We have updated our main International Travel section. It features:
- List of Schengen Nations (allowing entry to registrants);
- Resources (including a CA DOJ Travel Notification Form); and
- User Submitted Travel Reports.
This post is linked from the Main Menu at the top of the site.
1. The 26 Schengen Nations (which allow registrants to visit)
As an agreement, Schengen was signed among the five out of ten countries of the European Union members back then, on the 14th June 1985. Under the Schengen agreement, travelling from one Schengen country to another is done without any passport and immigration controls or any other formalities previously required.
Austria
Belgium
Czech republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Note: US Citizens are visa exempt when visiting the Schengen area for up to 90 days in a 180 day period (List of Countries, Section B or map). The European Commission is proposing creating a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for such travelers, beginning in 2021 – which may or may not take criminal convictions into account. ETIAS Fact Sheet April 2018 – July 2018
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2. Resources
Forms
Publications
- RTAG Travel Matrix
- IML Dispatch (SMART Office, Feb 2016)
- ETIAS
Old Posts
- International Travel after IML (2016)
- International Travel – Mexico (2014)
- International Travel (2013)
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✈️🗼🎉 Well, here’s some cheery news: ETIAS maybe delayed!
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/etias-launch-may-be-delayed-until-introduction-of-ees/
On the new passports that have the sex offender marking, are the passports still good for 10 years? The fee is the same as a “normal” passport, so they should also be valid for the same number of years.
I’d like to suggest to my fellow international travelers with “marked” U.S. passports, that EACH TIME you return from a trip abroad, you submit a FOIA Request to the U.S. Marshals Service asking for any information that was sent to the foreign country ABOUT you FROM the U.S. government.
A FOIA Request is pretty easy to write and submit. It can be done online via email.
You should know what our government is saying to other countries about you.
(Besides, I am not going to make this easy for them: If they are going to blast out a “green notice” about me, then I am going to bog them down with a FOIA request that they are required to answer.)
What if I wanted to travel to Guatemala (my uncle informed me that the country doesn’t care about the registration, but I don’t know if he is well informed about it or not). Colombia, Salvador, Honduras, anyone?
We just returned yesterday from a 15 day Central America cruise. We spent one day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, one day in La Crucecita, Ocxaca, Mexico, one day in Antigua, Guatemala, one day in Leon, Nicaragua, one day in San Jose, Costa Rica, one day transiting the Panama Canal, and one day in Willemstad, Curacao.
The cruise line check-in counter scanned our passports before they let us on the ship. The next time anyone looked at our passports was at U.S. Customs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where we disembarked. Naturally, we were sent to Secondary, but it was fairly painless. All they did was x-ray all our luggage and carry-ons. We picked up our stuff, and they wished us Merry Christmas on the way out.
Re: 15 Day Cruise
I really worry about whether ICE, State Department, Customs, Satan Watch, etc. monitor this webpage, but what the heck – if I don’t share, no one can benefit from my experience, at least until the US Government takes more drastic steps to stop us from entering anywhere.
1) I did give a 21-day notice to my registering agency. I did list all the countries that I would be visiting, and I don’t know if Satan Watch tried to send them notice that I was coming, but I don’t know logistically how that would have worked. They would have had to know what ship I was on, and what date I would reach their country. I did not include that information in my notice, so someone would have had to do an investigation to figure out where I would be and when.
2) I do have a marked passport, and I was traveling with my wife. We were celebrating our 42nd anniversary with this cruise.
3) The cruise line was Holland America Cruise Lines, and let me say right off, the ship’s crew was excellent and very friendly, food was excellent, and I could spend an hour listing all the little perks that were included on the cruise. It was our 8th cruise, and I think it was the best so far.
4) I have read posts, though none recently, about RCs being turned away from Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise lines. Note that Carnival and Holland America have the same ownership. Holland scanned my passport, and nothing happened. They did not look in the back of my passport to see if there was a mark. Either my status didn’t show up on their system, or they didn’t care, but they didn’t look at my results on their computer screen any longer than they looked at my wife’s.
5) In each port, we just walked off the ship into the local economy. There was no security, no checking of any kind. I didn’t even take my passport off the ship – it stayed in my cabin the entire cruise. The only thing I took with me was my ship card, which was scanned when I left the ship, and scanned when I re-boarded. The ship just needs to know if everyone who left the ship is back on before it sails away.
6) When I left the ship for the last time, the scan of my card set off an alarm message on their screen. The scanning person called over to a nearby ship security person said “I have 2735” and he looked at his clipboard where our cabin number was listed, and marked it off (I noticed that there were 4 cabin numbers on his clipboard list). He told us that we get to go with him, and he escorted us past the rest of the waiting line to pick up our luggage, and took us right to the customs officer. While we walked, he asked us how we enjoyed the cruise, and when he dropped us at customs, he wished us Merry Christmas. To other waiting passengers, it almost looked like we got celebrity treatment. The customs officer scanned both our passports and told us to go into a nearby room. The officer in that room asked if my registration was current. He asked if I had a card showing that, so I told him that my registering agency no longer gives out cards. He said, okay, give me your address. Apparently he was able to look me up on his system by using my address. He then said, lets run your stuff through the x-ray machine, and then you can go. So we fed all our carry-on stuff and suitcases through the x-ray machine. After everything came out, he said “Merry Christmas and enjoy the rest of your trip”. There was no discussion about cell phones (mine was in my shirt pocket the whole time), cameras, laptops, nor anything else. We actually ended up outside ahead of some other passengers that were originally in line in front of us.
7) I really hope that any of you who are able can take a similar cruise before they crack down on us further.
I sell cruises for a living. I have been barred from the Royal Caribbean family (including Celebrity and Azamara) and Carnival. Although Carnival owns seven other labels, I have not had any trouble with any of the others, nor Norwegian Cruise Lines. And my passport, issued last March, is good for 10 years, and you’d really have to be searching for it to find the notice. No one like a cruise check-in person
I sell cruises for a living. I am barred from the Royal Caribbean family (includes Celebrity and Azamara) and from Carnival, though not their other 8 labels. They operate relatively independently. I am also okay on Norwegian Cruise Lines. I have never been aware of a passenger being barred from visiting any listed port. I certainly have cruised to Mexico numerous times.
Here’s a little item to watch out for: If you are traveling to Europe on British Air, they sometimes swap your airports in London. IE, you fly to Heathrow (LHR) and continue to the continent from Gatwick (LGW). Turns out, you technically need to “enter” the country to continue your flight. My partner and I were kept in a prison overnight, and had out bags examined five different times. On the other hand, if you are switching flights at LHR (the larger airport), you never technically enter the country, though I always breath a sigh of relief when I board the outbound plane.
My “notification” passport was issued in March, and it’s valid for 10 years.
I’ve been watching Santa as he travels the globe this special night.
He’s made his way across most of the Earth dropping presents for all to cheer.
DHS checked his passport, he’s all clear,
No drugs, no guns, no virgin girl,
Not even a peak of those who hurl.
In a few, he’ll stop in Cali,
Not quite sure of who’s to fame.
As of now, he’s across the North,
Wondering why he’s playing this game.
Rudolf, Rudolf,
Go faster boy!
The boys of USA are tiring fast.,
Back up, back up Santa, woah.
Santa, our packs are quite empty,
Have some coal for those who need dough,
District of Columbia awaits a fire.
Rudolf, Rudolf, watch that nose…..
Dear moderator – I posted previously but in the wrong place. I didn’t mean to “reply” to anyone. I wanted to start a fresh thread. Thanks very much!
Hello everyone,
I’d like to visit Spain next year. Wondering where I’d provide my IML Notice – Florida (where I’m listed without any update in 24 years) or Maryland where I’ve been a lifelong resident but never had to register (not a covered offense in my home state of Maryland).
My offense involved a minor back in ‘96, adjudication withheld, 2 years probation I did in Maryland. Non-Contact. I’ll be petitioning for removal in a couple of years..
