Traffic violations

[VetsWife328 7]

Hi ,

Do I have to send court records for traffic violations in with the N 400 ?!

I had to go to court once, totally minor thing.

( didn't have proof of insurance and registration in the car but could proof at time of hearing that I had both at the time of traffic stop).

It was deferred and I paid a fine LESS than $ 500.

The original fine ( if I couldn't have given evidence of the above stated paperwork) was $ 1200.

In case I do have to submit that court stuff, how do I get it and what exactly do I need ?

[Goldfee111 3]

also ich hatte 2 speeding tickets von for 4 jahren und habe sie nicht angegeben..ich habe gelesen das wenn das ticket unter 500$ must du es nicht angeben....viel glueck:-))

[SunDrop 59]

also ich hatte 2 speeding tickets von for 4 jahren und habe sie nicht angegeben..ich habe gelesen das wenn das ticket unter 500$ must du es nicht angeben....viel glueck:-))

Translation for non-German speakers searching for similar info:

So, I had 2 speeding tickets from 4 years previous, and didn't disclose them. I read that if the fine is under $500, you don't need to disclose it. Good luck.

Question - where did you read this?

[JimmyHou 611]

Translation for non-German speakers searching for similar info:

So, I had 2 speeding tickets from 4 years previous, and didn't disclose them. I read that if the fine is under $500, you don't need to disclose it. Good luck.

Question - where did you read this?

I've seen this issue come up repeatedly on VJ; I think people are misinterpreting the instructions. The form asks you to list the times you were cited by an officer. To me this means that all traffic violations where a citation was issued have to be disclosed. However, the Naturalization Guide states that you do not have to provide evidence for citations under $500. Note that it doesn't say that these citations shouldn't be reported, just that you don't have to send in evidence.

That being said, there are several reports on here of interview officers asking for evidence that all citations, regardless of amount were paid. In some cases the interview officer refused to approve an application until the applicant returned with proof that all fines were paid. This is clearly a contradiction of the instructions in the NaturalizationGuide, but I think well all agree that arguing with the interviewer isn't going to get you anywhere.

[Hedi 24]

My husband had two traffic tickets, each under $500 and each cleared through traffic school. Regardless, we decided to disclose both tickets on his N-400. He had payment receipts for each ticket, traffic school documentation and he also got a letter from the courthouse, stating that both tickets had been cleared (he took all these documents to his interview). The IO asked if the traffic violations were a DUI incident and my husband responded with a "no". He was not asked to show any proof for either ticket.

Edited February 22, 2014 by Hedi

[Shub 78]

The wording on the actual form N-400 is quite unambiguous: "Have you ever been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer for any reason?"

Obviously if you had a traffic ticket, the answer would be yes. You should not read into the questions or infer anything.

In addition, the instructions to form N-400 state:

You do not need to bring documentation for traffic fines and incidents (unless alcohol- or drug-related) that did not involve an actual arrest if the penalty was only a fine of less than $500 or points on your driver's license.

Chapter 3 of M-476, A Guide to Naturalization, says the same thing:

Even if you have committed a minor crime, USCIS may deny your application if you do not tell the USCIS officer about the incident. Note that unless a traffic incident was alcohol or drug related, you do not need to submit documentation for traffic fines and incidents that did not involve an actual arrest if the only penalty was a fine less than $500 and/or points on your drivers license.

So it's pretty clear cut in my opinion.

Do you need to list any and all offenses including traffic tickets of any amount? Yes. Best to list them than not, anyway, lest they deny your application because you failed to disclose something (I know for a fact that is not unheard of).

But, as said above, if the fines were less than $500 or just points on your driver's license, then you do not need to bring additional documentation to your interview. Although had I been in that situation, I would have brought all the pertinent paperwork to the interview. Better to have it and not need it than vice versa.

Edited February 22, 2014 by Shub

[tadli77 18]

Hi! At my interview, I chose to disclose that I had 1 parking ticket, 2 driving violations (one was illegal turn on red light and the other was improper lane change). The IO asked for receipts and luckily I had printed them out the night before. The websites for your county should make it easy for you to print them out. She noted down the dates of each ticket on my N-400 and kept the receipts for my file. She also asked how much each ticket was and all were below $500 but she still noted down each amount on my N-400 anyway. After that, she told me not to worry and how these kinds of tickets were common but that she had to note them down anyway.