I am a Romanian citizen, resident in Valencia, Spain. My wife is a Spanish citizen (and of Spanish origin). We have a child - Spanish citizen too, born here.
I travel to the UK regularly, sometimes accompanied by my wife. I entered the UK in the past via a number of airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Liverpool and Manchester). In 2009 I flew frequently to Manchester - over 10 times - and immediately both me and my wife noticed what seemed to be an obvious hostility towards Romanian citizens, compared to the other British airports we used. Pretty much everytime I would show my Romanian Passports and/or Identity Card at Manchester Airport I would be grilled with all kind of questions:
- "Where are you flying from?"
"What are you doing in Spain?"
"What is the purpose of your visit to the UK?"
"For how long do you intend to stay?"
"What is your date of birth?" (I guess they want to check if I know what is written in the passport)
"Where was the passport issued?"
Sometimes even "Do you have any other ID"?
"Can I see your Spanish residence card?" (which actually is not even compulsory for Romanians in Spain), etc.
The other strange thing is this hasn't happened to me in any of the London airports. I don't remember going through it in Liverpool either. But in Manchester ... almost always! It seems to me they have some sort of "agenda" against Romanian citizens (and I would imagine possibly against citizens of other new EU member states too ...)
In the end they always let me through - as there is nothing wrong with my passport or ID card - but only after some kind of big "mancunian circus".
At the same airport, on one occasion I was stopped again by some "official" after the border check and collecting my luggage, who asked what was the purpose of my visit and for how long I intended to stay in the country ?!
Is all this in compliance with EU law? If EU citizens don't require permission to enter another EU member state, why am I being asked what I was doing in Spain or what was the purpose of my visit to the UK?
If I can enter the UK using my Passport or ID Card, why would they ask to see my Spanish residence card?
Next time I travel to Manchester, in a week or so, I'm planning to contest their questions - and ask them why do they need that information. Would that be OK? Can I refuse to answer these type of questions or refuse to show them for example my Spanish residence card if they ask for it?