If you have been convicted of a DUI in the past, it's going to show up on your criminal record. This can really hinder you from being able to move forward with your life because it affects your ability to be qualified for jobs, rental applications, and more. Basically, anytime a background check is being done, the DUI charge will be seen and can affect you. However, with the help of a non-disclosure application, this can help you. Here's what you should know:
Not Everyone Qualifies:
You only qualify for a non-disclosure if this was your first charge for a DUI, your alcohol limit wasn't past a certain amount, which will depend on what state you are in, and there wasn't an accident involved, especially one in which someone was seriously injured.
You Need to Wait to Apply:
If you do qualify for a non-disclosure agreement, you need to wait a certain amount of time before you can apply. This is generally around two years unless you were court ordered to community service for the DUI, in which case you usually have to wait five years after your community service has been completed.
You Should Hire an Attorney:
To apply for a non-disclosure, you should hire a DUI attorney to help you. Your attorney will be able to ensure that you are completely all the right paperwork to apply for the non-disclosure agreement and they will help you legally along the way. This includes ensuring that you do not make any slip-ups that can affect your ability to receive your non-disclosure. For example, if you face any criminal charges during the time-period you are waiting for the non-disclosure application to go through, you can end up being denied.
It's Not Applicable in All States:
Keep in mind that this is not something that is offered in all states, so you will need to look into this. Still, there are some other options to get the DUI off your criminal record. Either way, talk to your DUI attorney to help you through this so that you can possibly get the record wiped in some way so that you may be able to finally have an easier way to pass background checks.
Knowing these things about a non-disclosure agreement for DUIs can definitely help anyone who has only had one DUI charge and is looking to clean up so that it doesn't affect them for the rest of their life.
