FYI for anyone wanting to go to Canada. I thought I would re-post this
DUI Record can keep you barred from Canada
Posted: Sep 22, 2009 3:24 AM PDT Updated: Sep 22, 2009 3:24 AM PDT
SPOKANE, Wash.- There are three ways to get admitted into Canada once you've been convicted of a DUI. But you have to be prepared for lots of hassles, paperwork, fees and months of waiting for the Canadian bureaucracy to process your application.
1. If the completion of your DUI sentence is less than 5 years old, the only way to get into Canada is with a temporary resident permit, which costs $200 Canadian. (Having had your DUI knocked down from a gross misdemeanor to negligent or reckless driving can still prevent you from going to Canada.)
Before driving to the border, you can click on the Seattle Canadian Consulate Web site at
www.canadainternational.gc.ca/seattle.
You can download an application for a temporary visit and either mail it in or bring it in person.
2. If you completed your DUI sentence more than five years ago, you can apply for Approval of Rehabilitation. The nonrefundable fee is either $200 or $1,000 (Canadian), depending on the seriousness of your crime.
The Canadians want proof "that you have a stable lifestyle and that it is unlikely that you will be involved in any further criminal activity."
It involves considerable paperwork. You will need to provide your FBI file. You will need to provide a "police certificate" of criminal history, if any, from every state in which you lived more than six months since age 18. You will need to explain each offense. You will have to provide dates and all your home addresses and places of employment since age 18. Processing time can take a year or more.
3. If you have had only one DUI, and sentencing was completed more than 10 years ago, you can drive to the border with basically the paperwork for the Approval of Rehabilitation.
A border officer can approve you on the spot, at no charge, and that past DUI will no longer be a problem when crossing the border
Best policy........Don't drink and drive.