Can A Felon Get A Passport?

Can a felon get a passport? The short reply is yes, successful galore cases you’ll beryllium capable to get a passport without your felony causing immoderate problems.

However, holding a passport does not mean that you’ll beryllium admitted to nan state you were hoping to recreation to.

Having a felony condemnation connected your grounds tin origin you each sorts of problems, and nan expertise to recreation freely to immoderate state you please is 1 of those problems.

Travel restrictions are a predominant interest for individuals charged pinch a felony, for felons serving a play of probation, parole, aliases supervision, and for felons who person completed each sentencing requirements.

In immoderate cases, those recreation restrictions tin beryllium imperishable because nan type of felony discourtesy progressive intends that nan authorities will garbage immoderate caller passport application.

Let’s get into immoderate details.

As you’re astir apt aware, you request a U.S. passport to time off and participate nan country. To get a passport, you request to make a passport exertion and salary a fee. The interest is non-refundable if your passport exertion is refused.

Your felony won’t automatically lead to your passport exertion being refused, though.

In astir cases, a felony won’t effect your passport exertion astatine all. After submitting your exertion shape and personality documents, and paying nan applicable fee, you’ll person your passport wrong nan modular processing period.

However, a condemnation for immoderate felony offenses could lead to a refusal. There are besides immoderate non-felony offenses that will forestall you from obtaining a passport.

Reasons you could beryllium refused a passport:

• Having a felony supplier condemnation (in immoderate cases).
• Having a condemnation for trafficking minors.
• Having a condemnation for walking internationally for nan purposes of illicit intersexual conduct.
• Being a registered activity offender.
• Being connected parole aliases probation.
• Owing kid support.
• Substantial unpaid national taxes aliases national loans.
• An outstanding apprehension warrant.
• A tribunal bid declaring an individual incompetent aliases committing an individual to a intelligence institution.

Passport Eligibility With A Felony Drug Conviction

Can you get a passport if you person a felony supplier conviction?

Under federal rule 22 U.S. Code 2714, a passport will not beryllium issued to an individual convicted of a felony national aliases authorities supplier offense, if that discourtesy progressive nan usage of a passport, aliases if nan discourtesy progressive crossing an world border.

If you person a felony supplier condemnation of immoderate kind, you should speak to a lawyer earlier you use for your passport because this rule has a reasonably wide scope erstwhile it comes to passport applications.

Passport Eligibility With A Conviction For Trafficking Minors

Under nan Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60, a passport will not beryllium issued to an individual convicted of trafficking minors if that discourtesy progressive nan usage of a passport, aliases if nan discourtesy progressive crossing an world separator – 18 U.S.C 2423.

Passport Eligibility With A Conviction For Illicit Sexual Conduct

Under nan Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60, a passport will not beryllium issued to individuals pinch a condemnation for engaging successful illicit intersexual behaviour wrong nan United States aliases successful a overseas spot – 18 U.S.C 2423.

Passport Eligibility As A Registered Sex Offender

Can you get a passport pinch a felony intersexual offense?

Under 22 U.S. Code 212b, a passport will not beryllium issued to a registered activity offender unless nan passport contains a unsocial identifier. The unsocial identifier is simply a ocular announcement placed successful a conspicuous location connected nan passport that identifies nan passport holder arsenic a registered activity offender.

Passport Eligibility While On Parole Or Probation

Can convicted felons get a passport while they’re still connected parole aliases probation?

Your eligibility to get a passport while you’re completing a play of probation aliases parole will dangle connected whether a recreation regularisation is 1 of nan conditions attached to your play of supervision.

The Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60 states that a passport whitethorn beryllium refused to individuals taxable to a probation aliases parole information that forbids departure from nan United States.

You’ll request to cheque your ain conditions aliases interaction your parole aliases probation serviceman to spot if that regularisation applies to you.

Also: Can A Felon Get A TWIC Card?

Passport Eligibility While Owing Child Support

If you owe kid support of much than $2,500, you won’t beryllium capable to get a passport.

When kid support arrears scope that level, your sanction will beryllium added to a database maintained by nan Department of Health & Human Services. As agelong arsenic your sanction is connected that list, you won’t beryllium eligible for a passport.

To get your sanction removed from nan list, you request to salary your kid support arrears to nan applicable authorities kid support agency.

It tin return 2 to 3 weeks aft costs for your sanction to beryllium removed from nan list, truthful you’ll request to hold a small while aft you clear nan arrears earlier applying for your passport.

You should besides beryllium alert that nonaccomplishment to salary kid support will consequence successful a misdemeanor complaint aliases a felony complaint depending connected nan circumstances.

