so… over the year-end holiday, I rented a car and accidentally scratched a parked car in a car park. minor scratch, nothing major, no injuries. driving for years in my own country and 2 years in Japan and this was the first incident I had to involve the police.
did the necessary procedures in calling the police, got my license taken down, admitted it was my fault that I accidentally bumped into the car. the owner of the car was notified and all insurance procedures have been settled.
I read about PR applications that an applicant cannot have a police record, and I wonder if this will prevent me from getting PR in the future. will this record be forever or is it something I need not be worried about?
ps: PR is still quite far for me, 5 more years to the 10 years threshold. also, will this affect spouse visa if I do get married in the near future?
3 comments
If it was just a minor accident with no charges filed then you don’t have a police record, so it shouldn’t affect your PR application.
I backed into a building, just lightly tapping it, but enough to break the electrical outlet that just happened to be right there. Same thing, cops out, info taken, insurance involved, building owner paid for repair. Just got my PR in November. I think they’re mainly concerned about incidents that show an intentional disregard for the law, like speeding, willful recklessness, etc.
I once spoke about this with a Japanese police officer about this. He told me that it is only a problem if you get arrested. Just getting a fine or similar is no issue.