No. Completing probation does not make a felony go away after probation ends. Finishing probation satisfies the sentence the court handed down, but the conviction itself — the official finding of guilt — stays on your criminal record permanently and keeps appearing on background checks until you take separate legal action to remove or seal it.
The legal system treats the conviction and the sentence as two different things. The conviction is the finding of guilt. The sentence is the punishment, and probation is one way of serving it. Walk out of your final probation meeting with every condition met, every fee paid, and every class completed, and you have cleared the punishment. The record of the guilty finding still sits in local, state, and federal databases.
The One Exception: Deferred Adjudication and Diversion
There is a situation where what looks like probation does not actually produce a conviction, and it catches people off guard. If a judge placed you on deferred adjudication rather than regular probation, the judge accepted your plea but held off on formally entering a conviction. Complete the terms successfully and the case is dismissed with no conviction entered.
Regular probation, sometimes called “straight” probation, works the opposite way. The judge enters the conviction immediately, and probation is simply how you serve the sentence. If you are not sure which one applied to your case, pull your original court paperwork or call the clerk of court where the case was handled. The two outcomes look similar day to day but lead to completely different places on your record.
Pretrial diversion (sometimes called pretrial intervention) is a related option. These programs let certain defendants, usually first-time offenders charged with lower-level felonies, complete conditions like community service, counseling, or supervision before trial. Finish the program and the charges are dropped with no conviction entered. Diversion is not available everywhere and typically excludes violent offenses.
Even when a case ends in dismissal through deferred adjudication or diversion, the arrest record itself usually survives and can still show up on background checks unless you take extra steps to have it sealed.
What a Permanent Felony Record Costs You
A conviction that stays on your record creates problems that extend well past the courthouse. These are the main ones to understand before deciding whether to pursue expungement or another remedy.
Employment and Background Checks
Under federal law, a conviction can appear on a consumer background report for the rest of your life. The seven-year reporting limit in the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies only to non-conviction records like arrests that did not result in a guilty finding.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – Section 1681c Some states have imposed their own time limits, but the federal baseline sets no expiration date for convictions.
Thirty-seven states and more than 150 cities and counties have adopted “ban the box” or fair chance hiring laws that keep public-sector employers from asking about criminal history on the initial application. Federal equal employment guidance also calls on employers to conduct an individualized assessment before rejecting someone based on a conviction, weighing the nature of the crime, how much time has passed, and the nature of the job.2U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions
Firearm Ownership
Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment from possessing a firearm or ammunition.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 – Section 922 This applies even if your actual sentence was probation with no jail time. What matters is the maximum possible sentence, not what you served. Violating the ban is itself a serious federal crime.
Federal law carries an exception: if the conviction has been expunged, set aside, or pardoned, or if your civil rights have been restored, it no longer counts as a disqualifying conviction unless the order expressly says you still cannot possess firearms.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 – Section 921 Whether a state expungement actually triggers that exception depends on how that state’s statute is written. Some explicitly do not restore gun rights, so the federal ban survives. Talk to a lawyer before buying or possessing a firearm after a felony.
Voting Rights
Voting rules depend entirely on where you live. A few states never revoke voting rights, even during incarceration. Most states restore voting rights automatically once you are released from prison or finish your full sentence, including probation and parole. A smaller group strips voting rights indefinitely for certain crimes and requires a governor’s pardon or a separate application to get them back. Your state election office or secretary of state’s website is the place to check your status.
Professional Licensing
Nursing, teaching, real estate, law, and many other licensed fields require background checks. A felony can lead to a denied application or a revoked license. More than 35 states have passed reforms that limit licensing boards from automatically rejecting applicants based on a record alone, usually by requiring the board to consider whether the conviction is related to the profession, how much time has passed, and evidence of rehabilitation. Felonies involving fraud, violence, or offenses against vulnerable people are still frequently disqualifying in regulated professions.
Immigration
For non-citizens, a felony conviction can trigger deportation, mandatory detention, and a permanent bar on re-entry. Convictions classified as “aggravated felonies” under federal immigration law eliminate nearly all forms of relief, including asylum and cancellation of removal. A state-level expungement generally does not eliminate immigration consequences, because federal immigration authorities are not bound by state expungement orders.
How to Actually Clear a Felony Record
Several legal routes can remove a conviction from public view or restore rights you lost. None of them happens automatically because you finished probation.
Expungement
Expungement is the most complete form of relief. A court order for expungement either destroys the record or treats it as though it never happened.5Legal Information Institute. Expunge In most states, an expunged conviction lets you legally answer “no” when asked whether you have been convicted of a crime on employment or housing applications. Some states physically destroy the file; others seal it. Eligibility rules differ significantly from one state to the next.
