If I am eligible, when could I apply for a pardon?

When you can or should apply for a pardon depends on the type of pardon you are seeking.

    Pardon with Certificate of Rehabilitation (COR): If you are granted a COR by a judge, a request for a pardon will be automatically sent to the Governor—and you don’t need to do anything else! If you do NOT have a Certificate of Rehabilitation yet, but your conviction is eligible for one, you can apply for a COR as soon as you’ve completed your time period of rehabilitation, which is set by law (it is a minimum 7 years after your release, and longer for certain offenses). Learn more about getting a COR on PG. 980.
    Direct Pardon (without Certificate of Rehabilitation): You can apply for a pardon directly from the Governor after you have been off probation or parole for 10 years, with NO criminal activity during that period.[3188] The 10-year requirement will only be waived (excused) in very rare situations (under “extraordinary and compelling circumstances”).
    BPH-Recommended Pardon: The BPH can only recommend you for a pardon while you are still incarcerated. There is no specific time frame for when the BPH can recommend you for a pardon, but it would likely be after the BPH has a chance to consider information about your case (for example, after you’ve had at least one BPH hearing).
    If (or when) you have a BPH hearing, you can bring any evidence showing why you deserve to receive a pardon, based on your good conduct, accomplishments, the circumstances of your conviction, or your sentence.
    If you are no longer in prison, you are not eligible for a BPH recommendation for a pardon.
  1. 3188

    How to Apply for a Pardon, State of Cal. Office of the Governor (Sept. 5, 2013), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf.