Can Felons Travel Outside the US? What Countries You Can Visit

Most felons can travel internationally once their sentence is complete. Under 22 U.S.C. § 2714, the only conviction that bars a US passport outright is a felony drug-trafficking offense where the passport (or an international border crossing) was used to commit the crime. One other conviction-driven rule is mandatory: a person currently required to register as a sex offender can be issued a passport only if it carries a conspicuous identifier, under 22 CFR 51.60(a)(4). Visa-free countries accept a valid passport alone, but each destination controls its own entry, and more countries are now adding pre-travel screening that asks about criminal history, so confirm the destination's current rules before booking.

Yes, felons can travel outside the country because the law allows most of them to get a passport. The real question is which country you are traveling to, since entry is each destination's decision. Here is what you need to know.

Quick take: Can felons travel outside the US?

• Felons can travel outside the country after completing their sentence and any post-prison supervision, such as probation or electronic monitoring.
• The right to travel is a liberty interest protected under the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
• A felony conviction can still cause a foreign country to deny you a visa or refuse entry.
• If you have completed your sentence and have no restricting court order, you can generally apply for a US passport.
• Visa-free or visa-waiver countries only remove the advance-visa step; they do not guarantee entry.
• There are typically fewer document checks when you travel by sea, though this varies by cruise line and port.
• The country you are traveling to can still deny you entry, so check its current immigration and travel-authorization rules before buying a ticket.

Can you travel with a felony record?

In the US, once a felon completes their sentence and there is no court order barring travel, that person is generally free to travel outside the country. However, the State Department may deny you a passport, or an existing passport can be revoked or restricted, if you:

• Owe more than $2,500 in certified back child support.
• Are a covered sex offender who is currently required to register. This is the one conviction-driven ground that is mandatory rather than discretionary. Under 22 CFR 51.60(a)(4), the State Department may not issue a passport to a covered sex offender as defined in 22 U.S.C. 212b(c)(1) unless the passport, no matter the type, contains the conspicuous identifier the Department places on it as required by 22 U.S.C. 212b. That statute also lets the Secretary of State revoke a passport already issued without the identifier. Separately, under 34 U.S.C. 21503 the Angel Watch Center may pass information about your travel to the destination country before you arrive.
• Are subject to a criminal court order, a condition of probation, or a condition of parole, any of which forbids departure from the United States and the violation of which could result in the issuance of a federal warrant of arrest, under 22 CFR 51.60(b)(2). The regulation ties the denial to the travel restriction itself, not to supervision generally, so ordinary supervised release with no travel condition is a different situation. Read your conditions and ask your supervising officer in writing before you book.
• Are the subject of an outstanding federal or state felony arrest warrant, or have pending felony or federal charges where a court has restricted your travel as a condition of release (also 22 CFR 51.60(b)).
• Owe a seriously delinquent federal tax debt that the IRS has certified to the State Department under 26 U.S.C. § 7345. The IRS puts that threshold at more than $66,000 for 2026 and adjusts it yearly for inflation. This ground has nothing to do with a conviction, and people are surprised by it.
• Were convicted of a qualifying drug-trafficking offense under 22 U.S.C. § 2714.

One structural point is worth knowing. The grounds in 22 CFR 51.60(a), which include the sex-offender identifier rule and certified child support arrears, are mandatory: the regulation says the Department "may not issue a passport" in those cases. The grounds in 51.60(b), which include the travel-restriction condition and the felony warrant, are discretionary: there the Department "may refuse to issue a passport." That difference matters if you are weighing your odds.

That raises the next question.

Are felons allowed to fly?

If you have completed your sentence, the law does not restrict you from traveling by plane or other means, because your right to travel is a protected liberty interest. However, if you are a flight risk, or a court order or warrant bars your travel, airport officials can seize your passport or deny boarding, and if you are already in a foreign country, immigration authorities there can deport you.

Can a felon travel outside the US without a passport?

Some countries let US citizens enter with just a valid passport and no advance visa. That said, a criminal record can still come up during screening. Most countries' visa and entry applications ask you to disclose past arrests or convictions, and consular or border officials can request a court record to verify the nature of the offense, whether the case is still pending, and the sentence imposed.

Because of that, a felony conviction, especially a serious or drug-related one, makes visa approval far less certain, and different countries apply very different standards. Since immigration rules change often, the State Department's country-specific travel information pages are the best starting point for the current entry and visa rules for a specific destination, and the destination's own embassy or consulate has the final word.

