I have a DUI conviction from 20 yrs ago. What if a plane I’m on lands in Canada?

[Anonymous]

It depends on where you land in Canada. My BIL was on Air France 66 that had to make an emergency landing at Goose Bay. They did not let them off the plane for over 24 hours while they waited for 2 empty planes to arrive to fly all the passengers to LAX.

The reason was that Canada did not want them going through immigration and customs so they literally couldn't get off the plane and wait inside the airport. That airport is also not a regular commercial airport, so they were not staffed for this kind of situation. I do believe on 9/11 they allowed people to disembark because all planes into the US were grounded. But your friend's story sounds odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have literally never heard this.
When you show a passport at immigration they don’t check for criminal history unless you’re actually wanted or on an Interpol list.

They literally scan them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly what happened to those Israeli kids in Tehran (the series). Much higher stakes, admittedly. But same concept.

Those of you being dismissive of this concern are liable to end up face down in the toilet in some third world prison one day. Keep your head on a swivel.

Um…that was a fictional TV show

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is such marginal worry that I wouldn't worry about it -- they might not let you enter Canada so you'd have to stay in the terminal. You are not under a Canadian order for arrest. And I doubt that there was no one with a DUI conviction on a plane on 9/11 and I'm pretty sure they put no one in the pokey.

No, they can't release you back into the terminal on good faith that you wouldn't leave. You aren't arrested, but you are detained until the first available flight to your destination. However, if you were a US citizen flying from the US to Paris and your plane diverted to Canada for some odd reason, you'd get detained and most likely put on the first plane going back to the US not to Paris since flights to the US happen more frequently than to Paris.

If you’re officially involved with this: Canada and the United States should negotiate a treaty that lets people in this kind of situation choose whether to go back home or go to the destination, at least if they’re willing to pay for the stay in the detention room. It’s absurd that they could be get sent back to the United States simply because of a flight problem that was out of their control.

[Anonymous]

European here. I have a great deal of difficulty believing any of this is true.

Can anyone post a link?

There are millions of people with DUI convictions or their own national equivalents in all countries with biometric passport requirements. I really don't think Canada, or France or some other country, is pulling people off planes just for some measly DUI.

[Anonymous]

They will put you in jail. That’s bad
It’s Canadian jail. That’s good

[Anonymous]

I went to Canada three times in 2018 and I have two college era misdemeanors from 15 years earlier and nothing happened to me. They're not DUIs. I would not worry about it OP.

[Anonymous]

NP

Do individuals with past convictions 10-plus years ago have better luck at airports or land crossings? I am curious about this too.

[Anonymous]

Canada and the US have an agreement to share their criminal databases with each other. When Canada scans your ID at the border, your entire criminal history comes up: misdemeanors, felonies, EVERYTHING. Other countries don't have access to this info when you enter but Canada has your record and is extremely strict about it. I don't know what other countries have similar access to criminal info but most of them don't.

[Anonymous]

This is 100% true. I am a recently retired travel agency owner and I know of passengers boarding ships (headed to Alaska) in Seattle (which was making one port stop in Canada) and they were denied boarding because Canadian immigration gets the manifest a few days before the ship sails and they will instruct the cruise line to not allow the person to board. You need to read up on it.

https://www.canadavisa.com/entering-canada-with-a-dui-conviction.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

European here. I have a great deal of difficulty believing any of this is true.

Can anyone post a link?

There are millions of people with DUI convictions or their own national equivalents in all countries with biometric passport requirements. I really don't think Canada, or France or some other country, is pulling people off planes just for some measly DUI.

Links have been posted both above and below this post. They're not pulling people off planes, they're prohibiting people from entering their country, two different things.

[Anonymous]

Canada sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re fine. It was 2003. I believe they consider you rehabilitated after 10 years. At the 5 year point after your sentence is complete (so whatever probation/jail time), you can apply to get a rehabilitation waiver to cross into Canada. Anything more recent and you’re SOL.

Canadian border agents do have access to these records though!!

Yes, this! A little more info - OP you are not banned from Canada for life. More than 10 years have passed and you can enter Canada just as you would had you never got convicted. You don’t need to apply for any waiver because your dui was prior to 2018.

If it was in 2018 or beyond, you’d have to apply for the waiver even when 10 years have passed.

So go to Canada! The Canadian Rockies have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world!

NP

Nope. Wrong.

Unless OP applies for the TRP and receives it ($350 each app, btw) it IS a lifetime ban on entry.


The US is the only first world nation that lets people with criminal records stroll unchecked across its border. Canada doesn’t put up with that stuff.

Canada and Australia.

Just learned from his memoir that Dave Grohl has a DUI from Australia on his record that he has to report every time.

[Anonymous]

Many years ago I traveled to Canada with a boyfriend who had a DUI. He actually didn’t know he wasn’t allowed to go to Canada. He entered the country no problem, but had been flagged when we departed. They pretty aggressively reprimanded him and told him he wasn’t welcome to ever travel to Canada. I think they may have given him some kind of official document at the airport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 100% true. I am a recently retired travel agency owner and I know of passengers boarding ships (headed to Alaska) in Seattle (which was making one port stop in Canada) and they were denied boarding because Canadian immigration gets the manifest a few days before the ship sails and they will instruct the cruise line to not allow the person to board. You need to read up on it.

https://www.canadavisa.com/entering-canada-with-a-dui-conviction.html

The link you posted is to an immigration lawyer website written in a manner to scare the reader. If it is over 10 years, you will have no problem. Between 5-10 years, you may be stopped, but you may not and if you are, you can fill out the paperwork there. Under 5 years >> trickier and you will need to appy for rehab waiver in advance.