Help the community and expand your practice! Find out how.
Already registered? Login here.
Question Details: I was convicted of a minor offence in 1994. Do I have to tick "Yes" on visitor immigration cards (when visiting Australia or Europe) if I have no convictions since then; and my sentence was merely community service?
Filed under Criminal Law | 2074 View(s)
Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley
You will have to tick "yes" on other countries' immigration documentation. New Zealand's Clean Slate law only applies in New Zealand. (Click here to read more about it: www.justice.govt.nz.)
Whether this will affect your ability to travel will depend on the country that you are travelling to. For example, Australia has a specific process for travellers with a criminal conviction, no matter how long ago the conviction was. Click on this link for more information: www.australia.org.nz.
Before making any travel arrangements overseas, you should check with the embassy or high commission of each country you wish to travel to whether there are any requirements or restrictions on travellers with your criminal conviction. You can try searching for the embassy or high commission website on google, otherwise, if you wish to contact them directly, a full list of embassies is available here: www.mfat.govt.nz.
Click this link for information on travelling with a criminal conviction: www.cab.org.nz
Answered 19 Nov 2012. The IMPORTANT NOTICE below is part of this answer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The answer provided above is intended for general informational purposes only and cannot be
considered a substitute for face-to-face legal advice. It should not be relied upon as the sole
basis for taking action in relation to a legal issue. Laws change frequently, and small
variations in the facts, or a fact not provided in the question, can often change a legal
outcome or a lawyer’s conclusion. No liability whatsoever is accepted by the authors or
publishers of the answer, for loss, damage or inconvenience arising in any way from the use of
this site. While each answer has been published by a lawyer with a practising certificate, that
person may not necessarily have experience in the particular area of law involved.
For more information about this website, please review our
Terms of Use.