visa waiver program, minor motoring offence

[coolshades 0]

I am a British Citizen and need to travel to the US shortly for a conference. this will be my first visit to the US. i am eligible for Visa Waiver under the program. when i studied the details of this program, i noticed that anyone who has been arrested or convicted need to still apply for a visa.

i have had a motoring offence 4 years back and was sentenced to 3 points on my licence and a nominal fine, by a British Court.

does that affect my visa waiver eligibility in any way?

if i go through the process of getting a visa, then the time taken will be so long that i will not be able to travel.

all advice/responses welcome.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/...onvictions.html

Travelers with minor traffic offenses which did not result in an arrest and/or conviction for the offense may travel visa free, provided they are otherwise qualified. If you are not sure whether or not you are eligible to travel visa free, the only way to resolve this question would be to apply for a visa.

If the traffic offense occurred while you were in the United States, and you have an outstanding fine against you or you did not attend your court hearing, it is possible there may be a warrant out for your arrest, and you will experience problems when applying for admission into the U.S. Therefore you should resolve the issue before traveling by contacting the court where you were to appear. If you do not know the address of the court then information is available from the Internet at www.uscourts.gov/links.html.

Travelers who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, and those with criminal records, (the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to U.S. visa law), are not eligible to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. They are required to apply for visas. If they attempt to travel without a visa, they may be refused entry into the United States

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See also: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/niv/add_crime.html