Question: I’m planning a trip with friends to Montreal, but I’m freaking out about crossing the border with a reckless driving conviction on my record. Is it possible to go to Canada after reckless driving?
Answer: Crossing the US-Canada border with a criminal charge is going to be more difficult whether it’s a DUI or a reckless driving record. If you haven’t taken any steps to address your reckless driving conviction, then it’s unlikely that you will be able to enter Canada.
This may be a challenge if you need to cross Canada to reach another part of the United States. Some examples include coming to the Lower 49 from Alaska, Point Roberts, Washington, or Northwest Angle, Minnesota.
Canada and the United States have an information-sharing agreement that gives each country access to the other’s criminal record and public safety information. Some tenets that inform whether you’ll be deemed inadmissible:
- Your crime in the U.S. is a crime in Canada
- Your crime meets a minimum level of severity
Apply for Criminal Rehabilitation
A more sustainable way to enter Canada multiple times is to get Criminal Rehabilitation from the Government of Canada. Your reckless driving will no longer pose a problem at the border if you are granted this rehabilitation. The only problem with this is that your reckless driving conviction must have been more than five years ago, and you must have completed all sentencing and probation. To apply for Criminal Rehabilitation, you will have to pay a fee:
| Severity | Fee in CAD |
|---|---|
| Inadmissible on the grounds of criminality | $229.77 |
| Inadmissible on the grounds of serious criminality | $1,148.87 |
You can contact a lawyer or visit the Government of Canada’s page for more information.
Wait 10 years
The Government of Canada states that “you may be deemed to have been rehabilitated if at least ten years have passed since you completed the sentence imposed upon you, or since you committed the offense, if the offense is one that would, in Canada, be an indictable offense punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years.”
There are two important things here. The most important one is the word “may”, suggesting that there are no guarantees, and the second one is that your offense must fulfill specific criteria for this automatic rehabilitation to work.
Temporary Resident Permit
If you can’t get a Criminal Rehabilitation yet and you have strong reasons to enter Canada such as work, then you can try to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit which is issued for the length of your visit to Canada, according to the Government of Canada. For example, if you are attending a week-long conference, you will get a permit for a week and must leave Canada by the end of the expiry date of the permit. Once you leave Canada, your permit is no longer valid unless you have authorization to leave and re-enter.
Applying for a Temporary Resident Permit
For Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)-required travelers: If your eTA application is refused, you may apply for a temporary resident permit depending on your inadmissibility and travel reasons. You will need to check the visa office that serves your region as they might have their own application forms.
For visa-required travelers: Apply for a visitor visa with documents explaining your inadmissibility and reasons for entry, and possibly attend an interview.
The Temporary Resident Permit fee at time of publication is CAD $229.77.
The bottom line
Entering Canada with a reckless driving conviction is challenging. However, there are available options to you, including criminal rehabilitation after 5 years, possible automatic rehabilitation after 10 years, or a temporary resident permit for necessary travel needs.
Xuyun Zeng is a content strategist with a wide-ranging content background including tech, journalism, cars and health care. After graduating with highest honors in journalism, Xuyun led a newspaper to win eight awards, helped start an award-winning film industry podcast and has written over a hundred articles about cars repair, state laws and insurance. Prior to joining Jerry, Xuyun worked as a freelance SEO consultant with a mission to create the best content that will help readers and grow organic traffic.
Giselle Gomez is an editor with over a decade of experience editing content across personal finance, education, travel, and sports. In editing for Jerry, Giselle’s focus is on making sure content is consumer and SEO-friendly and helping readers understand all things car ownership. In prior roles, she worked as a content strategist, syndication editor, and writer. Her work is featured in AP, NerdWallet.com, BestColleges.com, and more. Giselle holds a master’s degree from Arizona State University.
