier country you will still need a visa to come to the US with a criminal conviction.

Buripuk

YES YES YES!. Please don't make the same mistake i made.
I shouldn't have really admitted it but i put that i had a criminal record, only for something minor 1o years ago and they turned me away.
Then i went to Costa Rica this Decemeber and was missold a plan ticket and i didn't know that i would be going via America until i arrived at Heathrow. Again they stopped me from going to Costa Rica as i'd have to fly back via America, only as a little stop off.
You've got to apply to the American Embassy for an apointment which can take up to 2 weeks and then wait for an answer which can take up to 14 weeks.
Or you can lie and on the immigration card don't admit to a criminal conviction, i will regret doing that for the rest of my life.
When was your offence?
I'm at alanoshea2002 funnysign co.uk if you want to get in touch if not good luck and remember at American airports they're the biggest bunch of wankers that walk the planet.

Can i just say to the Ranger one who said stay at home what an ignorant idiot. How can you make a sweeping statement like that without knowing this person or his circumstances. As if America is whiter than white. I've travelled all over the world in the last 5 years and can say it's small minded attitudes like this that have made America the most disliked country in the world. FACT. I bet you've never even left the states so you believe all that **** you small pea brain gets fed everyday. People like you are unbelievable, look at the wider picture things in life are not black and white 2 dimensional objects but your one of the people who do not understand this.

Pleasant Peter Perkins

The American embassy advises that usually, UK citizens do not need a visa because of the visa waiver scheme. If you have been convicted of an offence however, you must apply for a visitors visa. If you try entering the US without a visa and you are caught, you will be deported and will lose any chance of ever being able to visit the US.

Big Feet

From where?

you will have to have a criminal record check done....
I'm not sure that you have a great chance of actually getting into the country though...

misssyweb

you will need a visa,you have to apply to the american embassy in london.you must ring them a.s.a.p and explain your situation and they will ask you to come up for a interview.it will cost you about 70 pound.just because you have a criminal record does not mean that you wont get a visa,they look at each case individualy,so its worth a try.good luck.

wonderingstar

you need a G168 form, to go with the visa, I worked for a company were we took young offenders to America.

its also the form the uk tv programme "brits behind bars" used to get the prisoners over their to film it.

CPG

As always there are some dumb and just plain wrong answers here.

So lets just clear this up once and for all.

If you have been arrested, convicted and/or have a criminal record then you will need a visa to visit the United States.

The visa you need to apply for is a tourist (B-2) visa.

To apply for this you need to visit the website for the American Embassy in your home country, just do a web search - "American Embassy (your country)".

Now being granted this visa depends entirely on your conviction. When you attend your visa interview you will be told on the day if you have been granted the visa. This is at the discretion of the consular on the day.

gowdymail

With the way that America is these days, you'll be lucky to get in at all... They are very funny about stuff like that since Sep 11th happened. I'd check on a US government site and if you can't find the info there, you may have to phone them. But most definitley before you bother getting on a plane, find out the story. People have gotten deported for much less than assault over there... You'd hate to get there and be sent straight back home!

jealous elf

there isn't a special visa for convicted felons, but sometimes a felony conviction is a bar to admission. when you fill out the visa application, there will be a place to note whether you have a criminal history. answer as honestly as possible, because if you lie on those forms, and they discover it (and they do background checks, so they most likely will), you might be barred from admission to the united states forever.
you really should speak to a u.s. attorney experienced in u.s. immigration law.

Charlie

Sorry you got so many ignorant (in many ways) answers. "alanoshea" gave the best answer. Please read the wesite below. Make an appointment at the American Embassy or consulate near you. Often, you can be granted a visa. Do not be discouraged, and do not lie. Your honesty is going to help you. If you try to hide your record, you WILL be found out as you go through customs...so be honest, apply for a visa. Good luck to you.

snetterton

You won't get a visa. Period. The USA doesn't let people with criminal records into the country.

Depends on what country you are from.

maryse

it is illegal to attempt to enter the USA if you have a criminal record. you need a USA entry waiver, which is a permit to go there. you will need to admit and give details about your criminal record to the USA federal government. they may take your finger prints. go to www.usa.gov

TOM

Everybody who is not USA born needs a visa to visit. But as you have a criminal record for assault you will not be given one.

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something tells me you may have a bit of trouble, alot of countries odnt ccept people with criminal records. or certin aspects of criminology

what is your criminal record?

chris

nope its all the same visa, try google about that

Grace*

Please dont batter me :-)

boomawang

no.

SALMON

Don't come....we have enough Felons thanks......

ogloriad

It depends what passport u have. People from the European Community dont need visa to go to the USA as tourist, but you can stay only for some period of time, and you cant work either. If you are not from the European Community, you will need a VISA, and maybe they will give it or not. They are the only one who decide this.

search_rescue_ranger

Stay home!

We have enough people who can't follow the rules now.

We either wind up keeping them in jail or paying for their health care and food and housing through welfare or through supporting the jail system.

Either way....we don't want you here!

.EDIT: To alanoshae....you insult us by calling Americans "Wankers" because they did their job and kept you a convict out of our country, then you advise another criminal to....(."Or you can lie and on the immigration card don't admit to a criminal conviction") You do know that is conspiracy another crime that you just committed right here in plain view. So now we have one criminal, advising a second criminal an how to beat the "dumb American Wankers" who keep catching them....All the while trying to get IN TO AMERICA! I stand by my original answer....you are pathetic loser, STAY HOME!

By the way I have been all over the world, Italy, France, Croatia, Venezuela, Spain, Canada , Caribbean, Russia, Denmark and guess what...I'm even coming over to England next summer.......
.

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