We’re Here! (Or maybe not quite yet—Arrival processes ahead.)

We realized that in this post we had gotten you on the airplane to London, and in this post from the airport to downtown London, but we had not discussed the entry process in the airport. This post is designed to cover that gap.

Before disembarking from your flight, train, or ship you should be given a card to fill out with some information about your plans while staying in the UK. It’s important to have that card filled out and ready when you leave the aircraft/ship/train. When arriving at any airport (or seaport or train station) in the UK you will have to pass through two layers of security: Border Control and Customs.

The first layer is Border Control.  At Heathrow, which we know best, arriving passengers are sorted into two groups—those from the UK and countries with agreements with the UK, and all others. There are signs on the walls as you approach Arrivals Hall that shows where to go. Follow the flag of your country. Similar sorting takes place at Gatwick and probably all major international airports in the UK. From the division of groups make your way to the Arrivals Hall and get into the queue for your turn to ener the country through the control kiosks. This queue can be pretty long, depending on the time of day, number of recent arrivals, and number of functioning kiosks. One issue to be aware of is that there is no place to sit in the queue and, if you step out of line, the protocol is to re-enter at the back of the queue. So, if you arrive in London and need a bathroom, use one in the airport itself before you get to the Arrivals Hall. Be patient and courteous. If you need assistance because of a health issue, make sure the airline knows that ahead of time and they should be willing to provide a wheelchair or cart to take you to the Arrivals Hall.  Once at the Border Control kiosk you place your passport face down on a scanner, look at the camera and wait for the gate to open to allow you to pass. No longer is there any entry card or visa, at least for US passport holders.  If the automated process fails, you will be asked to go to a booth where you will meet a Border Control officer. You will be asked a few questions such as: “Why are you here?” “How long will you be here?” and “Where are you staying while here?”  The answers should be simple, and straightforward. Note that if you are on vacation just say so. (The Brit word for vacation is “holiday,” so it’s ok to say you are “on holiday.”) For the “where” question just give your first location, with the address if possible, or tell the officer that you will be travelling around, starting at xx, whatever xx may be. For more information about the particular airport, you can look online for Heathrow, Stansted, and Gatwick.

Baggage on a carousel. Image courtesy of UK Government website.

Just past the Arrivals Hall you will find the Baggage Claim area to retrieve your checked baggage.  Note that there will be some cash machines there, too, but we generally wait until we get past all security before getting cash. In general, it will take you longer to get through Border Control than it takes the airline to get your bags to this area, so they should be waiting for you or, if not, you won’t have long to wait.

The second layer is Customs.  After claiming your bags you will see doors labelled “Customs” through which you will pass. There are signs over the doors indicating whether you have “items to declare” or “nothing to declare.” Mostly you will be able to use the “not” side unless you have items (or large amounts of cash) that must be declared. The list of items that must be declared is posted on the UK government website. If you DO have something that must be declared, as a foreigner you must use the appropriate door.

Customs doors at Heathrow. Image courtesy of UK Government website.

Follow the signs. Again, here is what the Heathrow and Gatwick websites have to say about this process: Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.

Don’t smuggle! Well-trained and very observant officers are watching as travelers pass through with their bags before getting into the airport itself. You do not want to find yourself in legal trouble in a foreign country. Even if you take the “nothing to declare” side of the Customs area, you may be stopped by a Customs official who will want to see your bags and may require that you open them for inspection. We’ve not had that happen to us, but if it does, be courteous, answer honestly and things should be fine.

Once you pass Customs, you are officially in the UK. Congratulations!