Can I visit Canada with a Washington State DUI conviction?

Canada generally does not allow persons convicted of DUI to enter Canada.

Canada has a consulate in Seattle. The website is http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions/seattle.asp .

Persons otherwise barred from entry into Canada can ask for permission to enter.

The various governments of Canada and the US share a lot of information with each other. If you fail to be truthful regarding your DUI conviction, the border inspector may already has a record of your conviction. Being untruthful likely will have more severe consequences.

The short answer is No! The Canadian Consulate has deemed DUI a crime of moral turpitude and will deny entry to anyone convicted of a DUI in Washington State, or any other state for that matter. There are opportunities to apply for a temporary visa or work permit, but the processing time is lengthy and requirements for admissibility very strict. The normal process for reentry into Canada is to go through what is called Criminal Rehabilitation and this process can take up to ten years. After a period of time, the Border Agent can deem someone rehabilitated, but this usually will not happen until at least ten years have passed since the DUI and only as long as the individual doesn't have any new criminal violations of law.

I have had clients with this same concern from the state of Georgia attempting who conduct business in Canada. Unfortunately, Canada treats DUI as a felony, even if the state who convicted you labeled it a misdemeanor, and can deny entry because of that.

I am wanting to travel to Canada, I was convicted of a dui four years ago

See <a href=http://www.valdezmalcolm.com rel=”nofollow”>Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney</a>

This answer is not legal advice and is for general informational and/or educational purposes only. No attorney-client relationship is formed between you and Sean B. Malcolm, an attorney licensed in Washington. For more information, see the Avvo.com terms and conditions of use, which are incorporated by reference herein, and www.valdezmalcolm.com.

You may need to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit, apply for rehabilitation, or if 10 years have passed since you completed the sentence, you may be deemed to have been "rehabilitated." For more information, see the link below.

This answer is not legal advice and is for general informational and/or educational purposes only. No attorney-client relationship is formed between you and Sean B. Malcolm, an attorney licensed in Washington. For more information, see the Avvo.com terms and conditions of use, which are incorporated by reference herein, and www.valdezmalcolm.com.