Can you get a passport with a felony conviction in the US?

Yes. A felony conviction does not revoke your right to travel, and a passport is an identity document that most citizens can apply for. To begin, you complete Form DS-11, Application for a US Passport.

To complete the form, you will need:

• Proof of citizenship.
• Proof of identity.
• A recent color photograph.
• Payment of the application fee.

Under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1001, 1542, and 1621, intentionally making false statements on a passport application, or altering or misusing a US passport, is a crime punishable by fines, prison, or both. When applying, answer every question truthfully.

What felonies disqualify you from getting a passport?

The clearest statutory disqualifier is 22 U.S.C. § 2714: a felony (or, in some cases, misdemeanor) drug-trafficking conviction where the offender used a passport or crossed an international border in committing the crime. The bar applies while the person is imprisoned or on parole or supervised release for that conviction, and the Secretary of State can still issue a passport in an emergency or for humanitarian reasons.

Outside that specific rule, the State Department can also deny, revoke, or restrict a passport for the reasons above: certified child support arrears over $2,500, a criminal court order or a probation or parole condition that forbids you from leaving the country, an outstanding felony warrant, or certified seriously delinquent tax debt.

A felony conviction on its own, once the sentence is served, does not disqualify you, with one exception. If your conviction means you are currently required to register as a sex offender, 22 CFR 51.60(a)(4) bars the State Department from issuing you a passport unless it carries the conspicuous identifier described above, and a passport already issued without that identifier can be revoked. That restriction attaches to your registration status, not to whether your sentence is finished.

Some countries allow US citizens to enter without a visa. Even so, if you are a felon holding a valid passport, you should still confirm the destination's entry rules before you travel.

Countries that do not require US citizens to produce a visa

Dozens of countries let US passport holders enter for short tourist stays without applying for a visa in advance, including most of the European Union and Schengen area, Canada, Mexico, and much of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia and Oceania. Visa-free access changes from year to year as countries add or drop agreements, so check the State Department's country-specific pages for the current list and requirements before booking.

Visa-free does not mean restriction-free. A growing number of these destinations now run electronic pre-screening before you board, and those systems ask directly about criminal convictions. The UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation and the EU's upcoming ETIAS system, both covered below, are the two biggest examples for US travelers right now.

Can US felons travel to Canada?

US citizens are exempt from Canada's Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and can enter with just a valid US passport, but the eTA exemption does not solve criminal inadmissibility. Under Canadian immigration law, almost any criminal conviction, including older or relatively minor ones such as a DUI, can make a US citizen inadmissible to Canada, regardless of how long ago the conviction occurred. See the Government of Canada's eTA eligibility page for the current exemption rules.

If you have completed your sentence, there are two main ways to resolve inadmissibility, both explained on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's overcoming criminal convictions page. One is a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), which lets the holder enter Canada for a set purpose and period, generally up to three years, but does not lead to permanent residence. The other is Criminal Rehabilitation, which resolves the inadmissibility permanently once granted.

What to remember:

• You generally cannot apply for Criminal Rehabilitation until five years after finishing your full sentence, and IRCC counts probation as part of the sentence, so the clock starts when probation ends.
• If you apply before the five-year mark, or need to travel sooner, a TRP is the faster option, though it is a temporary fix, not a permanent one.
• Both applications are available through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, using the guides linked above.
• A TRP authorizes only what it specifies. Violating its terms is a violation of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Even with a valid US passport, a Canadian border officer can deny entry to a traveler who is inadmissible and has not obtained a TRP or Criminal Rehabilitation.
• Most visitors, Americans included, may stay in Canada for up to six months, but the border services officer decides the length of each admission and can authorize more or less, per IRCC. That admission period is a separate question from criminal inadmissibility.

Can felons travel to Europe or the UK?

Some European countries have strict rules for travelers convicted of certain offenses, and immigration rules change frequently, so contact the embassy of the country you intend to visit before you make travel arrangements.

The UK is the clearest recent change. Since January 8, 2025, US citizens need an approved UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before traveling to or transiting the UK, even for a short visit. The ETA application asks about criminal convictions, and Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation to the Immigration Rules requires refusal in two situations: where the applicant was convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas and received a custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more, and where less than 12 months have passed since the date of any conviction.

Read that first ground carefully. A suspended sentence counts, so a traveler who was sentenced to 12 months suspended and never spent a day in custody still falls inside the mandatory refusal rule. Shorter or older convictions are reviewed case by case and can still lead to refusal. A refused ETA applicant cannot reapply and must instead apply for a visitor visa, which takes longer.