I don’t even have a passport yet but I’m pretty sure I’ll get a marked one because I’m on the Florida registry (and thus the national). The IML website says that notification should be made to the ‘local registry office”. Seems to me that would be in my Maryland county, but what if they say they don’t want to get involved?
Thanks very much for any input,
Is Texas a good state for a registrant?
Hi all,
My husband is the one who has to register in the state of Minnesota for a charge with a minor. He is not given a level, just has to register his residence and then every 6 month he has to update to the states. Everytime we travel in the US, he has to get permission from his PO by giving the PO hotels, car rental, flight information to get a travel permit. When we travel internationally, he has to write to the judge in the county where he pled guilty to ask for permission. He’d write up an explanation of where we’re going and for how long and ask to go. We’ll end up waiting for over a month before we get a stamp from the judge saying we could go. We’ve only gone to Europe and every time we loved it. When we come back we always get pulled aside to check our luggage and stuff but we have never flown back to the US anywhere but Minneapolis airport because i dont want surprises.
We have been thinking of moving to Austin, Texas but we’re afraid that we’ll face some sort of extra scrutiny in this state. We wanna move to a sunnier place to live and enjoy life more but we’re just so unsure of how texas is when it comes to sex offender traveling and then how about jobs? It’s been 12 years since my husband pled guilty and he was never given a level, but it did involve minors so he can’t go to schools or playgrounds without me, that kind of a thing. Was wondering if anybody here could shed some lights on beinv able to get a job in the IT/software area in texas if you have a sex felony that is over 12 years old? How about government treating you? Thanks so much for all of your inputs. Ever since I found this website, i feel so much better jusy reading the experiences so i really appreciate everybody’s time that you into giving us your updates.
Hello. I have an important and time-sensitive question. I need to alert my local SOAR officer about my (possible, depending on what you tell me here) travel in the next two DAYS.
I have asked this question on two other sites, last week and today, but for some reason my question is still awaiting moderation on those sites.
Here is my question:
Here is a list of countries that will turn you around at the airport after you land:
http://registranttag.org/resources/travel-matrix/
I see that I cannot travel to Taiwan, which I have been planning for the last month. Can I instead travel to Hong Kong first and then, on a separate ticket, travel to Taiwan? I’ve looked to see if anyone has addressed this issue on this site but cannot find anything. I am tier 1 but I do have a stamp in the back of my passport—the girl I was dating at the time (in 1995) was 14.
Thanks for your time in reading and answering!
Thank you so much for your responses.
According to the comments in this thread, I see that my problem is unusual. My SOAR officer has never asked me for a detailed itinerary, only for the name of the initial destination country. For the last two years, this has been a country in Europe. After I land, I travel to other countries, also in Europe.
Now I have learned that we are supposed to supply a detailed itinerary. According to the SMART.gov website (https://smart.gov/international_travel.htm) the required information is as follows:
Destination(s):
• Dates/places of departure, arrival and return (if applicable), including the name of the city/town that is the point of departure from each country
• Means of travel (air, train, ship)
• Itinerary details (when available), including the name of the airport/train station/port, the flight/train/ship number, the time of departure, the time of arrival and information about any intermediate stops
So it looks like what’s OK with the local SOAR unit might be a violation with the US Marshalls. My question is: can I get in trouble for landing in my SOAR-approved destination country and then flying to other ones that are not listed, because my SOAR cops have not requested it?
And here’s another fear: Is it possible that the destination country might notify the US when I land (say, for brownie points)? If so, would I then be in trouble, even though the local cops cleared my “itinerary,” just because that city/country was not listed? BTW, in all my travels, no one has ever opened my passport to the last page to see the stamp. But those were countries in Europe, so maybe that affects their passport looking.
