International Travel 2024

My registration requirement ended in 2020. Although I am off the reg in my state I have to be careful to which state here in the US I travel to so I know if I have to register in that state. Seems strange though that I can travel to other countries since I am off the registry here in the US without notification. Got my passport in mid 2022 and no markings on the back of it. I waited extra time to be sure my name was removed from any federal lists before applying for my passport. I don’t even think I will travel inter though; physically disabled now and just not worth the chance that I may arrive to a country, be heavily questioned and even maybe be put on the next flight back to the US; not worth the hastle.

So technically I am locked down in my state as to dare not travel to another state. Not worth the risk.

While on Federal Probation have you found it easier to travel to any one particular state? Our PO has no problem with us traveling but says it is up to those at your preferred destination if they will allow it. He said some are jurisdictions are always a flat out no and other states/locations are pretty good about it.

PO said to give him the address and the dates of where we want to go and sends out the request. Just wondered if anyone has any experience with this as we have yet to try.

Hello I am wondering- is there a big difference being an SO with a stamp and an SO not having the stamp. I am an SO without the stamp-> would this make traveling any easier- I always thought it is the same but I get confused when reading about IML and Angels watch.

@NDIK

To extend our waterborne conversation in the proper forum thread, I’d dare to say a one-way crossing cruise is seen as a way of transportation too and would wonder if the ban on PFRs within some lines could be held as viable in a court if this is the chosen method to cross the Atlantic for example given the freedom to travel this country holds so dear.

A comment on the passport stamp. Gotta say it’s in black small print on my front page. I don’t think anyone who routinely examines a passport would notice it at all, especially if they are not looking for it and they are looking for certain bits of info on your passport, mostly your name, picture and expire date. The green notices is what gets attention. I have now been to the EU, landed in Helsinki, Geneva, Rome, and been to many others and always pass through the passport process without any notice. Most recently Dec. 2023. They wouldn’t notice that 2 lines of black print any more than a visa stamp from some country because they are not looking for it. Last year I snowboarded in France, flew through Spain and was questioned before boarding by the Spanish Polizia, where had I been, looked over my stuff, sent me on my way. My charge is federal simple possession, out for 3.5 years did 38 months terminal island. Lifetime supervision, but expect to get off that in 5 years or will leave the US for good. My plea terms include a special right to international travel.

Is there a list somewhere of countries/international airports where it’s possible for a …[PFR] to transit through?

In other words, where it’s possible for a …[PFR] to fly into the airport solely for the purpose of getting on another airplane and continuing the journey to somewhere else.

I have heard that in some international airports you can make connections without going through customs and border control and in others you have to officially ‘enter’ the country before continuing on to your next flight.

Looking for alternatives to fly in/out of Israel. Right now El Al is the only reliable carrier going directly from the US to Tel Aviv, but it’s expensive and at times has limited availability & flights. European airlines are starting to fly again from the US to Tel Aviv, but their flights all go through a hub in the EU somewhere, which prompts my question.

Here’s a government report with potentially very valuable information about steps governments take when a registered sex offender travels internationally, to track and inform foreign governments of travels by citizens with sex offender convictions.

I have not read it in its entirety (it is lengthy), and the report is 10 years old. However, the report may nonetheless reveal details of protocols the government uses to keep track of our foreign travels and inform foreign governments about our travel plans.

Please provide comments on this.

California, relieved of the duty to register. I would like to take a cruise from California to Mexico.

My original offense was PC288ab1. Originally charged as a Felony, reduced to Misdemeanor as plea deal, 8months county jail with probation. I spent 15 years on the registry, but it was never public. (I did not appear anywhere on it.) The record of my conviction is STILL public on the country court website, if you cared enough to search for it.

I was relieved of the duty to register a little over a year ago.

Would I be able to take a cruise, or am I likely to be barred? Technically, I am “not an RSO” since I am off the registry, but I suspect that might not matter? Or does it?

I don’t know, so I am asking. I expect to get a passport and Real ID in a few months. I do not expect the passport to be marked. I know people can travel on a cruise to Mexico with their birth certificates still.

Anyone with direct experience?

So my iPhone has a feature called “places”, which lists all the places I’ve been to in many years. Some of those places were to states that I’m not sure I bothered to register with during my visits.

my concern is that upon reentry back in the USA my phone could be seized and/or copied. Couple of questions-how frequently does that happen? Do those incidents happen with certain convictions but not others (e.g., PC)?

I could always reset my phone to factory settings and then disable this feature but what if they’re able to get to that “places” data through forensics somehow? Wouldn’t it be safer just to buy any new cheap-o phone off Amazon for use in Europe during my visit?

so many details!! Thanks.

Hong Kong update; we had no trouble getting in at all, so I assume that no notice was sent by Angel Watch. All we were asked is if we had been to Hong Kong before; my wife answered yes and I answered no; and how long we were staying, which was about 4 hours.We flew from Hong Kong to Hanoi, Vietnam. We stayed in Hanoi for 3 days, and have now been in Da Nang for 2 days. We plan to be in Da Nang for 2 more days, then fly to Ho Chi Minh City for 3 days, followed by a flight to Siem Reap. Apparently, getting off the national registry does make a big difference!

We flew into Siem Reap, Cambodia, this morning from Ho Chi Min City (Saigon), got visa on arrival at the airport. We visited several temples in the Angkor complex, but we will visit Angkor Wat tomorrow.

I can see why so many ex-pats like Vietnam – prices for most everything are relatively cheap, food is excellent, people are really friendly, and it seems like every other storefront is a massage parlor (at least in downtown Saigon). The only real downside is that you take your life in your hands every time you cross a busy street. The thousands of motorbikes (actually, there are 8 million motorbikes registered in Ho Chi Minh City) do not stop for you, they just dodge around you. I don’t know why there aren’t thousands of injuries daily.

We just spent 2 days in Shanghai, China, arriving by cruise ship. Ours was the first ship to dock in Shanghai since everything was closed for Covid (3 years?).

Chinese Immigration officials, who came on the ship with us, confiscated everyone’s passport in Hong Kong, and gave us a copy of our passport to use in the meantime. After reviewing passports, we were granted 72 hour visas so we could leave the ship in Shanghai.

I don’t know if they actually did a criminal history search on everyone, but my conviction was not a factor here.