WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says a convicted sex offender did not have to update his status on the federal sex offender registry after moving to a foreign country.

The justices on Monday ruled unanimously in favor of Lester Nichols, a Kansas man who moved to the Philippines after his release from prison in 2012. Nichols moved without notifying authorities.

He was convicted of failing to update his sex-offender registration. A federal appeals court upheld his conviction.

Justice Samuel Alito said a straightforward reading of the law at the time did not require registry updates after moving out of the United States. He noted that Congress has since criminalized the failure of sex offenders to offer information about foreign travel.