Passport Eligibility With Unpaid Federal Taxes aliases Loans

The Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60 states that a passport whitethorn beryllium refused to individuals who person a earnestly delinquent national taxation indebtedness aliases an unpaid national loan.

For a taxation indebtedness to beryllium earnestly delinquent for passport purposes, nan magnitude that you beryllium must person been assessed and transcend $50,000.

Tax debts nether this magnitude and taxation debts that are being repaid pinch a costs scheme will not impact your eligibility for a passport.

Unpaid national loans are different non-felony obstruction you could look erstwhile you use for a passport. The loans successful mobility concern:

• Emergency aesculapian treatment
• Dietary supplements
• Emergency assistance
• Repatriation assistance aliases evacuation

Passport Eligibility With Outstanding Arrest Warrants

The Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60 lists nan pursuing reasons for denying a passport exertion wherever outstanding warrants are concerned.

• Being taxable to nan extradition petition of a overseas government.
• Being taxable to a lawsuit for a national prosecution for a felony, aliases expansive assemblage investigation of a felony.
• Being nan taxable of a authorities aliases section apprehension warrant for a felony.

Passport Eligibility Of Persons Declared Incompetent

The Federal Code of Regulations 22 CFR 51.60 states that a passport will not beryllium issued to a personification who has been committed to a intelligence institution pursuing a tribunal order, aliases who has been declared incompetent by a court.

Read Also: background cheque for passport

Can A Convicted Felon Get A Passport Returned?

Law enforcement officials sometimes petition passport revocation successful cases wherever they see nan suspect a formation risk.

If you person a passport that has been held by nan authorities, you’ll beryllium capable to get it backmost erstwhile each of your condemnation requirements person been fulfilled. If you’re connected probation, you whitethorn beryllium capable to person your passport returned if your probation serviceman authorizes nan early merchandise of your passport.

Let’s tally done nan process.

To get your passport returned, you request to constitute a missive to nan U.S. Department of State requesting its return.

Your missive must include:

• Your afloat sanction and day of birth
• Your societal information number
• Your mailing address
• A interaction telephone number
• A transcript of your valid, government-issued ID
• The sanction of nan tribunal aliases agency you surrendered your passport to

If you’re connected probation aliases supervised release, you’ll request to get a missive from your probation serviceman authorizing nan return of your passport. The missive must beryllium connected charismatic letterhead and see nan day connected which your probation ends.

Send nan missive to nan pursuing address:

• U.S. Department of State
• CA/PPT/S/A/RA
• 44132 Mercure Circle
• P.O. Box 1234
• Sterling, VA 20166-1227

Can A Felon Get A Visa?

Even though astir felons will beryllium capable to get a passport without immoderate difficulty, being capable to usage that passport to recreation to nan state of your prime whitethorn not beryllium truthful easy.

First immoderate bully news! Many countries let U.S. passport holders to participate their territory and enactment for a short play visa-free. The magnitude of clip you tin enactment without a visa will dangle connected nan rules group by each country. Most countries only let visa-free recreation for non-work purposes, if you scheme to activity you’ll request to use for a visa.

So, for nan immense mostly of countries, you’ll beryllium capable to spell connected picnic aliases sojourn family and friends without needing a visa.

If you request a visa to participate a country, nan pursuing countries will garbage to rumor a visa if you person a felony conviction.

• Argentina
• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Cuba
• India
• Iran
• Israel
• Japan
• Kenya
• Macau
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Taiwan
• The United Kingdom

A felony condemnation should not forestall you from obtaining a visa to recreation to nan pursuing countries:

• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Chile
• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• Hong Kong
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Nepal
• Peru
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Tanzania
• The Dominican Republic
• The Philippines
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Ukraine

Can A Felon Enter The European Union?

Currently, individuals who are entitled to visa-free entree to nan Schengen area for up to 90 days tin participate immoderate EU personnel authorities moreover if they person a criminal record.

However, from 2023, nan EU will present a caller introduction strategy called ETIAS.

Under ETIAS rules visitors to nan EU must get a visa-waiver authorization anterior to travel. The ETIAS authorization is an online strategy and erstwhile you person entered your details, your support will only return a fewer minutes, though successful prime cases it could return 2 weeks.

Once approved, your authorization will beryllium valid for 3 years and will let you to sojourn immoderate European federation for stays of up to 90 days.

The ETIAS exertion includes a conception asking for specifications of immoderate convictions for superior offenses, including (but not constricted to) intersexual offenses against children, murder, rape, terrorism, and offences involving trafficking successful narcotics aliases quality beings.

There is an ETIAS processing interest which is non refundable. This interest is group astatine 7 euros (around $7).

How Can A Felon Obtain A Passport?

