albatros68

Please we need good hints..
At the end of november my friend (russian citizen) will take flight to Heathrow, and arrive in terminal 5, and after 6 hours we will take together a flight from Terminal 4.
We cannot figure out if changing from terminal 5 to terminal 4 (we have separate tickets but only hand baggage) my friend need to pass uk immigration and have a transit visa or not.
We do not have much time to ask for Transit Visa so question is urgent and very important.
Thank you very much

MmePerdu

https://www.gov.uk/transit-visa/overview

albatros68

thank you very much, in th UK immigration site is stated "You may need a Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV) if you’ll be changing flights in the UK without going through immigration control and you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland"

so my question is "why someone outside EEA should make a visa if does not go thru immigration control?"
something I do not understand, where they would check this DATV? and how my friend knows if pass thru immigration control or not? (in first case DATV Visa will not be enough and will need Transit Visa).
Calling the toll number of UK immigration they asked my friend to call at terminal 5 and ask them if after flight will be immigration control. But calling the heathrow airport looks like all the options have a registered voice and when choosing option "immigration" a recorded voice give a number that seems impossibile to call from abroad 02073

MmePerdu

I would guess the airline will check and if you don't have a transit visa and proof of onward travel, one of those mentioned on the gov.uk site above, they won't let you on the 1st flight.

albatros68

Thank you! In any case is better to make a transit visa, hope all wil be fine..

MmePerdu

Always better, I think, to do more than necessary when we can than less. A personal rule, the "just in case" approach.

Счастливого пути!

albatros68

Yes, I have it in my baggage too

Spacibo!