Status of a police caution

[OrlandaFuriosa]

What's the status of a caution? To whom does it need to be declared and when does it expire? And if one wanted, for example, to go to the US as a tourist, would it be difficult to do so?

I've googled, but am not much clearer after googling than I was before. Don't think it was conditional.

A caution becomes spent immediately. If it was a conditional caution it becomes spent after 3 months. Being spent means you don't have to declare it if someone asks you about previous convictions. However, it is on your record and will remain there permanently. It will show up on DBS checks for 6 years (2 years if you were under 18 at the time you received the caution) so you will need to disclose it if you apply for a job that involves a DBS check in that time. If the offence is one that won't be filtered (in essence that covers violent offences and sexual offences) it will show up on DBS checks for life.

If you want to go to the US the US embassy advises that anyone who has a caution should apply for a visa rather than using the Visa Waiver Program (which allows you to travel to the US without a visa). That doesn't mean you won't be allowed to visit the US but you will have some additional hoops to jump through. Of course, some people ignore this and use the Visa Waiver Program anyway, answering No to the relevant questions about convictions, etc.

Thanks, that's v helpful. I don't know the precise nature of the caution but this is a good start.