Travelling to europe (first time) as a Biritsh citizen!

User · Post by **User** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:01 pm

Hi Guys,

This weekend i will be travelling to Europe for the first time as a British citizen.

I am booking a ticket to Copenhagon

Really exiting stuff - since i will travelling to Europe with my British passport. Wondering what the immigration will be like!

:-)

Will keep you all informed once I am back form the trip!

If anybody else can share their experience on travel to europe for the first time with their British passport, it will be great!

Also their experience of how it was when coming back to UK! (i.e. immigration in UK)

Ta!

I am too excited really!

rogerroger · Post by **rogerroger** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:51 pm

have fun

breezing past immigration on the way back

Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:03 pm

breezing past immigration on the way back

Indeed breezing into the Schengen zone in Copenhagen!

The first time my wife used her brand-new British passport she was disappointed! No stamps in the passport! No proof where she has been to. Our last two summer holidays we have visited 10 countries in Europe and only ended up with stamps in the passports from one ... Croatia! And no visa needed even for Croatia ... just stamps in the passports.

sharat · Post by **sharat** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:09 pm

At immigration counters just look out for EEA NATIONALS or "EU PASSPORT. It is likely to be a long queue for local flights compared to where you would stand with the non-EEA passport counter.

REMEMBER you are only holding a british passport in front of the immigration but everything IS/WAS the same as before !!!!!

rogerroger · Post by **rogerroger** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:27 pm

cant wait to get the shiny red booklet

olisun · Post by **olisun** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:44 pm

well, I am flying to spain next month first time using by british PP... will post my experiences here

ilm · Post by **ilm** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:52 pm

we have visited 10 countries in Europe and only ended up with stamps in the passports from one ... Croatia! And no visa needed even for Croatia ... just stamps in the passports

Don't always get a stamp for there either. I have been to Croatia 3 times in the last 6 months and I think it depends on whether they can be bothered to get the stamp out!

Ironically my wife, being Croatian, gets a stamp when I don't and I get one when she doesn't. Do you know that Croatians don't need a Schengen visa so can travel all over Europe without a visa, except the UK of course.

confused1 · Post by **confused1** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:01 pm

Hello guys... By the way I've got an idea.. just to beat the queue at the immigration desk... what happens if I carry both my passports, UK and my other one

If there's a long queue on the EEA passport control.. then I'll simply use my other passport and pass through the non-EEA passport zone area... Ofcourse I'll keep a multiple Schengen VISA, valid for all Schengen states on my other passport.

Do you think it would work? Any ideas? any1

confused1 · Post by **confused1** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm

rogerroger wrote:cant wait to get the shiny red booklet

rogerroger, if you want the shiny booklet then you must hurry... as the new Biometric passport does not have a shiny cover as the current one... just a weeee bit difference lol

Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:09 pm

You would bother to get a Schengen visa to save yourself a couple of minutes in a queue? I fear that Confused1 is actually 1 Confused person!

Seriously, EEA/Swiss passports examined briefly ... non-EEA/Swiss passports examined much more thoroughly.

Either way you are probably at the carousel waiting for your suitcase before the luggage starts appearing from your flight.

Don't overlook that once in the Schengen area, if you take a further flight to another Schengen destination there is no immigration-style check either in the country you are leaving or on arrival. That amazed us ... flying from Spain to Denmark for example .... no immigration-style checks at all.

confused1 · Post by **confused1** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:56 pm

lol, Points noted, Thanks John

basis · Post by **basis** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:07 am

John wrote: Don't overlook that once in the Schengen area, if you take a further flight to another Schengen destination there is no immigration-style check either in the country you are leaving or on arrival. That amazed us ... flying from Spain to Denmark for example .... no immigration-style checks at all.

True. But this is true for Shengen Visa holders as well as EU passport holders as well as anyone who has once entered Schengen Visa. From that point Schengen is truly one country.

lemess · Post by **lemess** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:04 am

confused1 wrote:Hello guys... By the way I've got an idea.. just to beat the queue at the immigration desk... what happens if I carry both my passports, UK and my other one

If there's a long queue on the EEA passport control.. then I'll simply use my other passport and pass through the non-EEA passport zone area... Ofcourse I'll keep a multiple Schengen VISA, valid for all Schengen states on my other passport.

Do you think it would work? Any ideas? any1

it would only work if you were legally able to carry both passports. If you were an indian citizen before you naturalised , for example, your other passport would be instantly invalid as soon as you take the oath and trying to use it would be a criminal offence. I certainly wouldn't go so far as to risk criminal prosecution just to stand ina shorter queue

Of course if your old country allows dual citizenship and both your passports are valid, you could try it. Personally I would always enter the UK and other EU countries with a UK passport even if I had another non EU one simply because that way I know there is no possibility of any holdup at immigration or any awkward questions.

Post by **John** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:29 am

But this is true for Shengen Visa holders as well as EU passport holders as well as anyone who has once entered Schengen Visa. From that point Schengen is truly one country.

Indeed it is true. There really are no immigration-style checks on going from one Schengen country to another.

