A felony conviction limits more than your freedom during a sentence. Among the things felons can’t do, at least without restoration of rights or a pardon, are vote in some states, own a firearm under federal law, sit on a jury, hold certain public offices, work in licensed professions, travel freely to several countries, receive some government benefits, and adopt or foster children with certain convictions on record. The specifics turn on your state, the offense, and how much time has passed.
Voting
Three jurisdictions never take voting rights away, even during incarceration. Roughly 23 states restore the right automatically on release from prison. Another 15 make you wait until parole or probation is complete. About 10 states strip voting rights indefinitely for certain offenses or require a governor’s pardon.1NCSL. Restoration of Voting Rights for Felons
Where restoration requires action from you, it may mean paying outstanding fines, fees, or restitution first. The strictest states require a petition to the governor or a multi-year wait after you finish your sentence. Check the rule in your state before assuming you cannot vote; many people stay off the rolls when they are actually eligible.
Owning a Firearm
Federal law makes it illegal for anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison to possess, receive, or transport a firearm or ammunition.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enforces the ban, which covers every type of firearm, including any you owned before conviction.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Identify Prohibited Persons States often add their own, sometimes broader, restrictions.
Getting firearm rights back is possible but hard. Federal law authorizes the Attorney General to grant relief from firearms disabilities, and the Department of Justice has indicated it is developing an application process.4Department of Justice. Federal Firearm Rights Restoration A presidential pardon can also restore them. Some states allow restoration through their own courts or clemency boards, but a state restoration does not always lift the federal ban, which produces a patchwork where you can be legal under state law and still in violation of federal law.
Serving on a Jury
Federal law disqualifies anyone from serving on a federal jury who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison and whose civil rights have not been restored.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Federal courts treat this as a flat bar in their juror qualification standards.6United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses Most states apply similar rules in their own courts.
Restoring the right to sit on a federal jury is harder than restoring voting rights. The Supreme Court held in Beecham v. United States (1994) that only federal law can undo the effects of a federal conviction, and no general federal procedure exists for restoring civil rights to federal felons.7United States Department of Justice Archives. 1435. Post-Conviction Restoration of Civil Rights That makes a presidential pardon the primary path. State jury eligibility usually tracks the same process that restores voting rights.
Holding Public Office
The U.S. Constitution lists only age, citizenship, and residency requirements for serving in Congress or as president. Criminal history is not among them, so a felony conviction does not legally bar you from running for federal office, though Congress can vote to expel a sitting member. State and local rules go further. Many states prohibit people with felony convictions from holding state or local office, at least until rights are restored, and some impose permanent disqualification for offenses like bribery or embezzlement.
Getting a Passport and Traveling Abroad
Most felony convictions do not block a U.S. passport. The main exception is drug trafficking. Federal law requires the State Department to deny a passport to anyone convicted of a federal or state drug felony if the offense involved crossing an international border or using a passport, for as long as the person is imprisoned, on parole, or on supervised release. The same law lets the State Department revoke a passport already issued to someone who becomes ineligible.8GovInfo. 22 U.S. Code 2714 – Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers A narrow exception applies for emergency or humanitarian circumstances.9eCFR. Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers
A valid passport does not guarantee entry elsewhere. Canada is one of the strictest. Under Canadian immigration law, a criminal conviction makes you “inadmissible,” covering offenses from impaired driving to drug possession and violent crimes.10Government of Canada. Overcome Criminal Convictions You can apply for rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit, but both involve paperwork, waiting periods, and no guarantee of approval. Japan denies entry to anyone sentenced to one year or more of imprisonment anywhere in the world, with exceptions only for political offenses.
Travel to much of Europe is tightening. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a pre-travel screening program for visa-exempt travelers including U.S. citizens, asks about criminal history and cross-checks answers against international security databases. A serious record can lead to denial or restricted authorization. Apply well in advance and answer accurately.
Working in Certain Jobs and Licensed Professions
A felony record shows up on background checks that most employers run. At least 37 states and over 150 cities and counties have passed “fair chance” or “ban the box” laws that delay criminal history questions until later in the hiring process, but a conviction can still cost you the job once it surfaces. Law enforcement, education, and many healthcare roles are either legally closed to people with specific felony records or give hiring managers wide discretion to reject you.
Professional licensing adds another layer. Trades and professions from electrician to real estate agent to nurse require a state license, and licensing boards frequently rely on “good moral character” standards that give them broad authority to deny or revoke a license based on criminal history. Fraud, violent crimes, and sexual offenses are near-universal disqualifiers.
Security Clearances
A federal security clearance is not automatically off the table, but a felony is a serious obstacle. The SF-86 background investigation form requires you to disclose criminal history even if the record has been sealed or expunged. Adjudicators weigh how long ago the offense occurred, evidence of rehabilitation, and whether you are still on parole or probation. Recent or violent felonies are very difficult to overcome; older convictions with a solid record of rehabilitation have better odds.
