How criminal records and police reports can ruin your travel plans.

There's a reason why Canadian passports are in high demand with international criminals and forgers. Our record of good international relations, history of peacekeeping and foreign aid, and the generally good perception of Canadians gives our passport holders easy entry to more countries than just about any other passport in the world. Fortunately, the federal government continues to improve passport security precautions to discourage misuse. Newer passports have built-in integrated circuits and a warning to treat your passport as an 'electronic device'. But even if you're lucky enough to have a legitimate Canadian passport, it does not guarantee your right to travel out of the country, especially if you have a criminal record--and especially to Canadians' favourite destination, the United States.

Travelling Overseas with a Criminal Record

While any country you visit can stop you from entering for any reason it chooses, the vast majority understand the importance of maintaining a healthy tourist industry, strong business connections and good international relations and they usually give permission to enter to most people who request it. But regardless of your reason for travelling, a criminal record can put a quick, unexpected and inconvenient halt to your plans. Every country has its own guidelines and rules about who can enter. For many, a criminal record isn't an absolute barrier to entry, but they will exercise discretion based on certain criteria, including the type of offence and how long ago it was committed. Before they leave, travellers need to talk to the embassies, consulates and offices that represent the countries they want to visit to learn more about entry restrictions. To give you an idea of what to expect, here's a brief list of some of the guidelines the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) uses to determine admissibility for visitors with a criminal record:

Conviction Judged in Terms of Canadian Criminal Code--Officials will equate the offence(s), for which a criminal record was given, with the Canadian Criminal Code. Certain offences may be more or less serious in Canada.

Impaired Driving--We usually think that the U.S. is tougher than Canada on entry requirements, but you will probably get into the U.S. with a criminal record for impaired driving. But visitors to Canada are not allowed to enter if their impaired driving conviction is for having blood-alcohol content over the Canadian limit of .08%.

Some Other...