flat to the mat

A close friend in Canada wants to visit Germany and Poland to see where his ancestors came from.Problem might be that he has two drink driving convictions,the last one 20 years ago.Will this be an issue ? He can't enter the USA and wants to know if Europe apply the same rules,help appreciated.

Assanah

Can't imagine that this kind of criminal records would matter if you just want to visit Germany. But if you want to make sure asked the German embassy.

Seawitch57

I bet they take drinking and driving seriously, there was plenty of special stops to catch people at night when I was there, drunk drivers certainly seemed to be the #1 quarry of German traffic police.
I blew the bag as a youngster in 1981 riding a Mofa, a class of motorcycle not available in Britain, a 50 cc sewing machine with pedals and has to go cycle tracks where they exist and doesn't require a driving licence.
Even on that I got fined a months pay and banned for six months. However, I knew someone else with a bundle of drink drive convictions including during a ban, I guess he was just asking for deportation but I never saw that happen.
I'm surprised your Canadian friends conviction still stands after twenty years if that's all there really is to it, it wouldn't be on a UK or German driving licence anymore even though it's a second.
I don't think he's got much to worry about.

flat to the mat

Tnx,he says he'll call the Embassy before leaving Canada.

Ray51

Then again , I have cris-crossed the Vaderland dozens and dozens of a times , in the last 20-or-so-years ; I regret to have to honestly admit that , on many an occassion , what with some seriously hot summer Autobahn weather , indigestion , pressures of all kinds , frustrations and/or insufferable atmosphere inside the car , pit/petrol/W.C stops etc , I ( on some of such occassions) also had too much too much booze in me ( I recommend Warsteiner , over Bittburger ! ) , and especially : Jaegermeister/Underberg/Fernet Branca ( N.B. all of which , together with wine & assorted other alcohol , porn , unsolicited sex and the rest , is still unashamedly promoted and sold , at most German petrol stations ! ) ...
Not even once was I ever stopped for breathalisation , nor for inspection of my own passport/licence etc. ; although , once or twice , in the ( very distant , olden days , before the EUro ) they ( those "border cops" , then ) would and they did give me lengthy questionings and similar hell , on German/Austro border crossing , over my U.K. plated car and the correct documentation/insurances with it .
None of this has happenned to me anymore , since cca 2000. though , although I still regularly make southern trips via Aachen/Koeln or via Saarbruecken , direction : Muenich , Salzburg and those pther there locations - and , in return , back on northerly ones , via similar routes , unless I digress after Karlsruhe , towards France ( Strassbourg , then Metz ) and Luxembourg...
Good Luck !

notathome

As long as that is all he has in the way of a criminal record, then there should be no problem entering Europe as a tourist. I know he won't be able to get into the USA, they are just very strict.