Joseph · Post by **Joseph** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:16 am

I have made 3 trips to Europe and 1 to the US and I have been slightly disappointed when reentering the UK. As luck would have it, the UK/EU line was longer than the foreign line every time! When I get a chance I will get a certificate of entitlement for my US passport, which will provide a little more flexibility. I'm not complaining; it wasn't a big deal and the wait on the European side was much shorter!

Another option is to enrol in IRIS, the iris recognition system being launched under the e-borders scheme. When it becomes operational, you can enter the UK via a barrier where your eye is scanned. When the barriers are installed and working (they are not yet) you theoretically don't need to even have your British passport with you to enter the UK, according to the guy I talked to when I enrolled. There are enollment stations in the departure areas of Terminal 4 and 2 at Heathrow. It is open to British citizens as well as foreign citizens with long-term visas.

See links below (patient - they are very slow to download!):

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... _iris.html

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... faq_s.html

Joseph

mhunjn · Post by **mhunjn** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:28 am

That's a good thing.

However, I am sure the airlines will not let you on the plane without a valid passport... as it's their policy.

Joseph wrote:

When the barriers are installed and working (they are not yet) you theoretically don't need to even have your British passport with you to enter the UK, according to the guy I talked to when I enrolled.

basis · Post by **basis** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:35 am

Joseph wrote: As luck would have it, the UK/EU line was longer than the foreign line every time!
Joseph

Indeed a possibility. But in my experience so far EU/UK queue could be longer (it is generally as most travellers are from that region) but it is faster. Once I went quite happy to see a shorter queue (when I was holding ILR) and my EU Passport holder went to long queue. Surprise surprise he was 'out of the queue' when I was still answering 'how I got my ILR'.

Joseph · Post by **Joseph** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 11:37 am

mhunjn
Of course, I was thinking of a scenario where you would only have available your foreign passport (if you still are allowed to have one) instead of a UK passport. If the barriers are not working that day, there will be problems, so it's probably risky.

basis,
You're right. The EU line does move faster.

Joseph

mhunjn · Post by **mhunjn** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:34 pm

You are right in what you say.

I actually meant to say something else.
At present, the airlines have a policy of not allowing anyone on board without a valid passport, which is valid for a minimum period of time (3 to 6 months, depending on airline etc).
From what I know, there is no legal requirement for an EU citizen to carry their passport as long as they are travelling within the EU borders (subject to other valid identity documents ofcourse).
However, it is not uncommon for the check-in desk to refuse boarding to an EU person if he/she don't have a valid passport.
This is only and only because of the airline policy.

So IMHO, regardless of the IRIS system, where passengers wouldn't need to show their passport at immigration, they'll probably still have to carry them for airline check-in etc.

Apologies if this has gone on a tangent to the original conversation on this thread.

lemess · Post by **lemess** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:13 pm

If you're a UK citizen travelling in the EU you still need a passport as many EU countries expect people to be able to produce proof of idenity on demand and the UK does not have any alternative to passports in this regard.
I also read somewhere that the IRIS trial was indefinitely suspended after the 7/7 bombings so not sure what the status is now.

confused1 · Post by **confused1** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:06 pm

Totally agree with lemess. Altough the IRIS is back in service again.

vin123 · Post by **vin123** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:11 pm

Plus, Now they are spending a lot of money on Biometric passport trials. Mr Blair is merely a copy cat of what US is doing.

lemess wrote:If you're a UK citizen travelling in the EU you still need a passport as many EU countries expect people to be able to produce proof of idenity on demand and the UK does not have any alternative to passports in this regard.
I also read somewhere that the IRIS trial was indefinitely suspended after the 7/7 bombings so not sure what the status is now.

Post by **JAJ** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:44 pm

John wrote: Don't overlook that once in the Schengen area, if you take a further flight to another Schengen destination there is no immigration-style check either in the country you are leaving or on arrival. That amazed us ... flying from Spain to Denmark for example .... no immigration-style checks at all.

The security implications of this are more frightening than "amazing" - the United Kingdom has made a wise decision to retain its own border controls.

tt · Post by tt » Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:58 am

Somthing I've wondered about before.

Would it be possible as a UK citizen, if you are also a dual citizen (of the US or wherever), to get a kind of RIGHT OF ABODE type endorsement in the non-UK passport (on the basis you have it, because you are also a UK citizen).

So then, if you decide to enter the UK etc with the non-UK passport, then you wouldn't have any of the hassles mentioned above.

I'm assuming that UK IOs treat RIGHT OF ABODE holders leniently, cos they have to let them in!

Or doesn't right of abode work that way?

Post by **John** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:39 am

It is indeed possible for a dual passport holder to get ROA put into the British one. There can be advantages in doing that. In particular, if based upon their non-British passport the person would be a visa national, then having ROA in that passport enables then to check in at an airport outside the UK just using that non-British passport.

My wife, originally just Thai and now British as well, is in the process of renewing her Thai passport. That new Thai passport will not have any UK visas in it but if we get ROA put into it she could use just that passport to check in at Bangkok airport at the start of a journey back to the UK.

Having done that she would still use her British Passport to enter the UK ... both would be carried.

tt wrote:So then, if you decide to enter the UK etc with the non-UK passport, then you wouldn't have any of the hassles mentioned above.

What hassles do you have in mind?

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Travelling to europe (first time) as a Biritsh citizen!

Travelling to europe (first time) as a Biritsh citizen!