Donald Trump: He is no longer allowed to enter these countries

Since the verdict on Thursday, it is official: Donald Trump violated the law by covering up his hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Due to the seriousness of the crimes, he is now a “convicted felon,” a convicted criminal. This has consequences not only in the USA: many countries refuse to allow them to enter the country. This could be a problem for a future president.

Among the 37 states with restrictions are those with which the USA is closely allied: the traditional first visit of a new president to Canada could be cancelled, for example. The USA's northern neighbour does not allow convicted criminals into the country.

Donald Trump: 37 states with entry restrictions

This situation is particularly difficult because some of the most important partner states are actively implementing these rules – and are already actively asking about convictions during the visa process or at the border. Great Britain, Australia and Israel generally refuse to issue visas to convicted criminals. Other countries with important foreign policy interests such as Brazil, China and India also do this. A total of 16 states are actively asking about criminal history, including the United States itself:

But that's not all: 22 other states also have a ban on criminals – but do not necessarily check this upon entry. However, if a person is known to be a criminal or is caught, entry can still be refused. So in the case of a former US president, it is quite possible that someone has already heard of his conviction. The full list of these states can be found here:

What about Europe?

Trump will probably have a much easier time entering the EU countries. Although some countries, such as Germany, do allow entry, this usually applies to certain crimes – such as human trafficking or drug smuggling. There is no general ban on convicted criminals entering the country. There are exceptions, however: Spain refuses entry if the crime is particularly serious or the conviction was made recently. In Italy, they do not want to see convicted criminals who have not yet served their sentence. Ireland is the only EU country on the list of countries that generally refuse entry if a conviction is discovered.

What does this mean for Donald Trump?

Whether Donald Trump will really never be able to visit the countries mentioned again will probably also depend on the outcome of the election in November. While Trump as a civilian could well be barred from entering the country, it is difficult to imagine this happening in the case of an official visit by the US President. Depending on the legal situation in the respective countries, the governments will probably try to find a solution.

Consequences in your own country

However, the conviction also has consequences in his home country. Convicted felons lose the constitutional right to own a firearm. However, because Trump was not convicted of a violent crime, he could apply to have his right to own a gun restored. The right to vote is also revoked in many states. Here Trump is lucky: in his adopted home of Florida, it is only revoked if the state in which the conviction took place provides for it. In New York, however, this is only the case while a convicted person is serving a prison sentence. If Trump remains free, he can vote.

His right to be elected remains unaffected: US electoral law stipulates that any US citizen over the age of 35 born in the USA can be elected president, even if the person is in prison at the time of the election.

Sources: World Population Review, Etias.org, People