HMRA4080 – Refusal/cancellation: What is a spent conviction?
To help those with lesser offences, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 enables criminal convictions to become spent or ignored after a specific period of time. We are legally barred from including a spent conviction as reason for refusal. The table below details when a conviction becomes ‘spent’:
| Sentence | Rehabilitation period for people aged 17 or under when convicted | Rehabilitation period for people aged 18 or over when convicted |
| Prison sentences of 6 months or less | 3.5 Years | 7 Years |
| Prison sentences of 6 months to 2 years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| Borstal | 7 Years | 7 Years |
| Compensation, probation, fines, community service, combination, action plan, drug treatment and testing and preparation orders | 2.5 Years | 5 Years |
| Absolute discharge | 6months | 6months |
