djk7

Because it's reciprocal, states do it so that other will do the same for them. Close to 20 years ago I was a little slow on paying a speeding ticket in Illinois, I got a letter from Florida stating that I needed to resolve this or some consequence would occur. I don't remember now if it was suspension, points, or exactly what the threat was, but even then the states shared info.

Here is a page giving some more detail about that sharing:
http://www.dmv.org/articles/dealing-...affic-tickets/

As far as the OP is concerned, nobody here can tell you if you will have problems entering the US, but the possibility certainly exists that you will be refused entry.

gfunkdave

If you can afford a plane ticket to the US and if you can afford to entertain yourself and eat while here, then you can afford to pay for your mistakes. Sorry, I have no sympathy for you in this. You are objectively in the wrong here.

As another data point, when I moved from New York state to Illinois in 2008, I didn't notify NY of the fact. I didn't know they wanted me to. A few months later I got a letter in the mail from the Illinois DMV informing me that my driver's license would be suspended in two weeks by request of New York state, since I was a registered NY driver and they noted I no longer had NY car insurance. It just took a phone call to clear up, but was still quite annoying!

o mikros

I can't state definitively what's going on here, but may I ask if you've had to do anything with the AZ DMV since your unpaid tickets would have gone to bench warrant status? Given that in AZ a first license is valid until age 65, you may not have had occasion yet for problems, but when you eventually need to renew or change address or whatever, you could run into some trouble. Similarly, if you get pulled over again, you could be arrested on the spot.

I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen, nor am I even saying it's probable. I'm saying it's more than "possible" -- and definitely not something a foreign visitor would be wise to chance. And if I were you, I'd call up NY, PA, and CA and get those tickets sorted out, to save yourself potential trouble down the road.

Analise

Pay the tickets.

If you don't, you risk having a major issue when you arrive which is why you were asked if you were a gambler.

If you can afford to travel to/from the US and all of your expenses while you're here, how can you not afford to pay the fines you incurred?

uncle_jay

If a police officer stops you (tail light out for instance) and there is a bench warrant on you, you will be detained and jailed. This is an expense to the state and they love it, the justice system generates huge expenses to justify its existence. Also keep in mind, you can now be searched if there is a warrant. And some people get beaten or shot.

koenig

First I'm Canadian, so they may treat us differently. In some provinces they have reciprocal agreements with neighboring states. Most states suspend the driving privilege of non residents for unpaid fines. New York state has agreements with Ontario, New York suspends so does Ontario with their residents. Now my province doesn't have agreements with any state. In my case, if I fail to respond/pay a ticket, most states would create a state record number in their licensing database. States can't record anything on a foreign license including other states licenses. Once the identifying number is created, most states then suspend that.

Since the number is not a drivers license, it only suspends you in that state. As long as you stay out of that state. Most other states wont find the suspension because its not on your valid license. It suspends the privilege in that state only. Unless its a serious crime a state is not going to bother over another states warrant. Unless extradition is attached. Other states courts lack jurisdiction to detain you on a traffic ticket from another state. Even some county courts lack jurisdiction to hold you on a ticket from another county. They can ticket you, but usually can't arrest you for it. What they can arrest for state wide is driving while suspended. So if they haven't suspended you. Traffic court are courts of limited jurisdiction in most places. Means unpaid ticket in one city and you are on the other side of the state. A traffic judge doesn't have the jurisdiction to have another counties officers bring you before them. So being arrested or not depends on suspension or not. But some states use higher courts with state jurisdiction for traffic offenses.

Back to the state suspension record. Yes, my province has no agreements. But both American and Canadian law enforcement has full access to all our databases. On a foreign license from another country, they have no way to check it. I'm currently suspended in WA for unpaid tickets. No other state has said anything, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona. If I go to my motor vehicles for a drivers license check, it shows zero ticket history. I think I owe WA over $2k in fines and one of them was a misdemeanor criminal conviction for driving while suspended. Been almost 8 years since being convicted in court. I cross the border weekly and US Customs has said nothing. The key here is I do not drive across the border going into America. Fact is I've been ask if I have been arrested? I wasn't arrested when caught driving while suspended so I say no. That's all they have ever asked about criminal stuff. I'm sure if stopped driving in Washington I'll have a problem.

Now the new thing on the Pacific Coast border. If you try driving across the border while suspended in Washington. U.S customs will haul you in. Call in a county Sheriff and they then charge you with driving without a license. Technically they could arrest you. So I know for a fact US Customs can find the suspension.

koenig

Oh the type of ticket also determines jurisdictional reach. Some offenses are against the county and not the state, etc.. Hence sometimes on the American reality show Cops, they detain someone. Tell them they have traffic warrants and take care of them and let them go.

lin821

Although your speeding ticket was issued in AZ, this old thread might give you some food for thought on the consequences of unpaid speeding ticket:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/usa/1...plcations.html

There's always a way to pay the fine, if you decide not to take any risk. The decision is totally up to you though.

ginoa724

Like all legal questions in the US, the answer is: It depends.

Could you be denied entry into the US? Yes, if a warrant appears on NCIC. CBP wouldn't know about a summary traffic violation, since it doesn't appear on a criminal record, but if a warrant was issued, they will see that and likely act on it. Even if AZ chose not to extradite, you would likely be denied entry and/or issued a deportation order.

Can you be arrested? If a warrant was issued, then yes. As above, AZ could choose not to extradite.

As an FYI, your driving privilege is suspended in 45 states and DC, not just in Arizona. If you operate a vehicle in any state that signed the Drivers Licence Compact, you will be arrested for driving while suspended.

Some counties will let you check online to see if you have an active warrant. Just search the county name and "warrant check". You could also pay the fine (recommended). Even if you do not ever intend to visit the US again, what if you need to transit?

trooper

Why do people not just PAY the fines?

cur

totally different, canada border has access to ncic the same way us border has access to cpic. while getting a dui in the usa is a right of passage, it's considered a super serious criminal offence in canada. so that's why there's that situation.

this speeding ticket is a state issue and federal authorities do not have the jurisdiction to arrest someone for that unless op is going thru arizona, where cbp will hand op off to az (assuming op is admissible). if op enters thru, say, ny and has a warrant in az, cbp will detain op and ask az if they want to extradite. most likely not for failure to appear, but op will be encouraged (assuming op is admissible) to sort that out.

i don't like cops a whole lot but i totally understand why one would find someone inadmissible because they a) broke the law in the usa (however minor) and b) chose to ignore the consequences for breaking a minor law.

op should contact the court in arizona and shop for bail bondsman that can post bail if there is a warrant in order to get it resolved. if there's a warrant, op should maybe consider getting a visa thru the embassy first.

all the above or it may go totally undetected and going thru an embassy is counterproductive in that it brings a lot of unwanted attention and scrutiny from a body as useless as the dhs

agreed: just do not fly into or enter thru AZ. but even if there's warrant in az and cbp detains, there's a chance state or local cops will say "screw it" (depends how busy they are at that moment). but that's a chance. op should sort this out now and then stay hush hush (but still honest)

notmypetunia

This.

Many years ago received a ticket in Florida. Actually paid the ticket via mail from my home state. Sometime thereafter I received a letter advising of license suspension. I knew I paid the fine so, phoned, offered my confusion since they had cashed my check, and was subsequently told payment arrived after the due date so interest had accrued. Sheesh, they can take the time to mail a ticket or send notification of license revocation/suspension, but how to know if it arrives late?! Ugh. Got it all cleared up but the reciprocity caught me off guard at the time.