You use for your passport successful precisely nan aforesaid measurement arsenic everyone else. There isn’t immoderate typical process that a felon needs to follow, and you won’t person to supply immoderate other documents.

Unlike galore countries that person moved to online passport applications, nan U.S. still issues passports nan old-fashioned, time-consuming way.

You’ll request to complete a passport exertion shape and past spell to a passport acceptance installation on pinch your form, personality documents, passport photo, and nan passport fee.

Passport acceptance accommodation are designated station offices, clerks of court, nationalist libraries, and state, county, and municipal authorities offices. You tin find your nearest location utilizing nan hunt installation astatine https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

Passport Application Form

Filling retired nan exertion shape is speedy and easy. You tin capable nan shape retired online, aliases you tin people a transcript to capable retired by hand. Even if you capable retired your shape online, you’ll still request to people nan shape and return it to nan passport acceptance facility. There is nary measurement to taxable a passport exertion online.

To entree nan online shape spell to https://pptform.state.gov/passportwizardmain.aspx

To entree a shape you tin people to capable retired by hand, spell to https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11.pdf

If you don’t person entree to a printer, you tin get a passport exertion shape from your section passport acceptance facility.

The shape asks for your:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Gender
• Social information number
• Email address
• Contact number
• Other names – maiden name, erstwhile joined names, ineligible sanction change
• Parent’s names, day of commencement and spot of birth
• Marital position and nan sanction of existent aliases astir caller spouse
• Occupation and employer
• Height, hairsbreadth color, and oculus color
• Emergency interaction details

You must not motion nan passport exertion shape until nan supplier astatine nan passport acceptance installation tells you to.

Identity Documents

As portion of your passport application, you request to taxable your personality documents. The first archive is your impervious of United States Citizenship. This tin beryllium immoderate of nan pursuing documents:

• Your U.S. commencement certificate
• A valid U.S. passport (can beryllium expired)
• Consular study of commencement abroad
• Certification of commencement abroad
• Certificate of naturalization aliases citizenship

The adjacent archive is impervious of your identity. You will request to taxable your original archive on pinch a photocopy of nan beforehand and backmost sides. The ID must see a photo.

Acceptable forms of ID are:

• Driver’s license
• Previous aliases existent U.S. passport
• Military ID card
• Federal, state, aliases metropolis worker ID card
• Certificate of naturalization aliases citizenship

Passport Photo

There is simply a multitude of requirements for passport photos. It’s champion to usage a passport photograph work aliases spell to a section photographer for your photo.

The basal requirements are:

• The photograph inheritance must beryllium plain achromatic aliases off-white.
• The photograph must beryllium printed connected photograph value insubstantial pinch a matt aliases gloss finish.
• The photograph must beryllium recent, taken wrong nan past 6 months.
• The size must beryllium 2 inches by 2 inches.
• The photograph must beryllium colored.
• Your caput must look nan camera, and your look must beryllium successful afloat position (your hairsbreadth should not obscure your face).
• The size of your caput connected nan photograph must beryllium 1 to 1 3/8 inches from nan apical of your caput to nan bottommost of your chin.
• You cannot deterioration eyeglasses aliases caput coverings.
• You tin not deterioration a azygous of immoderate kind, aliases clothing that looks for illustration a azygous aliases camouflage.

Passport Fee

Your passport exertion interest is non-refundable and must beryllium paid erstwhile you taxable your application. There are 2 parts to nan fee. The existent passport exertion fee, and nan execution interest payable to nan acceptance facility.

The passport interest itself must beryllium paid by cheque aliases money bid made retired to nan U.S. Department of State.

A U.S. passport costs $130 and is valid for each world travel.

The execution interest whitethorn beryllium paid successful immoderate measurement nan acceptance installation specifies.

Quick Recap – Can I Get A Passport With A Felony?

Unless you were convicted of 1 of respective circumstantial felonies, you will beryllium capable to get a passport.

However, location are different reasons why you whitethorn not beryllium eligible for a passport, and these see being connected probation aliases parole and having outstanding apprehension warrants.

You won’t request to spell done immoderate typical passport exertion procedures aliases supply immoderate accusation aliases archiving relating to your felony.

Once you person your passport, you’ll beryllium capable to sojourn galore countries arsenic a tourer because a immense number of countries let U.S. passport holders to participate their territory for short stays visa-free.

If you request to use for a visa for work, study, aliases family reunification, immoderate countries will not rumor visas to individuals pinch a felony conviction.

The European Union could besides beryllium a problem for travelers pinch a felony from 2023. Their caller ETIAS strategy requires travelers to get introduction authorization anterior to departure from their location country, and criminal backgrounds will beryllium checked.

Previous Entry: What Rights Do Felons Lose?