Hello all. I am planning to visit China in December and want to apply for my visa shortly. The q about a conviction troubles me. Do I answer it honestly and disclose my conviction albeit 6.5yrs ago or do I fail to disclose it? the conviction was for downloading 14 indecent images, an offence for which I continue to feel very guilty and remorseful. Any advice?

Thank you for your experience and advice. How did you word your disclosure? The messages about non-disclosure are confusing and I am wondering about staying quiet especially as so many advise non-disclosure. I will also consider applying for a year long visa so thank you for that advice.

I am going on own. Refusal of a visa would be a big problem hence my concern about disclosing.

If I don't disclose on the application form what are the risks and consequences?? It seems from various posts that no checks are made.

That's great news!

If you don't mind saying, what was your conviction for?

Biologist

They more than likely will not know about a conviction unless it is serious enough to appear on Interpol or FBI databases.  If you were arrested in the states that will also come up.  Chances are it's all just a big honeypot for everyone with convictions to admit them to the states because the UK would not open up the PNC to them.  Do you think that the USA would open up its entire criminal database with the UK? No chance.  I imagine they just have reciprocal agreements on sharing data on the "big guns" like FBI and Interpol's most wanted list, traffickers, murderers, failed asylum seekers, passport fraud etc etc.  I think it's more of a deterent so the major crims don't attempt to go over.  I don't think for two seconds that the states are interested in someone with a spent conviction; it's all just umbrella terminology to include all people with criminal records, when in reality I think it's just aimed at big timers. I doubt even John Q Cheesburger who scans your fingerprints and takes a nice mugshot of you at Orlando International is bothered about letting people in who have commited a less serious crime and paid their debt to society.  In reality, aren't we all just reformed people who make mistakes, we don't want to go to the states to commit crime.  I think they need to wake up and smell the coffee, or more importantly the tourist dollars they are missing out on.

It's scare tactics.  As the HO letter states......The USA do not have routine access to the PNC.

I think it's about time the UK stopped all Americans with past criminal records coming to the UK.

the china visa application has a q 'have you ever been convicted of a crime in china or any other country'. what to do????