Federal felony convictions generally cannot be expunged. There is no broad federal expungement statute, and the main path for relief is a presidential pardon.6U.S. Courts. How Do I Have My Conviction Expunged
Record Sealing
Sealing hides the conviction from public view without destroying it. A sealed record will not appear on standard background checks run by private employers or landlords. Law enforcement agencies, courts, and certain government bodies can still access the record for purposes like security clearances or investigations.
Clean Slate Laws
A growing number of states have passed Clean Slate laws that automatically seal certain criminal records after a waiting period, with no petition required. As of late 2025, thirteen states and Washington, D.C. have enacted some form of Clean Slate legislation. These laws typically cover non-violent offenses and require the person to stay crime-free for a set number of years after completing the sentence. Violent felonies and sex offenses are almost universally excluded.
Pardons
A pardon is an act of executive clemency from a state’s governor or, for federal crimes, the President. It does not erase or hide the conviction. It officially forgives the offense and can restore civil rights lost because of the conviction, such as the right to vote or hold public office.7National Governors Association. The Governors Clemency Authority – An Overview of State Pardon and Commutation Processes For federal convictions, you are generally eligible to apply for a presidential pardon five years after release from confinement, or five years after the date of conviction if no prison time was imposed. More serious offenses, including drug crimes, tax violations, and violent offenses, carry a seven-year waiting period.6U.S. Courts. How Do I Have My Conviction Expunged
Certificates of Rehabilitation
About a dozen states offer judicially issued certificates of rehabilitation. These do not hide your record. They serve as official recognition from a court that you have been rehabilitated, and they can remove automatic bars to professional licensing or create a presumption that a licensing board should approve your application despite the conviction. Certificates are often available sooner than expungement, sometimes within a year or two of completing the sentence rather than five or ten years out.
Who Qualifies and How Long You Wait
Eligibility rules vary by state, but the common requirements line up around a few points:
- Type of offense. Most jurisdictions treat violent and non-violent felonies differently. Murder, kidnapping, sex offenses, and crimes against children are almost always excluded. Non-violent drug offenses, theft, and fraud convictions are more likely to qualify.
- Waiting period. A mandatory wait runs from the date you complete your entire sentence, including probation, parole, and any supervised release. Depending on the state and the offense, it runs from one year to ten years or more. The clock does not start until all fines, fees, and restitution are paid.
- Clean record since conviction. New charges or convictions during the waiting period will almost certainly disqualify you.
- No prior expungements. Some states cap how many times you can use the process, or exclude people who have already had a conviction cleared.
If your conviction is federal, expungement is not an option. The route is a presidential pardon, which is discretionary and granted sparingly.
Filing, Fees, and What a Successful Petition Still Will Not Fix
Clearing a record starts with a petition — commonly called a “Petition for Expungement” or “Application to Seal Records” — filed in the court where the conviction occurred. You need the original case number, details about the conviction, and documentation that you meet the eligibility requirements. After filing, the court notifies the prosecuting attorney’s office, which gets a chance to object. A judge reviews the petition and often holds a hearing. If the petition is granted, a court order directs the relevant agencies to expunge or seal the record.
Court filing fees generally run from around $100 to $400, though some jurisdictions charge less and others charge significantly more. Many states waive the fee for people who cannot afford it. Private attorney fees for a felony expungement typically run between $2,000 and $4,500 or higher, depending on complexity and jurisdiction. Legal aid organizations and expungement clinics in a growing number of states offer free or low-cost help.
Even a successful expungement has real limits, and knowing them before you rely on the outcome can prevent serious problems.
State expungement orders do not automatically scrub FBI records. The FBI maintains its own criminal history database, and federal arrest data is only removed at the request of the agency that originally submitted it or by federal court order.8Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions Your state record can be clean while the FBI record still reflects the conviction.
Federal firearm restrictions may survive a state expungement. Whether the federal ban lifts depends on whether your state’s expungement law actually restores civil rights and does not expressly prohibit firearm possession.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 – Section 921 Getting this analysis wrong can mean a new federal felony charge.
Immigration consequences are not erased by state expungement. Federal immigration authorities generally do not recognize state-level record clearing, so an expunged conviction can still be used as grounds for deportation or denial of a visa or green card.
Certain government agencies and law enforcement retain access to sealed records. If you apply for a security clearance, a law enforcement position, or certain professional licenses, the sealed conviction may still be visible. Sealed means hidden from the general public, not gone.