It depends on your probation type and the exact conditions in your order. On formal probation, supervised by a probation officer, the conditions often limit travel, and permission has to come in advance from the officer or the court, as your order specifies. Summary probation, supervised by the court, often has no travel limit unless the judge added one. Read your own order rather than assuming.
Formal probation versus summary probation
California courts impose probation under the broad authority in Penal Code section 1203.1, which lets a judge set, among other terms, "other reasonable conditions" fitting the case. Penal Code section 1203(a) defines probation as release under the supervision of a probation officer, and a conditional sentence, often called summary or informal probation, as release subject to conditions set by the court without a probation officer's supervision. Felony probation is typically formal, with a written set of conditions that often includes a travel condition. Many misdemeanor cases instead receive summary probation, where the court keeps jurisdiction but no officer supervises you day to day, and travel conditions are less common unless the judge adds one. The actual condition sheet you signed, not a general description like this one, controls your case, and two people convicted of the same charge in the same county can still end up with different travel terms.
Leaving your county
Formal probation conditions often require permission from your probation officer before leaving the county, sometimes only for trips longer than a set number of hours or days. Whether your order has a limit, and what it is, is written in your conditions, so check the exact wording rather than relying on what someone else was told. Ask well in advance and stay current on your other terms, such as fees, classes, or testing. Waiting until the day you want to leave is an easy way for this to go wrong, since a verbal yes from someone other than your officer, or a voicemail left without a callback, is not documented permission you can point to later if a question comes up.
Leaving California
Out of state travel is often handled more strictly than a trip within California. Depending on your conditions and county, permission to leave the state may come from your probation officer in writing, or it may require a court order. Build in time for the request before you commit to travel plans, since it is not always approved the same day, and if the court has to decide, a hearing date may not line up neatly with a trip you have already planned.
Traveling outside the United States
International travel raises the same permission issue as out of state travel, plus your passport. Some probation orders, particularly after certain offenses, include a passport surrender or passport restriction condition, which has to be addressed directly with the court before any international trip is realistic. Do not book nonrefundable travel before confirming, in writing, that both the general permission and any passport condition are resolved, since a denied request after tickets are purchased does not get your money back. A destination country's own entry rules can add a second layer of difficulty even after California signs off, since some countries ask about criminal history on a visa form or at the border, which is a separate question from what your probation order allows.
Travel for work or a family emergency
A sudden work trip or a family emergency does not suspend the permission requirement, even though the timeline is tighter. An officer or court may be able to act faster on a documented emergency than on a routine vacation request, but faster is not the same as automatic, and you still have to ask rather than assume the circumstances speak for themselves. Call your probation officer as soon as the need comes up, put the request in writing if at all possible, and keep documentation of the emergency itself, such as a hospital notice or a funeral program, in case the court or officer asks for it later. A missed call is not the same as a denial, so follow up rather than assuming silence means either yes or no.
Moving permanently to another state
A temporary trip is a different question from a permanent move. Penal Code section 1203(i) bars releasing a probationer to enter another state unless the case has been referred to the interstate compact administrator, and relocating while on probation generally requires a transfer under the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision, which California adopted in Penal Code section 11180. It is a separate process from a short visit, with its own eligibility rules and timeline. Can You Transfer Probation to Another State? covers that process; do not treat a travel permit for a vacation as a substitute for a compact transfer if you actually intend to live somewhere else.
What to do before you book anything
Read your actual conditions of probation for the exact travel language the court used, since forms vary by county. Ask your probation officer, in writing, well before your planned dates, and if the answer involves the court rather than the officer, build in time for a hearing or a written order. If your probation instructions seem to conflict with what the court actually ordered, resolve that conflict first, and if you are weighing a move to another county rather than another state, see moving counties while on probation. Traveling without required permission can be treated as a probation violation, and under section 1203.1(j) a court that finds a violation has authority to change your terms and order jail time within the limits for the offense, so confirm everything in writing before you go.