UK Border Control: What to Expect When You Arrive

Before You Fly

Preparation starts before you reach the airport. Make sure you have:

• Your passport. GOV.UK says it should be valid for the whole of your stay. There is no separate UK requirement for extra months beyond that.
• A visa or electronic travel authorisation, if you need one. GOV.UK says you must have it before you travel, and that you may need one to travel through the UK as well as to enter it. Check that a visa will not expire before you enter the UK.
• Your eVisa, linked to the passport you are travelling on. GOV.UK says to sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration account and check that your details are up to date and that the eVisa is linked to your current passport or travel document.
• A share code. GOV.UK says to get one before you travel to prove your immigration status. A share code is valid for 90 days.
• Any valid physical immigration document showing you have permission to travel to the UK.
• Proof of relationship, if travelling with children. GOV.UK says you may be asked to prove the relationship if you do not appear to be the parent, for example if you have a different surname. A birth or adoption certificate, divorce or marriage certificates, or a letter of permission from the child's parent with contact details are what it lists.

Biometric residence permits are no longer part of this. GOV.UK states: "All BRPs have now expired and have been replaced by eVisas. You can no longer use a BRP for travel." You cannot apply for a replacement permit or card. If you cannot update your UK Visas and Immigration account yourself, GOV.UK says you can ask UK Visas and Immigration to update it for you, at a cost of £154, and that you may need to give your fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre. If you have been outside the UK for more than 2 years, a Returning Resident visa costs £726 and allows one re-entry.

Before you board, your carrier checks your passport and travel documents and sends the information electronically to Border Force. GOV.UK notes you can ask to see the information carriers have sent about you.

Keep immigration documents in your hand luggage rather than checked bags. The full rules are in the GOV.UK guidance on UK border control.

eGates and Border Force Desks

At a UK port or airport you go through either an automatic eGate or a Border Force desk. Which one is open to you is set by published criteria, not by choice.

eGates

eGates use facial recognition to check your identity against the photo in your passport. Three conditions apply to everyone:

• your passport has a biometric symbol on the cover;
• you are 8 years old or over, and if you are 8 to 17 you must be accompanied by an adult;
• you are 120cm (3ft 11in) or taller.

Beyond that, eligibility depends on where you are from:

• British citizens: a biometric passport is enough. You can also use the UK/EEA channel with a passport or Gibraltar identity card.
• From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein: you also need a valid digital immigration status or a record of a digital exemption.
• From outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein: you also need a valid digital immigration status or a record of a digital exemption, and a passport from an eligible country. GOV.UK lists those as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States.
• Registered Traveller Service members may also be able to use the UK/EEA lanes and the eGates.

One case where you must not use an eGate. GOV.UK says that if you are entering the UK with a Temporary Work Creative Worker certificate of sponsorship for up to 3 months, and entering without a visa, you must see a Border Force officer and get a stamp in your passport. You cannot get a stamp from an eGate, and without it you will not be allowed to carry out the activities you came to do.

GOV.UK also notes that if you are travelling with an eVisa, your fingerprints may be checked at border control against the ones on your eVisa.

Border Force Desks

If you are not eligible for the eGates, a Border Force officer checks your passport and visa. GOV.UK says people from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein "will usually be asked why you're coming to the UK".

At the desk, GOV.UK says you must:

• have your identity document ready, out of any holder or wallet;
• remove a face covering or sunglasses if you are wearing them;
• move through passport control together if you are a family.

Arriving by bus or coach, you have to leave the bus at border control, so be ready to get off with your travel documents in hand. More detail is in the GOV.UK guidance on faster travel through the UK border.

What You Will Be Asked

GOV.UK is brief on this. For travellers from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein it says: "Your passport (and visa if you have one) will be checked at border control. You'll usually be asked why you're coming to the UK."

Questions follow from the permission you hold, so the answers are in the documents you already have: the sponsor and role on a Skilled Worker visa and its certificate of sponsorship, the sponsor and course on a Student visa, the partner and address on a partner visa, the dates and address of a visit.

Customs

GOV.UK says you must declare to customs:

• anything over your duty-free allowance;
• banned or restricted goods in the UK;
• goods that you plan to sell;
• more than €10,000, or its equivalent, in cash, if you are coming from outside the EU.

You and your baggage may be checked. GOV.UK says baggage is usually checked in front of you, that customs officers keep a record of any damage caused during a check, and that you may be offered compensation if your belongings are damaged. Breaking the rules on bringing goods into the UK can mean the goods, and any vehicle used to transport them, are seized. To complain about a check, you can ask for the duty manager at the time, or send a complaint to Border Force later.

After Clearing Immigration

• Collect your luggage from the baggage hall.
• Pass through customs, declaring anything on the list above.
• There is no permit to collect. Biometric residence permits have all expired and have been replaced by eVisas, so there is no longer a post office collection step after arrival.
• The usual first administrative steps are registering with a GP, opening a bank account, and applying for a National Insurance number.

Transiting Through a UK Airport

GOV.UK describes two kinds of transit. "Airside" means you do not pass through UK border control before leaving on your connecting journey. "Landside" means you do pass through UK border control, then come back through it and leave the UK within a short time, usually 24 hours.

Which applies changes what you need. An electronic travel authorisation is only needed where you pass through UK border control; transiting airside without passing border control does not need one. Check whether you need a visa or an authorisation for your particular layover.

If Entry Is Refused

GOV.UK says you will be told in writing:

• why you have been refused entry to the UK;
• whether you can appeal against the decision;
• when you will be removed from the UK.

It adds that you will usually have to leave the UK immediately, and that you may be allowed into the UK temporarily — usually for up to a week — but that your passport will be taken from you and you must report to immigration officers at set times. See our guide on what to do if you are refused.

Related guides:

• Biometric Residence Permits Explained
• eVisa UK Guide
• UK Visitor Visa Guide
• Do I Need a Visa to Visit the UK?

Questions and answers