Receiving Government Benefits and Housing
Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan eligibility is suspended while you are incarcerated. On July 1, 2023, the FAFSA Simplification Act restored Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students for the first time since 1994, provided you are enrolled in an eligible Prison Education Program.11Federal Student Aid. Eligibility of Confined or Incarcerated Individuals to Receive Pell Grants After release, full eligibility for all federal student aid programs is restored.
Federally Assisted Housing
Public Housing Authorities have wide discretion to deny applicants based on criminal history. Federal regulations require denial in two situations: a conviction for manufacturing methamphetamine on the premises of federally assisted housing, and a lifetime sex offender registration requirement under state law.12Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HCV Guidebook – Eligibility Determination and Denial of Assistance Beyond those two bars, each authority sets its own policies, and many screen out other records.
Private landlords run their own background checks. Blanket policies that reject every applicant with any criminal record may violate the Fair Housing Act if they have a discriminatory effect on protected classes, but a felony still makes rental housing significantly harder to find in practice.
SNAP and TANF
A 1996 federal welfare reform law imposed a lifetime ban on SNAP (food stamps) and TANF (cash assistance) for anyone convicted of a drug felony. States were allowed to modify or opt out, and the vast majority have. Only a handful still enforce a full lifetime ban. Roughly half have eliminated it entirely. Most of the rest have added conditions like completing treatment or staying drug-free for a set period. Check your state before assuming the federal default applies.
Social Security
Social Security retirement and disability payments are suspended once you have been convicted and confined for more than 30 continuous days.13Social Security Administration. Title II Prisoner Suspension Provisions Benefits for a spouse or children can continue if they remain eligible. After release, bring your release documents to the Social Security Administration to reinstate payments, starting with the month after release.14Social Security Administration. What Prisoners Need to Know
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) works similarly, but with a harder cliff. Confinement of 12 consecutive months or longer terminates SSI eligibility entirely, and you must file a new application after release rather than reactivate the old claim.
Fostering, Adopting, and Other Family Matters
Adoption and Foster Care
Federal law creates two tiers of disqualification for prospective foster or adoptive parents. The first is permanent: a felony conviction for child abuse or neglect, any crime against children (including child pornography), spousal abuse, rape, sexual assault, or homicide bars approval regardless of how long ago it occurred. The second applies a five-year lookback: felony convictions for physical assault, battery, or drug offenses within the last five years also disqualify you.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 671 – State Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance States commonly add their own requirements on top.
Child Custody
A felony conviction does not automatically strip parental rights, but it heavily influences custody and visitation. Family courts weigh criminal history when deciding what serves the child’s best interest. A court might order supervised visitation, reduce your share of custody, or in extreme cases involving violence against the child move to terminate parental rights. Time in prison also creates practical gaps in parenting that courts factor in.
Military Enlistment
Every branch of the U.S. military treats a felony conviction as a disqualifying factor at enlistment. Moral waivers exist but require extensive review and are granted infrequently. Approval depends on the nature and severity of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and your conduct since. Violent felonies and sexual offenses face the longest odds.
Insurance and Banking
A felony record ripples through your financial life in less obvious ways. Many life insurers refuse traditional coverage to applicants with felony records or charge much higher premiums. A recent or violent conviction may leave you with only guaranteed-issue policies, which are more expensive and offer lower coverage. Some companies will consider traditional coverage if the conviction is at least ten years old, all supervision is complete, and the offense was not violent.
Banking is less restrictive than many people fear. Federal law does not prohibit banks from opening accounts for someone with a felony conviction. Banks must verify your identity under anti-money-laundering rules, but a record alone is not a disqualifier. If the conviction involved fraud or embezzlement, an individual bank may decline you under its own risk policies. Second-chance banking programs at some institutions exist specifically for applicants who have been turned away elsewhere.
Getting Rights Back
Most of these restrictions are not permanent, though the paths range from straightforward to nearly impossible depending on which right is at stake and whether federal or state law governs.
State Expungement and Clean Slate Laws
A growing number of states allow expungement or sealing of certain felony records, and several have enacted “clean slate” laws that automate the process for eligible offenses after a waiting period. Costs and waiting periods vary. Court filing fees run from nothing to a few hundred dollars; attorney fees can add significantly. A successful expungement can remove the conviction from public background checks and open doors to work, housing, and licensing that were previously closed.
Federal Pardons
Federal law is far more restrictive. There is no general federal expungement statute for adult felony convictions. A narrow exception covers certain first-time drug possession cases where the court imposed probation and the case ended without a formal conviction. For everyone else, a presidential pardon is the primary federal remedy. You cannot petition for a pardon until at least five years after release from confinement, or five years after conviction if no prison sentence was imposed. You also cannot apply while on probation, parole, or supervised release.16eCFR. 28 CFR 1.2 – Eligibility for Filing Petition for Pardon
A pardon does not erase the conviction from your record, but it restores certain rights, including firearm possession and federal jury service eligibility in most cases. Whether it triggers restoration of any other right depends on the right itself and sometimes on state law. The process is slow and competitive, but for people with federal convictions it may be the only meaningful option.