Obtaining a passport with a felony conviction

I was convicted of a felony when I was 19, for weapon possession. Now I am older and wish to travel, but I need a passport to do so.

Will my felony status hinder me from obtaining a passport?

Much love, all.

[Damien]

Anon -> LD

[Heuristic]

Provided the conviction did not involve an act of treason or aiding a foreign government, it is not a problem.

[Banquo]

Right. The bigger concern should be the country to which you are travelling.

[garuda]

Originally Posted by Banquo

Right. The bigger concern should be the country to which you are travelling.

This is only a concern if the country he intends to travel to doesn't have a visa waiver exemption for US citizens traveling on US passports and most do. The countries that require US citizens to actually apply and get a tourist visa instead of just stamping your passport on arrival is very small.

Now if we're talking applying for long term visas or permanent residency or something yea it will be a problem there.

*I assume he is a US citizen, and he is used generically

[Banquo]

^
Good info. The reason I mention it is because of the troubles which some U.S. DUI offenders have faced while travelling into Canada. I can only guess that it's usually not a big deal since American$ bring vital tourists dollars for a lot of places...but it's always good to check.

[Coolio]

I've never had a problem crossing borders with felony warrants or felony convictions, even though felons aren't allowed in Canada.

[garuda]

Originally Posted by Banquo

^
Good info. The reason I mention it is because of the troubles which some U.S. DUI offenders have faced while travelling into Canada. I can only guess that it's usually not a big deal since American$ bring vital tourists dollars for a lot of places...but it's always good to check.

Canada is sort of a special case since it appears they have access to the NCIC in the US as part of an agreement, I was wondering if I should mention Canada.

[langsyneguy]

Is there a way I can find out which countries will not allow U.S. Felons to travel to or move to

[Mariposa]

Originally Posted by Heuristic

Provided the conviction did not involve an act of treason or aiding a foreign government, it is not a problem.

Another thing that can cause trouble is if the person owes back child support in excess of $5000. This is because of the flight risk. When someone is out on bail awaiting trial, also, generally the passport must be turned over, same reason.

See this other board, Post 6, for an answer to the question "does a list exist?"

If you've already been to trial and found/plead guilty, maybe try to get the conviction expunged provided you've been a model citizen since then?

You might encounter some additional questions trying to reenter the US, and I've also heard of Canadian border patrol hassling people with DUI convictions. I can't see this realistically happening to someone who keeps a low profile and doesn't have to declare anything, and I've never been in a car with anyone who was asked for more than their country of citizenship, if they have anything to declare, and what their purpose was for entering Canada. I have probably crossed the border 100+ times in my life and back.