travelling from US to UK with criminal record
 

Hi I wonder if anyone can tell me if a United states citizen is allowed to travel to the UK (Scotland) after spending time.in a federal institution? My friend is still in prison at this moment but when released he wants to travel here and is unsure if he would be allowed to or not? Any help would be much appreciated thank u :)

And you're asking a US travel forum instead of checking with the respective governmental agencies because . . . ?

Unless your "friend" is in someplace more serious than Club Fed, he likely has internet access or a well-stocked legal library (jailhouse lawyers are self-trained, some are actually good at it).

If your friend has been convicted of a crime with a penalty of time in a federal prison I would think it VERY unlikely that he would be welcome in the UK.

And this is certainly NOT the place to find out.

Is he just looking to take a vacation - or does he have some other plan in mind?

IMHO he should contact his attorney and find out the details of his situation - depending on the crime - and his reason for leaving the country (will be be allowed to do that?) and go to the UK.

Sorry - if this was any sort of violent crime - versus white collar - I would think his chances are essentially nil.

A big question is, Can he obtain a passport? He could be on probation after his release which could restrict his travel as well.

Thank u for your replies and the I'm not sure where to start with all of this as I myself have never been in trouble before , I googled the question and this forum popped up with a similar sort of question that's why I asked on here as I thought up people would be able to at least help a sister out ;)

Yes my 'friend' is looking to take a vacation here on his release he also has family here.

I'll have to look into it further for him but thanks anyway x

Fmpden raises the most significant point: he will be on probation when he gets out, and his travel will be restricted. If you are still together after his probation ends, you can look into this topic again.

Yeah thanks I will do :)

This is much more interesting question then I can I do 42 cities in 3 1/2 days.

Agree that federal prisoners very rarely serve their full term - and are usually on probation for some time (years???) afterward. Probably not allowed to leave the country - or how would they report to probation officer weekly.

And can't imagine the UK want our felons.

About all you can do for now is research whether UK will allow him to visit. They may have restrictions depending on what crime he was convicted of.

As for whether he can get a passport or travel out of the country while on probation...that will at least partly depend on his probation officer and the restrictions the P.O. places on him. Some people on probation are allowed to travel with permission of their P.O., subject to certain restrictions, etc.

I have knowledge (and don't ask me how ;) ) re travel restrictions for someone released from Federal prison.

Unless they petitioned the court for return of his passport, it was surrendered. He'll have to apply for a new one. He probably can get a new passport but that is not absolutely guaranteed.

Then there is the issue of being allowed to enter the UK. That significantly depends on the type of crime/conviction. If it is a 'serious' crime . . . and you'd have to check w/ the UK authorities about which are/aren't) then he would be denied entry.

Meant to add -- whether a crime is serious in the eyes of the British authorities mostly depends on the length of sentence it would draw if committed in the UK.

Thank u for replying. I will have to look into it properly for him and ask the correct government agencies as 'bigruss' stated above. I don't think our laws here in the UK are as strict as the US but we will most definitely run into some difficulties somewhere along the line whether it's from his end or mine. I will do a wee bit of research nearer the time , my curiosity just got the better of me and thought I would ask u guys .. big help though. Cheers x