I know British citizens generally do not need a visa for short trips to the USA but someone told me that they did because they had a criminal record, for something minor. Is this the case? The official website doesn’t seem to answer this question.
Tags: British Citizens, Criminal Record, Short Trips, United States, Visa
Yes you do, and if you look at the website of the American Embassy (in Britain), you will find this. I have posted the link below, it states on their site:
“Under United States visa law people who have been arrested are required to declare the arrest when applying for a visa. If the arrest resulted in a conviction, the individual may be permanently ineligible to receive a visa. In order to travel, a waiver of the permanent ineligibility is required. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to United States visa law. Therefore, even travelers with a spent conviction are required to declare the arrest and/or conviction.”
If you travel under the visa waiver program you have to declare that you have never been arrested. Such arrest does not have to have resulted in a conviction, the very fact you have been arrested requires you to apply for a visa.
generally speaking you cant get in with a criminal record . Talk to an embassy