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I am from Canada, and I have been in Australia for 2 years on a working visa. I have received a fine ($110) for disturbing the peace (public nuisance). If I leave the country, can I get back in on a later date, on a tourist visa, if I haven't paid this fine?

If this is true, and I cannot get a tourist visa with an existing fine, can I pay it from outside Australia, and then apply for my tourist visa, hassle free?

hippietrail
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Jake
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    Sorry, are you still in Australia, or have you already returned to Canada? – Mark Mayo Jan 22 '14 at 05:55
  • semi-related - Do I have to pay traffic fines issued by foreign governments? – Mark Mayo Jan 22 '14 at 05:56
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    Why not just pay the fine? – Karlson Jan 22 '14 at 12:21
  • I have no idea if there is any sort of database of pending fines that could be cross-checked against passenger manifests or interrogated before letting someone in the country or any legal basis to do something like that in Australia but if there was, wouldn't the authorities first try to recover the fine before letting you board a flight out of the country? – Relaxed Jan 22 '14 at 15:05
  • It may also help if you tell us which state/territory the fine was incurred in. – Sam Jan 22 '14 at 22:21
  • It was in Queensland. ..and yes, I am still in the country. The fine has been going up and is over 200 dollars now. Because I haven't paid it, my licence has been suspended. I don't own a car here anyway, so if I can leave, and not pay it, and get back in the country, than I don't care.

    (for Annoyed) It's the not flights they check the data base for, it's my visa I'm worried about. If I apply for a tourist visa in the future, I'm worried about them checking up on that ticket and denying my visa.

     – Jake Jan 23 '14 at 03:49
  • Seems to be a common problem for Canadian tourists in QLD (if not the same person): http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g255055-i120-k5677292-Unpaid_traffic_fine_Can_I_enter_or_exit_Australia_with_one-Australia.html – Rob Hoare Jan 23 '14 at 19:09
  • @Jake Yes, I see, but why not worry about both? – Relaxed Jan 26 '14 at 10:29
  • Just a very general point Jake: I never give any governments, anything, wherever possible. however the simple fact is: *"in the old days"* minor tickets (parking, etc) did *NOT* basically follow you anywhere. Speeding in Italy but live in Japan?! Go for it, it will never follow you! Driving a rental car and you're from overseas? Hah! Park where you like! Extremely simply, *those days are gone*. It's just how life is: accept it. the simple fact is "all authorities everywhere" WILL (sadly) know about this crap.... cont ... – Fattie Sep 08 '16 at 07:29
  • As a brother-in-arms, I can tell you that unfortunately what you have to do is just suck it up and pay it. :/ This is bad, but that's life. Suggest you read The Stainless Steel Rat to both laugh and cry man :) Don't forget too that endless studies show Australia is one of the most fascist, paperwork-laden nations on Earth. It's hateful (dunno why you went there). Unfortunately you just have to pay. – Fattie Sep 08 '16 at 07:30
  • And yes, you can trivially pay from outside Aus. They love taking money. – Fattie Sep 08 '16 at 07:31
  • http://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/36073/what-happens-if-i-leave-australia-without-paying-a-fine-for-setting-off-firewor?noredirect=1&lq=1 – Fattie Sep 08 '16 at 07:32

3 Answers3

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Australia like most other countries have rules for revocation and refusal of visa which is currently governed by Ministerial Direction 55. In addition there are rules for Controversial Visa Applications.

And while Public Nuisance may not qualify as a criminal offense, although there was a call to review that in Queensland, you may not pass the character test which states among other things:

  • having regard to the person's past and present general conduct, the person is found to be not of good character

This means that it is within the discretion of the Immigration authority to deny you visa if they find this sufficient cause to do so.

So I would direct the question to an Australian Consulate on whether your particular case need to be reported as criminal record.

As far as payment of a fine is concerned you can look at the results on Google which lists payment facilities for various states in Australia.

Karlson
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They probably won't block your entry, as long as you pay the fine. The interest added to the fine shouldn't be too much for you to manage. Good luck.

user10084
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    Do you have a reference for this? Some sort of website or previous experience which is more than an (apparent) guess? – Mark Mayo Jan 22 '14 at 09:11
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If you don't want to enter the blacklist of immigration, you should pay the fine before leaving Australia. Even when you paid the fee, I have a doubt that you can get a tourist visa for the travels later.

TristaKim
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