Some of you who follow this thread will know that a couple years ago I was greeted by the French police when my airplane landed in Paris. Well, in today’s mail, I finally got the answer to a FOIA request I submitted to the DOJ regarding that incident. The response was approximately 60 pages….. reproduced & redacted emails, traveling sex offender notices, other internal correspondence, etc., much of it duplicated repeatedly. I was probably questioned by the French police because one of the documents indicated my status as “fugitive” while others mention warrants and failure of sex offender to register travel plans. Honestly, it is amazing to see how many errors were in their records and how much bureacratic time the answering of my simple FOIA request seemed to entail! This Angel Watch farce has become a ridiculous waste of tax payer money and government employees’ time.
Having said that, I do absolutely encourage any registrant who travels internationally to submit a FOIA Request AFTER EACH & EVERY TRIP abroad. Let’s help the government harrassment collapse under it’s own ridiculous bureaucratic weight!!
I am a Pre-SORNA registrant in Penn. Pre-SORNA as in conviction prior to Dec 2012. My registration is to end in Oct of this year (2020). I have never traveled to another state other than for a day so I have had no reason to ever register in another state. Since I have never had to register in another state then once I am off Penn’s registry a would think I would fall off the Federal registry soon after. I have never traveled overseas since being on the registry (starting Oct 2010). I had a passport prior to this conviction in 2006 but it was lost in moving and I reported it to the proper authorities.
My questions are once I am off the Penn registry in Oct of this year and I apply for a new passport will the new passport have this stamp on the last page? Will I have to submit travel plans to any US authority? Will I have concerns that some countries when I attempt to enter will turn me away because of my Penn registry requirements that have expired?
The biggest reason why I need to know this information is because my present boss and his wife (who know about my conviction) have been asking me to travel with them in the US and also overseas both for business and pleasure (such as a cruise) but to prevent problems we feel we should wait until I am off the registry hoping that me traveling will be much easier at that time.
Any advise or help would be appreciated – thanks!!
I’ll be traveling to Europe in a few months and know I must submit a 21 day notice. Does anyone know if I must tell them everywhere I plan to be staying with my wife? What about the fact we will also go to multiple countries besides the initial country (I will also fly back to the Us from the same airport) so we dont know the hotel yet? As far as my initial country, I will have an address where I’ll be staying, but we won’t be there the whole time. I’m just trying to make sure i dont get back here any they claim i was supposed to mention everywhere we stayed (which in itself is impossible if you’re traveling to multiple places).
If I get removed from the SOR in my convicting state, am I cleared (1) in all states, (2) nationally, and (3) with Internal Megan’s Law? My “crime” (consensual dating a 14 year-old 25 years ago, took plea in 1999) was in Georgia. Is “getting my registration requirement fully expunged” a thing? My lawyer told me: “If you want removal from all registries, you must do it with the trial judge in your state of conviction.” Is that correct?
Does such a thing as total expungement exist? Does it indeed trickle down in the way my lawyer said—from the state of conviction to everywhere else?
In other words: Can I “remove my name” in such away that it is truly removed, from all databases, including the national and IML ones?
If such a thing as total removal, does not exist, then does “removing my name” from my CURRENT state mean that I am cleared from the IML/passport problem as long as my flight originates from my SOR-cleared state?
Apparently this info is so widely known that it’s not written about anywhere. Thanks in advance.
Wondering -if my SORNA registration obligation based on my particular tier is over, but I’m still listed on the registry of the state where I was charged even though I don’t live or work there, am I still subject to IML? IOW, would the Feds even care at this point? My offense is not a coveted offense in my home state of Maryland, and therefore I’m not on the state registry.
Im SORNA tier 1 and my supervision ended in 2000.
Thanks very much!
Thank you, “MC” and “Finally Retired”. You make some very interesting points in your discussion.
I have a question about travel to the UK and wonder if anyone knows the answer. I’ve actually been there a few times, the last time over 10 years ago and I was actually on probation at the time. I had no questions asked as to criminal history when I entered at that time and had no issues getting in except the UK’s typical request for proof that I was traveling on a round trip ticket and that I had access to enough funds to cover the costs of my stay.
