Expunging your DUI in San Diego, California

Expunging your record for your conviction of DUI in San Diego is a costly and time consuming process, however if you meet the eligibility criteria it is one process that is definitely worth that time and effort.

What does expunging your record mean? Filing for and being accepted to expunge your records means that the record of your arrest and conviction, whether a misdemeanor or felony DUI here in San Diego, CA, will be sealed or cleared from the public record. However, although hidden from public view the conviction will still be on your record and accessible to law enforcement officers. Therefore, if you make the mistake of getting another DUI an expungement in this case will make sentencing even harsher. If you go about your life safely and do not face another DUI conviction or an arrest for drunk driving in San Diego, or anywhere else, the expunged record may remove possible hurdles and let you get your life back to normal.

An experienced San Diego DUI lawyer will be able to review the eligibility requirements needed to file to expunge your records. He or she will know if you even qualify for this since not everyone that applies qualifies. There are many criteria to meet to even qualify.

The following are a list of just some of these qualifications that must be met:

This must be your first offense.
You must have performed all requirements laid out by judge to finish your probationary period.
All fines are paid
You have done your jail time (note if your time served was in State prison then you cannot qualify)
Any community service time has been served
Alcohol Awareness classes have been attended and passed as well as any other classes imposed by the courts.
Any other requirements imposed by the judge

You must not have any other criminal cases pending or be on parole for any other crimes. This is just a basic list of requirements to be met when applying to clear your DUI records, however there may be more that the courts will want from the you.

An experienced lawyer will be able to help you to fill out the forms and file them with the courts system. Having your record expunged is not a guarantee, it is a privilege, and not everyone that applies will be granted this privilege. Having an experienced attorney on your side could be the difference between expunging your record or not.

So why go through all this? What will expunging or clearing your record do for you directly? As noted above, it will for all intents and purposes give you back the life you had before your arrest for drunk driving, before the time in jail, before the huge fines, before this nightmare that you have been living for the past months or more.

Expunging the record of your DUI will mean when you:

Apply for a job
Apply for a loan
Apply for college
Try to purchase a home
Travel to some foreign countries
Rent a car

You can say no to ever being convicted of a crime because any background checks done in the public sector will not show your arrest for DUI. Note I do say the public sector because your record is not cleared totally and if you apply for any government jobs or a security job, or try to apply for a gun permit or anything that would mean a government background check, your drunk driving arrest and conviction will be there for them to see. Also this means that if you are convicted of another DUI in the next 10 years the penalties for this second DUI will be much worse because of the prior one. It would not be your first conviction, because it is only expunged from the public record.

So if you think you have met the requirements listed above, the next step would be to contact an experienced San Diego DUI lawyer. The process usually takes 2-3 months to research your case and file the correct forms with the court. Hopefully, with his or her help you will have your life back. As long as you do not get arrested again for another DUI will not have to worry about this one anymore.