Visiting Usa With A Police Caution

[boohoo2008]

Hi i' m planning to visit Florida in august for a family holiday with the children about 12 years ago I got a police warning for getting caught with pills in a night club I with was given a police warning, can anybody tell me if I will be allow to visit Florida for a 2 week holiday

[EDDIE51]

A caution is not even a conviction and does not count as a 'criminal record' so just go and do not worry. Even a conviction would be long 'spent' by now, even a prison sentence is 'spent' after 5 years.

[jno]

in theory you have to tell them even if you've just been arrested for anything, whether you were charged or not. In practice, just shut up about it; they have no access to police files.

You'll all need to apply for an ESTA here (kids too):

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

Florida's pretty hot in August.

[dzug2]

Whilst Eddie may have given good practical advice his reasoning is shot to blazes:

if you received a formal police caution you will have been arrested and admitted the crime - one involving drugs to boot.

The rehabilitation of offenders act isn't recognised by the US - no conviction is ever spent - they can ignore it, yes, but to do that they 'need' to know about it.

[EDDIE51]

dzug, I know that but there is no chance of the US immigration finding out unless boohoo is daft enough to tell them. It will even have been removed from the UK police records a long time ago.