I read now with IML and the travel chart that UK will not allow visits from Registered Citizens (and actually other felons) when they know about it, such as them looking it up with the FBI, which they have access to or them getting a green notice. So I did a bit of research regarding their entry process with a criminal record. From what I understand, the UK has something called spent convictions. According to their immigration laws, this applies to people visiting and attempting entry into the country as well as their own citizens. According to this, if you spent less than 30 months in prison, in you home country your conviction become ‘spent’ after 10 years and can not be used for the purposes of entry into the country as a visitor, only if you are permanently attempting to immigrate to the country. My research suggests that there isn’t an exception to spent convictions for sex offenders and registered sex offenders. The UK considers the length behind bars indicative of the severity of the offense so its not about how long its punishable for but how long you were actually sentenced for.
So my question is this, while the UK may be off limits if your conviction is not spent, even with a green notice, according to their own rules, it seems once the conviction is spent they actually would have to let you in. It’s my understanding that under their laws for this, the burden of proof is on the immigration officer to prove that the conviction is not spent if they want to deny you entry. So is everyone actually denied entry to the UK, or can we get in if it is ‘spent’?
Finally, if green notices are being sent out, perhaps anyone traveling to the UK, in the event that a conviction would be considered spent, should apply for a visa in advance of travel anyway. This way, the decision about whether a conviction is actually ‘spent’ is made prior to arrival and the green notice should have no effect. I know not all of us had less than 30 month sentences, but I also know that some of us do. What does anyone know about all this, if anything?
I have a similar question about Japanese travel. According to Japan, a conviction where incarceration was less than 1 year (they specifically say the incarceration was less than 1 year not punishable for more than 1 year) is not a bar to entry. I understand however that Japan’s border officers have a right to make a determination about whether or not to bar entry based on anything they want. I also understand that getting a visa in advance approved for Japan would not necessarily guarantee entry when you get there (like it would most often with the UK). So what about getting in there if your incarceration was less than 1 year? The green notice would still probably be sent out but it seems that shouldn’t be an absolute bar to entry?
Hello All –
Can someone please let me know if they have the address to send a 21 day notification to for the San Fernando Valley? I am travelling to Europe for my bday in March, and I want to send that out 4 weeks prior to my trip. I am waiting for my new passport, I am nearly certain it will have the notification, but I am not concerned about that as I only use my US passport for re-entry to the US. I am very lucky to have an EU passport also, which I use for ALL of my travel. Thank you all in advance for this information.
Rob I also go to the Costco in Van Nuys. I personally went in before my trip to Europe in June. Office was closed but officer walking in took my 21- day notice gave me his card wrote date and time I dropped it off. I took card with me on my trip and have pic of it on my phone. Go in personally it’s very easy as you know there. You will probably not have the notice on it. The revocation comes after you return but you never know……
I am not seeing data point on Fiji visit. Are we allowed to go there? Anyone knows?
On the issues of defending against FTR in a state non-compliant with SORNA and mapping your state offense to one of the SORNA Tiers. . .
Someone here suggested that there’s no defense in SORNA for failing to register even if your state won’t register you (“strict liability”). However, I found this government Legal Analysis that cites a provision in the law that in fact shields individuals required under SORNA to register and who make the effort to register, but their state will not post their registration.
In pertinent part: “ In a prosecution for a violation under subsection (a), it is an affirmative defense that – (1) uncontrollable circumstances prevented the individual from complying; (2) the individual did not contribute to the creation of such circumstances in reckless disregard of the requirement to comply; and (3) the individual complied as soon as such circumstances ceased to exist.”
Look under “affirmative defense” in this piece –
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42692.pdf
*** Also, I found this compendium of scholarly articles by a law professor that includes a useful chart mapping NC state sex crimes to the federal tiers. Even if your offense was not in N.C., it should still be a useful reference to map state-level convictions to the federal tiers (the professor does a good job of describing the various state level offenses and tiers, even using case law to clarify murky crime elements).
Keep in mind that if a sex-related conviction involving a minor won’t map to either tiers II or III, then it is presumed to fall under tier I.
Here’s the link for the chart and his related postings –
https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/tag/sorna/