Crossing into Canada with DUI

[Arbys]

Has anyone had any experience crossing the border from the USA into Canada with a DUI on their record?  I have one (0.082... yes, I'm guilty, I made a bad decision) and I've read this can be an issue when entering Canada. I figured this would be a good place to ask.

[Paul & Ann]

From what I know of others in the same situation, you will not be allowed into Canada.

[Tom]

I've never had a DUI, but I don't recall them asking the question when we entered Canada. Maybe they have access to US DMV databases?

[debsmg]

They run your plate number. I had one of those car guards on my tow bar and apparently they could not see my plate. I had to show a picture of the plate or give the something with plate number on it. On the caravan I was on to Alaska we were told if you had dui you would not be permitted to cross.

[UTTransplant]

DUI is a felony in Canada, and they take it seriously. I am a canoeist, and I know people who could not go to Canada for canoeing due to a DUI. There is a way to get yourself allowed in if it has been a long time (10years IIRC) and you have been shown rehabilitated, but it is paperwork and there is no guarantee it will work. There is information on a Canadian Government website that I have seen with details. And my friends were told that Canada did have access to US criminal records.

[Robert K]

I think you can buy your way in by paying a fee,I have been told. No personel expeirence. Think some states have reciprocipy ( sp ?) On licence believe NY does.

[phil-t]

Google will answer your question: Can you go to Canada with a DUI

Good luck - doesn't look like a simple process, but possibly worthwhile.  I have a close friend that had a DUI in his distant past and did something to gain admittance to Canada.

[Oldgator73]

Based on DUI being a felony in Canada and entry for those with a DUI is denied, would any felony result in entry denial? And what crimes, other than DUI, are considered felonies in Canada and not in the US?

[Oldgator73]

Based on DUI being a felony in Canada and entry for those with a DUI is denied, would any felony result in entry denial? And what crimes, other than DUI, are considered felonies in Canada and not in the US?

Just found the answer to this:

So who exactly is not permitted to enter Canada? The Immigration Act may deny admission to anyone recently convicted of driving while intoxicated (D.W.I.) or driving under the influence (D.U.I.), both of which may be considered an indictable offense in Canada (similar to a felony in U.S.A.) and punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to five years. Other criminal offenses that can cause someone to be denied entry to Canada include theft, assault, reckless driving, possession of stolen property, shoplifting, fraud, driving while license suspended, extortion, battery, domestic violence, misdemeanor drug possession, and any felony such as breaking and entering or armed robbery. White collar crimes can also affect a foreign national's Canadian excludability. Some people may need the services of a qualified immigration professional to determine if they can legally enter Canada. Other people may already know that they criminally inadmissible but require help from an attorney to come up with a workable plan for how to cross the Canadian border successfully. A criminal conviction does not necessarily mean a person cannot enter Canada ever again; it simply means they may require special permission to enter and therefore should prepare an acceptable application before visiting. Canada Temporary Resident Permit eligibility requirements and document requirements have recently changed. This is one of the many reasons it may be important to work with an immigration lawyer familiar with the 2018 Canada DUI Entry rules (as well as any scheduled Canada DWI entry 2019 or 2020 changes).

[Rene T]

I worked for a company years ago and had to go into Canada for work. We got to the border and one of my coworkers was denied entry because of a DWI conviction over 40 years earlier when he was just out of high school. We entered Canada and he had to wait for another company vehicle to come and pick him up.

[Roy M]

Also be aware that if a person who is not a citizen commits a felony, known here as an indictable offence, leaves the country he/she will not be allowed to return. My bil has a minor drug possession on his record from the early 70's, he is not even allowed to be on a flight that lands in the U.S to refuel.

[TonyDtorch]

it's a big country with lots of ways to just walk in or just step off of a boat on to Canada soil.

There is even one U.S. state that is only land accessible by going into Canada and back out.  Are there no Alaskans that ever got a DUI ?

[Bill N]

My daughter lives in Canada and we visit every year.  In 10 years we have never been asked the question and we have never had a DUI.

Bill

[kjansen]

The DWI show on your drivers lic when you try to enter Canada.  I have had people tell they were denied access even tho the DWI was 25 years ago.  I looked into getting a remote access pass and the 1st question they asked was where I lived.  It seems so many people from Hibbing Mn have had DWIs that they refuse to give remote passes.

[Tom]

The DWI show on your drivers lic when you try to enter Canada.

That makes sense, and explains why most of us have never been asked.

[kjansen]

Last summer I went to Canada for the first time in many years.  They asked for my drivers lic and after reviewing the information asked me to pull ahead for an inspection which I thought might happen due to pulling th 5W.  Two officers asked if I had a safe onboard and then wanted to look inside of it.  It was empty, but from that point, it was a 15 minute discussion on guns which I had none knowing the rules of bringing guns across the border.  As it turns out, my name brought up the fact that 25 years ago I went goose hunting by Winnipeg. They now know that I own guns and wanted to make sure I didn't have any along.

[Alfa38User]

You may not be asked on the primary inspection but if you become a 'chosen one' for secondary, chances are good you will be asked about criminal charges, maybe your drivers license, etc. I have never been asked for my drivers license, just my passport, on primary when returning to Canada or going to USA.

[TonyDtorch]

What all will they do if an American is caught in Canada illegally ?     They just let all the draft dodgers in and that was a felony wasn't it? 

