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I was an illegal alien in the US for approximately 18 years. I entered legally but overstayed. At that time I was a citizen of India. A friend of mine procured a fake South African passport for me, which I never used. A US citizen I showed it to complained to DHS, they informed the police and I was arrested and sentenced to a year in jail for "Criminal possession of a forged instrument". I served 8 months (4 off for good behaviour), and was deported back to India.

Now in India, my family happens to have roots in Goa (my dad was born there in 1950), and I was therefore able to acquire Portuguese nationality because of that. Now I have a Portuguese national ID card and passport. I have not lived in any EU country. However, I visited the UK 6 times when I had Indian citizenship.

I want to visit the UK to see a sick relative. Will I be allowed entry? I am aware that the UK is still part of the EU. Given my conviction in the US, and the fact that info is shared between the UK and US regarding criminal foreigners, will I be allowed to enter? I am not interested in settling/living/working in the UK; I have a decent job and life here in India.

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johnwhiteoak
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1 Answers1

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You are a citizen of the European Union and as such enjoy freedom of movement within the borders of the EU. This is an absolutely fundamental right and nothing can curb it.

Edit: even if you had a UK criminal record, that in itself would not be enough. Here are some relevant passages from the Free Movement Directive:

Restrictions on the right of entry and the right of residence on grounds of public policy, public security or public health

Previous criminal convictions shall not in themselves constitute grounds for taking such measures. The personal conduct of the individual concerned must represent a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society. Justifications that are isolated from the particulars of the case or that rely on considerations of general prevention shall not be accepted.