The Schengen area, roughly 29 European countries including France, Germany, Greece, Denmark, and Estonia, does not currently require US visitors to obtain a visa for stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period. That is changing. The EU states that its ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) will start operations in the last quarter of 2026, and that it will announce the specific start date several months before launch. Once in effect, most visa-exempt travelers to the Schengen area, including US citizens, will need an approved ETIAS before departure, and that application will also ask about criminal history. This timetable has moved before, so check the official ETIAS page for the current date rather than planning around a target year. Getting into a country is also not the same as being allowed to stay; that is still up to the border officer at entry.

How do you enter the Schengen region?

For now, US citizens only need a valid passport to enter the Schengen area for short stays. Once ETIAS takes effect, visa-exempt travelers will also need an approved ETIAS authorization before departure.

Can felons travel to Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania?

Immigration rules vary widely across these regions, and few countries publish a blanket ban on travelers with a felony record. Instead, most assess criminal history case by case during the visa or entry-screening process, and a conviction, especially for a serious or drug-related offense, raises the odds of a denial rather than guaranteeing one. Some destinations, like South Africa, do not require US citizens to obtain a visa in advance for short tourist stays, but border officials can still deny entry based on a criminal record, a police clearance requirement, or other admissibility rules.

Being on the federal No Fly List can block you from boarding a flight independent of any felony conviction, but it is worth understanding what that list actually is. It is a small subset of the US terrorism watchlist, which the FBI-run Threat Screening Center, formerly the Terrorist Screening Center, consolidated into a single federal list after the September 11 attacks. The Transportation Security Administration is one of the agencies that uses that watchlist, for air passenger screening, rather than the agency that maintains it. The FBI notes that most people on the watchlist can still fly, and that a very small subset of them are on the No Fly List. A watchlist entry is about suspected terrorism, not about a felony record.

Because the rules differ so much by country and change often, confirm current requirements with the destination's embassy before you book.

Australia's character test

Australia, in Oceania, is the best-documented example of a hard threshold rather than a case-by-case assessment. Under section 501(7) of Australia's Migration Act 1958, a person has a "substantial criminal record" if they have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more, or to two or more terms of imprisonment totaling 12 months or more. Where terms are served concurrently, section 501(7A) counts the whole of each term toward that total, so two concurrent three-month sentences count as six months. The test turns on the sentence a court imposed, not on the time actually spent in custody.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs states that the character requirements are set under section 501, that you must declare all criminal conduct you have been charged with or convicted of in any country, and that it may ask you for a police certificate or a Form 80 character assessment. It also states that a person who holds a substantial criminal record does not pass the character test and will not be granted a visa to enter Australia. That test applies to the ETA and to visitor visas, and it is a preview of where UK- and EU-style pre-screening is headed more broadly.

Can felons travel via cruise ship?

Some cruise itineraries, particularly closed-loop cruises that start and end at the same US port, do not require passengers to carry a passport, and identity checks at each stop are often lighter than at an airport. That makes cruise travel a practical alternative for some felons, though it does not remove a destination country's right to deny you entry when the ship docks, and you may not be able to leave the ship at every port.

Get your record expunged

In the US, certain felonies are eligible for expungement once the sentence is complete. For example, if you were convicted as a minor and have finished your sentence, you may be able to petition the court to expunge your record. An expunged record generally does not need to be reported on visa applications or job applications, which can remove one obstacle to international travel.

Rules vary by state. In some states juvenile records are sealed automatically; in others you must petition the court. If you are not sure whether a record was actually cleared, see our guide on how to check if your record has been expunged. We recommend consulting a criminal defense attorney in your state to confirm your eligibility.

Conclusion: Can felons travel outside the country?

As a US citizen, your right to travel is protected. If you do not have a pending case, an outstanding warrant, or a court order restricting travel, you can generally get a passport and travel internationally.

Whether you can enter your destination is still that country's decision, so contact the destination's embassy or check its official immigration guidance before you book. Visa-free countries only remove the advance-visa requirement, which makes them easier to enter, but entering another country without authorization is a crime that can lead to detention in a foreign country, so always use the formal entry process. It is also worth noting there are typically fewer document checks when you travel by sea.

Related:

• Can I get a passport with a criminal record in Australia?
• Traveling With a Criminal Record: Can Felons Travel Outside Canada?
• How to check if your record has been expunged