Response

OMB Control No: 1123-0014, Exp. Date: 03/31/2027
Application for Certificate of Pardon for Simple Possession, Attempted Possession, and Use of Marijuana

Certificate of Pardon for the Offenses of Simple Possession, Attempted Possession, and Use of Marijuana on or before December 22, 2023

On October 6, 2022, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation that pardoned many federal and D.C. offenses for simple marijuana possession. On December 22, 2023, President Biden issued another proclamation that expanded the relief provided by the original proclamation by pardoning the federal offenses of simple possession, attempted possession, and use of marijuana.

How a pardon can help you

A pardon is an expression of the President's forgiveness. It does not mean you are innocent or expunge your conviction. But it may remove civil disabilities -- such as restrictions on the right to vote, to hold office, or to sit on a jury -- that are imposed because of the pardoned conviction. It may also be helpful in obtaining licenses, bonding, or employment. Learn more about the pardon.

How to qualify for the pardon

You qualify for the pardon if:

On or before December 22, 2023, you were charged with or convicted of simple possession, attempted possession, or use of marijuana under the a federal code, the District of Columbia code, or the Code of Federal Regulations
You were a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the United States at the time of the offense
You were a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident on December 22, 2023

Request a certificate to show proof of the pardon

A Certificate of Pardon is proof that you were pardoned under the proclamation. The certificate is the only documentation you will receive of the pardon.

What you'll need for the request

About you

You must provide personal details like name, mailing address, email address, and citizenship status.

About the charge or conviction

You must state whether it was a charge or conviction, the court district where it happened, and the date (month, day, year). If possible, you should also:

provide information about your case (docket or case number and the code section that was charged)
provide copies of documentation, such as:
- charging documents (ticket, citation, indictment, complaint, or criminal information); or
- conviction documents (the judgment of conviction, the court docket sheet showing the sentence and date it was imposed, or if you did not go to court, the receipt showing payment of fine)

If you were charged by a ticket or citation and paid a fine instead of appearing in court, you should also provide the date of conviction or the date the fine was paid.

Without this information, we can't guarantee that we'll be able to determine if you qualify for the pardon under the proclamation.

How to submit a request

The fastest way to submit a request is online through this website. If you send us the request form (PDF) by email or mail, it may take longer to process it.

You can submit a request for yourself or someone else can submit it on your behalf.

By email

Download the request form (PDF) and email the completed form to USPardon.Attorney@usdoj.gov. If you include charging or conviction documents with the request, attach PDF copies of them to the email.

By mail

Print the request form (PDF) and mail the completed form to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of the Pardon Attorney
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530

If you are including charging or conviction documents with the request, send copies of them with the request form.

Online on this website

Applicant information

You can submit a request for yourself or someone else can submit it on your behalf.

Applicant information

First name

Middle name

Last name

Suffix

Enter email address

Enter email address again to confirm

Street address 1

Street address 2

City

State

ZIP Code

Phone number

Contact information

How do you want to be contacted about your request?

Email (strongly recommended because it's the fastest)
If you don't have an email address, enter one that belongs to someone who is helping you.
Physical mail
This may delay the processing of your request. If you don't have a place where you can get mail, enter a mailing address that belongs to someone who is helping you.

Email address where we should send updates

Mailing address where we should send updates

Check this box if the address you want to use is not in the United States

Foreign address

Name (if it's not your address or someone else will get the mail on your behalf)

Check this box if you had a different name at the time of charge or conviction.

First name

Middle name

Last name

Suffix

Date and place of birth

Date of birth (required)

Month

Day

Year

Country where you were born

City where you were born

State where you were born

Sex and race

We'll use this information to analyze who has been affected by the proclamation.

Sex

Are you Hispanic or Latino?

Citizenship status

Citizenship or residency status

U.S. citizen by birth
U.S. naturalized citizen
Lawful permanent resident

Date Granted

Certificate of Naturalization, Citizenship, or Alien Registration Number

Citizenship or Alien Registration Number

About the charge or conviction

If you have multiple charges or convictions, please submit a separate application for each one.

Were you charged with or convicted of simple possession, attempted possession, or use of marijuana under the federal code, the District of Columbia code, or the Code of Federal Regulations?

