To ensure the integrity and security of our electronic records, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will not accept any type of digital media as part of or in supplement to an application for clemency. Such items will be returned to the sender via US Postal Mail.

Federal Convictions Only

Under the Constitution, the President has the authority to commute, or reduce, a sentence imposed upon conviction of a federal offense, including for convictions adjudicated in the United States District Courts and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

The President cannot commute a sentence for a state criminal offense. Accordingly, if you are seeking clemency for a state criminal conviction, you should not complete and submit this petition. Instead, you should contact the Governor or other appropriate authorities of the state where the conviction occurred (e.g., the state board of pardons and paroles) to determine whether any relief is available to you under state law.

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Federal Convictions Only

Under the Constitution, the President has the authority to grant pardon for federal offenses, including those adjudicated in the United States District Courts, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and military courts-martial.

The President cannot pardon a state criminal offense. Accordingly, if you are seeking clemency for a state criminal conviction, you should not complete and submit this petition. Instead, you should contact the Governor or other appropriate authorities of the state where the conviction occurred (e.g., the state board of pardons and paroles) to determine whether any relief is available to you under state law.

Five Year Waiting Period

Under the Department's rules governing petitions for executive clemency, an applicant must satisfy a minimum waiting period of five years before he becomes eligible to apply for a presidential pardon of his federal conviction. The waiting period begins to run on the date of the petitioner's release from confinement. Alternatively, if the conviction resulted in a sentence that did not include any form of confinement, the waiting period begins on the date of sentencing.

A waiver of any portion of the waiting period is rarely granted and then only in the most exceptional circumstances. In order to request a waiver, you must complete the pardon application form and submit it with a letter explaining why you believe the waiting period should be waived in your case.

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President Carter, by Proclamation of January 21, 1977, pardoned certain persons who, during the Vietnam War era, violated the Military Selective Service Act by draft-evasion acts or omissions committed between August 4, 1964 and March 28, 1973. If you believe your conviction is covered by President Carter’s Proclamation and you can provide the required documentation from your criminal case that will enable us to verify that you are covered by the Proclamation, you may obtain an individual certificate of pardon evidencing the fact that this Pardon Proclamation applies to you.

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