[phil-t]

What all will they do if an American is caught in Canada illegally ?     They just let all the draft dodgers in and that was a felony wasn't it?

Not so much what they will do - more what they can do.  Detainment, confiscation, disassembly of your vehicle, etc.  Try it in a boat some time.  There are horror stories, going both directions.  I hate the thought of being subjected to Customs (Canadian or US)' arbitrary rules at the border.  They have absolute power.  I live on the border and have not been to Canada since 911 and all the security whoopla.  Too bad, going to and coming from Canada used to be nothing more than driving down the road.  I can even remember when the Canadian Customs entry was not even manned!  All they have dome with all the security and spend tax payers money and cause the general public greif.  That's just my opinion.

[Bill N]

The DWI show on your drivers lic when you try to enter Canada.   es.

Have never shown drivers license - only passport and dog vaccination papers.  Answered question about where going and reason for visit.  Their plate reader no doubt reads the plate for state.  Have no doubt about DUI being illegal to enter but have never encountered any questions regarding it and have never seen the agent do any extensive computer searching - just a couple of questions and wave through.  Always enter through Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, Mi.

[Oldgator73]

Not so much what they will do - more what they can do.  Detainment, confiscation, disassembly of your vehicle, etc.  Try it in a boat some time.  There are horror stories, going both directions.  I hate the thought of being subjected to Customs (Canadian or US)' arbitrary rules at the border.  They have absolute power.  I live on the border and have not been to Canada since 911 and all the security whoopla.  Too bad, going to and coming from Canada used to be nothing more than driving down the road.  I can even remember when the Canadian Customs entry was not even manned!  All they have dome with all the security and spend tax payers money and cause the general public greif.  That's just my opinion.

Flying has also become too much of a hassle. We just took a trip to Italy and Spain. Take your shoes off, your belt, everything out of your pockets. Remove your lap top/tablet from your bag. No liquids in containers larger than an eye dropper. If you want to take water on the plane you have to buy it after security which costs more than if you bring your own. In Europe it seems the rules at each airport are different. Take your shoes off at one airport but not at another. Leave your belt on here but not there. Told to be at airport 3 hours early for an international flight. I told my wife this was the last time. I'll drive across the border to Canada but flying is out for the foreseeable future.

[Joezeppy]

I live on the border and have not been to Canada since 911 and all the security whoopla.  Too bad, going to and coming from Canada used to be nothing more than driving down the road.

I'm only about 2-1/2 hours from the border and have been traveling to Canada since I was born (my mother is Canadian). We have fewer family members up there these days so we don't travel as much any more but I still find it nothing more than "driving down the road". Sure we need a passport or enhanced driver's license now and it might take an extra few minutes (or even a half hour or more in peak times) but I don't find it intrusive at all. I have nothing to hide and I'm sure the officers can tell. Last time I was chosen for a random search was long before 9/11.

[Hfx_Cdn]

    Hey folks, it works the other way too.  Any conviction, or a border guard not liking the cut of your hair will see Canadians turned away from your border.  There was a major new story last winter when 3 women from Montreal were denied entry on their way to a spa in Vermont.  They were never given a reason for no entry, however one was of East Indian descent, born in Canada.
    I have been told by lawyer friends that a DUI/DWI in either country would ban me from entry.

Ed

[UTTransplant]

What all will they do if an American is caught in Canada illegally ?     They just let all the draft dodgers in and that was a felony wasn't it?

I doubt evading the US draft was a felony in Canada.

[Hfx_Cdn]

     And yet I had a good friend who lived and was raised in Canada, but since the closest hospital was a mile by sea, was born in the US.  The RCMP and US police (can't remember which service) showed up at our University dorm and hauled away for not registering for the draft.  It didn't matter that he was a student at a University, and that he had never been sent a draft notice, he was required to register.  He ended up having to leave university and did a 2 year stint in Vietnam before being able to return to Canada.  So, I have no idea how those draft dodgers were allowed to stay, however most established businesses and have done very well financially.

Ed

[Alfa38User]

Most simply left on a "visit" before or just after receiving the draft notice  and, just as quietly, overstayed their legal time here. In a big city, they would probably pass unnoticed for quite a few years if they were able to stay out of trouble. Illegal immigrants in either country do have a knack for disappearing and remaining hidden even while they are being chased down for deportation.

[TonyDtorch]

those American "illegal immigrants"  would be in their late 60's at best....as a non citizen how do they get Canadian health care now ?

[kjansen]

those American "illegal immigrants"  would be in their late 60's at best....as a non citizen how do they get Canadian health care now ?

Wasn't illegal back then and once in Canada you could apply for citizenship. Most of them are now in their 70s. Once they were in Canada and started working they paid taxes just like everyone and qualified for benefits.  We also had several FBI undercover agents in Canada at that time gathering info on those avoiding the draft.

Several countries in Europe that have free health care will even cover people on vacation.  Norway for one is that way.

[UTTransplant]

Not all those who evaded the draft by going to Canada stayed in Canada. There was a partial amnesty, and I know a guy who came back to do national service in a nursing home. He didn’t want to fight in what he considered an unjust war, but his Consciencious Objector case was not approved. He went to Canada before he was drafted, then came home to do his service in a non-military manner. Great guy with a strong moral compass.

[phil-t]

Flying has also become too much of a hassle.

I agree with that - try it with an artificial hip.  Looks like you are "packing" on the radar screen.  If no radar then you get a full pat-down!  Really nice!  And they can still refuse you to board the plane.