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traffic offence code LC20,can I apply for naturalization??

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 8:39 pm
by anny83
hi,

can somebody help me on this, I have had a traffic offence LC20 because i forgot to put my "L" plates out,i had three points andd 33 pounds fine paid,that was in jan 2009, can I apply for naturalization ????

any answers are much appreciated

regards
anny

Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:02 pm
by JulesN19
Did you receive a fixed penalty notice or were you convicted by a court?

If you only received a fixed penalty notice and paid it within the time requested, then you did not even receive a conviction and are extremely unlikely to have this held against you in any way, provided that you don't have any other recent fixed penalty notices.

If you were convicted by a court, then you will need to declare the conviction on your application. The Home Office says that it will normally disregard a single unspent conviction for a minor offence of a regulatory nature that results in a small penalty.

The offence that you describe might regarded as a minor offence of a regulatory nature. You must, in any case, declare such a conviction on the application form.

The problem with your offence is that the name of the offence is "Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence". The offence might seem to be of greater severity because it could include contraventions that are more severe than mere failure to put an L plate on your car on a single occasion. If you did receive a conviction and do apply, then you should definitely explain the nature of the offence so that it does not seem more serious than it was. You should also note the amount of the fine.

You should take a look at the UK Border Agency's page on the good character requirement

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 9:23 am
by tony_ola
I have the same issue i.e. LC20 and I got the following replies from 2 different advisers

I am afraid this will cause an application for naturalization to be rejected. We will therefore need to wait for this to be spent.
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A single speeding ticket is considered a minor offence. Driving without a valid license is not a minor offense. As I said in my last email, there is no merit in making an application until the conviction is spent (or rehabilitated, depending on which term you want to use).