Charged - I was charged (not convicted)
Convicted - I was convicted

Date of conviction (required)

An exact date will help us process your request faster. If you don't know the exact date, enter your best guess.

Month

Day

Year

Which U.S. District Court or D.C. Superior Court heard or oversaw your case?

Code

Enter the Code Section, the statute of your charge/conviction

Enter the Docket Number assigned to your case by the court

Supporting documents

Upload documentation related to your case, such as:

The charging document, including the ticket, citation, indictment, complaint, or criminal information; or
The judgment of conviction, the court docket sheet showing the sentence and date it was imposed, or, if you did not go to court, the receipt showing payment of fine

Save the document as a PDF before you upload it, if possible.

Supporting Documents

Upload FileNo file chosen

Certifications

With knowledge of the penalties for false statements to Federal Agencies, as provided by 18 U.S.C. § 1001, and with knowledge that this statement is submitted by me to affect action by the U.S. Department of Justice, I certify that:

The applicant was either a U.S. citizen or lawfully present in the United States at the time of the offense; and
The applicant was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident on December 22, 2023; and
The statements and accompanying documents included in this form are true and complete to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief; and
I acknowledge that any certificate issued in reliance on the above information will be voided, if the information is subsequently determined to be false; and
The applicant has read and understands the Privacy Act Statement:

The Office of the Pardon Attorney has authority to collect this information under the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 (the pardon clause); Orders of the Attorney General Nos. 1798-93, 58 Fed. Reg. 53658 and 53659 (1993), 2317-2000, 65 Fed. Reg. 48381 (2000), and 2323-2000, 65 Fed. Reg. 58223 and 58224 (2000), codified in 28 C.F.R. §§ 1.1 et seq. (the rules governing petitions for executive clemency); and Order of the Attorney General No. 1012-83, 48 Fed. Reg. 22290 (1983), as codified in 28 C.F.R. §§ 0.35 and 0.36 (the authority of the Office of the Pardon Attorney). The principal purpose for collecting this information is to enable the Office of the Pardon Attorney to issue an individual certificate of pardon to you. The routine uses which may be made of this information include provision of data to the President and his staff, other governmental entities, and the public. The full list of routine uses for this correspondence can be found in the System of Records Notice titled, "Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records," published in Federal Register, September 15, 2011, Vol. 76, No. 179, at pages 57078 through 57080; as amended by "Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records," published in the Federal Register, May 25, 2017, Vol. 82, No. 100, at page 24161, and at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties' website.

You consent to allowing the Office of the Pardon Attorney to obtain information regarding your citizenship and/or immigration status from the courts, from other government agencies, from other components within the Department of Justice, and from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS), Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. The information received from these sources will be used for the sole purposes of determining an applicant's qualification for a Certificate of Pardon under the December 22 proclamation and for record-keeping of those determinations. Further, please be aware that if the Office of the Pardon Attorney is unable to verify your citizenship or immigration status based on the information provided below, we may contact you to obtain additional verification information. Learn more about the DHS-USCIS's SAVE program and its ordinary uses.

Your disclosure of information to the Office of the Pardon Attorney on this form is voluntary. If you do not complete all or some of the information fields in this form, however, the Office of the Pardon Attorney may not be able to effectively respond. Information regarding gender, race, or ethnicity is not required and will not affect the processing of the application.

If you're filling this form out for yourself, enter your name below. If you're filling this out for someone else, enter your own name, not the applicant's.

Public Burden Statement

This collection meets the requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. We estimate that it will take 120 minutes to read the instructions, gather the relevant materials, and answer questions on the form. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Office of the Pardon Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Attn: OMB Number 1123-0014, RFK Building, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20530. The OMB clearance number, 1123-0014, is currently valid.

PARDON may not collect this information, and you are not required to respond, unless this number is displayed.

First name

Middle name

Last name

Suffix

Disclaimer

This webform is authorized by the United States Department of Justice and controlled by a third-party vendor, Leidos Digital Solutions, Inc. Reference in this webform to any specific commercial product, process, service, manufacturer, or company is not an endorsement or recommendation by the United States Government or the United States Department of Justice. The information made available to, collected, stored, and used by the Department is done so consistent with the DOJ Privacy Policy. The third-party vendor collects certain user information when users access the site consistent with its obligations under its contract with the Department, which is consistent with Leidos Digital Solutions, Inc's privacy policy.