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Return to America with unpaid fine.

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  • 07-08-2013 2:11am
    #1
    creepellai
    Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭


    So I got a fine for drinking in a restricted area in California. I don't know how much it is yet but I heard it could be up to $250, which I can't afford to pay.
    I hope to come back to California next year to work. Does anyone know if that unpaid fine would affect me coming back next year??


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    #2
    OU812
    Registered Users Posts: 6,050 ✭✭✭OU812


    Not to be too blunt, but... If you can afford to go back (as you hope to), then you can afford the fine.

    These things stay open on record forever, you may even be denied entry because of it. Your best bet is to contact the courthouse in the jurisdiction you were fined in & tell them you forgot about it, but you're out of the country but want to pay the fine & have it expunged.

    It's less than €200. Is that worth being "banned" from the country for ?


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    #3
    westies4ever
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,456 ✭✭✭westies4ever


    just about the worst country in the world to fcuk up in. even if you pay i wouldnt be confident of getting back in to work.


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    #4
    wrmwit
    Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭wrmwit


    You're better off paying up. If you're relying on The States for work, you need to be as clean as a whistle for entry.


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    #5
    silja
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭silja


    If your plan was to just come on the visa waiver and have a short holiday, you'd likely be ok.
    However, for anything requiring a backgroubd or credit check (getting a visa/ renting a car/ renting a flat. getting a credit card/ getting some jobs), you will have problems. I understand not being bale to pay now, but make contact and arrange a payment schedule, you can finish paying from Ireland.


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    #6
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    OP, pay the fine. It is very much in your best interests to do so. Were you arrested? Did you have a police photo mug shot taken & finger prints done? Did you pony up a social security number, or details of your Irish passport? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, you will be denied any future work visas, if you don't pay the fine.

    If the fine is not paid by its due date, you will be issued with a court summons. If you don't show up for that, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest. The next time that you present yourself in front of any arm of US law enforcement (including customs and immigration at the border) that arrest warrant will show up on your record. You will either be arrested or denied entry. You really don't want either of those things to happen.

    It may seem a wee bit extreme compared to what goes on here, but there ya go. Pay the fine. Even if none of the above happened, and they just asked you for your name, address, date of birth, nationality etc etc, your details will still be entered into a police database somewhere. Your ill timed bottle of Bud could pop up any where, and result in your being denied a work visa. It is too small an amount of money to risk your future over.
    westies4ever wrote: »
    just about the worst country in the world to fcuk up in. even if you pay i wouldnt be confident of getting back in to work.

    Let's not over exagerate here. If you apply for a work visa to the US, you can be denied entry for committing crimes of "moral turpitude", as they like to call them. That means serious stuff like murder, drug dealing bank robbing etc etc. Breaking the open container liquor law (which is what the OP has done) is not a crime of moral turpitude. He should be fine for re entry, as long as he pays the fine & keeps his copybook clean, both here and in the US.


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    #7
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    ProudDUB wrote: »
    He should be fine for re entry, as long as he pays the fine & keeps his copybook clean, both here and in the US.

    Though will have a little work to do in order to rebuild his credit score I'd imagine which may also affect his ability to find a place to rent.


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    #8
    iusedtoknow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭iusedtoknow


    Ponster wrote: »
    Though will have a little work to do in order to rebuild his credit score I'd imagine which may also affect his ability to find a place to rent.

    Depends, we had no credit - just a work contract and that got us a place pretty easily.

    As for the fine...suck it up and pay it. Having a warrant out for the fine is a lot worse than being $250 down now. This was probably a misdamenor (breaking a local law, in SF it's for things like possession of hash, open beer can, speeding etc) which you just need to pay and it won't follow you, you will not get a record for it and they can't use it against you.

    If you don't pay, it will go through the creaky process of you having to go before a judge, if you don't appear a warrant is issued and then you will start having problems.

    As ProudDUB said, 250 bucks is not worth canceling out your future in this country.
    And finally, not be an asshole - but like it or not, you broke the law, you should pay up for what you did. When you are in the US, you know not to do certain things (urinate outside, drink outside of a premises etc).


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    #9
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    iusedtoknow wrote: »
    Depends, we had no credit - just a work contract and that got us a place pretty easily.

    True, but if the fine goes unpaid then the credit agencies will get this information (I'm pretty sure) and will count against him when trying to apply for credit or rent. Having no credit score because you're new to the country is understandable but having a bad one less so.


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    #10
    FISMA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,616 ✭✭✭FISMA


    creepellai wrote: »
    So I got a fine for drinking in a restricted area in California. I don't know how much it is yet but I heard it could be up to $250, which I can't afford to pay.
    I hope to come back to California next year to work. Does anyone know if that unpaid fine would affect me coming back next year??

    What information did you give them? When you received the ticket, did they get your name and address in Eire? Date of birth? They did not print or photograph you, did they?


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    #11
    iusedtoknow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭iusedtoknow


    I see from your previous posts that you are in SD

    I am assuming you've read this
    http://www.sandiego.gov/cityattorney/pdf/reports/alcoholbanfactsheet.pdf

    Hopefully you got caught on mission beach and can just do community service and get it over with - otherwise, you will need to appear in court.

    I'm sorry this happened to you, but the above should clear it all up.


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    #12
    whitey1
    Registered Users Posts: 358 ✭✭whitey1


    Ponster wrote: »
    True, but if the fine goes unpaid then the credit agencies will get this information (I'm pretty sure) and will count against him when trying to apply for credit or rent. Having no credit score because you're new to the country is understandable but having a bad one less so.

    My guess is that without a SS #, they would have a hard time tracking it down for Credit purposes, but I could be wrong.

    Pay up-they call it a "stupid tax" over here and is no big deal as long as you show an effort to make it right

    Case in point

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030800553.html


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    #13
    WilyCoyote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,059 ✭✭✭WilyCoyote


    whitey1 wrote: »
    My guess is that without a SS #, they would have a hard time tracking it down for Credit purposes, but I could be wrong.

    Pay up-they call it a "stupid tax" over here and is no big deal as long as you show an effort to make it right

    Case in point

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030800553.html[/QUOTE]

    How come they didn't chase him for the fines? Statute of limitations?


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    #14
    clairefontaine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,390 ✭✭✭clairefontaine


    Honestly I don't know. But I do know someone who was denied entry into Canada because of a drink related offence, with no outstanding fine. American heading to Vancouver.

    In the US summons work very differently. Delivery and receipt are the most important part of it. Sending it in the mail is not enough, it will disqualify the summons. They have to be hand delivered and the identity of the person confirmed and verified. If not, they are invalid.

    Really there should be a sticky on some basic rules in the US like pissing andd drinking in public. Some people are innocent and havent a clue about how ridiculous it can gets nd then they find trouble.


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    #15
    iusedtoknow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭iusedtoknow


    clairefontaine wrote: »
    Honestly I don't know. But I do know someone who was denied entry into Canada because of a drink related offence, with no outstanding fine. American heading to Vancouver.

    In the US summons work very differently. Delivery and receipt are the most important part of it. Sending it in the mail is not enough, it will disqualify the summons. They have to be hand delivered and the identity of the person confirmed and verified. If not, they are invalid.

    Really there should be a sticky on some basic rules in the US like pissing andd drinking in public. Some people are innocent and havent a clue about how ridiculous it can gets nd then they find trouble.

    I've often thought about stickies as we tend to get the same questions a lot, however with laws - there are so many variations.
    For instance, in SF, drinking in Golden Gate Park is fine, Deloros park not so much. Police will let you go if caught with a little pot, anything over 5 oz they'll fine you 100 with no record, where in Oakland (2 miles over the bridge) you can get charged for personal possession.


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