Clearing HM Customs
 

I just read a thread on airliners.net about UK customs being extremely picky and over-scrutinous. I remember flying into LGW in 2004, being asked a few questions like "Have you ever been here?" and then having my passport stamped and being allowed in. It took less than 3 minutes.

But the way people make it sound now, I'm going to be strip searched and humilitated in order to pass HM Customs.

How much of this is just over-exaggerated? Other than clothes and my camera and phone, I won't be taking anything else. I've got to save all the space I can to bring back gifts! (Especially with the airlines charging extra for luggage!).

Anyone's experience/advice would certainly be helpful. My friends and I are going to London in July.

You are mixing apples & oranges.

Passport control will want to know the purpose of your visit, and stamps your passport if satisfied you are here as a tourist. Sometimes the queues (lines) are rather long, especially if a plane filled with non-EU passengers has landed just ahead of you.

After that you collect your luggage and go through customs. If you have nothing to declare, you head for the green exit, and usually are allowed to pass through without being stopped.

It's not you who's mixing apples and oranges: it's Americans (and Australians) in general. Since the misuse of "Customs" is so widespread in America, it's impossible to guess what these threads you're describing were talking about. Quote us the thread and we can tell you how typical the experience is.

However two things are worth noting:

- British immigration officials can be highly scrutinous with arriving foreigners. It's not for the scrutined to decide whether they're "over-scrutinous": we make the rules, not arriving foreigners, and it's the job of immigration officials to keep undesirables out. An attractive, young, affluent Americans or Australian can be a great deal more undesirable than any Pakistani.

- Practically no-one is stopped going through Customs. I've been stopped just twice in 50 years of travelling, and not once in the past 20. If you ARE stopped, it's very unlikely to be random: something about you has triggered their alert system. Since all they're really interested in these days is keeping out seriously dangerous things or finding really grade A smuggling or money laundering, it's practically certain they won't just ask you a question or two. They just aren't interested in finding someone who's bought a few hundred pounds more than their duty free limit.

HM Customs do have quite draconian powers. In the very, very, unlikely case you fall under their suspicion, you could well get strip searched. But, unless you're on a direct flight from Bogota with a ticket showing the journey started in Medellin, you simply won't get stopped.

I consider myself a pretty likable guy, and do not look suspicious. Plus, I will be traveling in a group with 3 others.

I just know that some people over-react, and in our day of travel and uncertainty, I just want to get some second and third opinions.

Of all the countries in the world I've been, US, UK, Canada and Israel are basically the only countries where their immigration officers will ask questions. Israel does it for security reasons, but the other three are among the most attractive countries in the world for illegal immigrants to find work.

[I've never been to Australia, but they are even stricter, as they require visas for most non-Commonwealth citizens to just visit, including Americans.]

Many posters in various internet forums refuse to acknowledge those facts, or the issues countries like the UK or Canada faces. To them, an immigration officer's only job is to let them go through without any questioning. Well, if that's the case, why even have immigration to start with?

Have never been stopped at Customs anywhere in europe - in more than 70 trips - just walked right through the green "Nothing to Declare" line with my luggage.

If you're asking about IMMIGRATION - which is the tourist being admitted to the country - yes, the UK officials usually ask a few simple questions - which may or may not happen elsewhere. (Generally, are you here for work or vacation, how long are you staying - and possibly the name of your hotel.)

Assuming you give the correct answers - and don;t look or act as if you plan on becoming an illegal immigrant - the process takes about a minute. Although the wait to see an Immigration Official can be long - esp if planes just ahead of you came from an area with lots of illegal immigration.

Thanks for all your help. You just never know when you read a news article, because you need input from the people who have actually traveled.

As a side issue:

I've always found Australia - which demands visas from EVERYONE except New Zealanders - has been a doddle to get into. I've always assumed that for most of us the visa is a flag to the passport official that you're kosher. Helps to forget to mention you've been on a farm lately, though.

Unlike the bloody Canadians who give you the third degree even if you're only changing planes en route to or from the US.

Hey it's not just visitors that get the third degree form Canadian Immigration officials. Those of us coming home to Canada get it too. Doesn't bother me, if it keeps out the undesirables.

Cruiseryyc , what's the point of the Canadian immigration giving Canadian citizens the 3rd Degree?

After all they do have a right to be in Canada, so how is it keeping out undesirables?

I don't know the answer to your question. I'm just going on my experiences coming back to Canada after being out of the country. Questioning a Immigration official isn't on the top ten list of smart things to do - whether you are a resident of that country of not. They can alert the Customs agents to pull you aside to do the whole search.

All I know about the UK is that I have had to stand in lines of well over an hour to get through immigration, coming from the EU.

As for customs, it is the only place I have ever had my bags searched. It happened to me on 3 straight trips into the country.

Still, in the grand scheme of things, it really isn't a big deal, as long as you aren't actually doing anything illegal.

"... what's the point of the Canadian immigration giving Canadian citizens the 3rd Degree?"

alanRow, the official we deal with when re-entering Canada is a border services agent. They act on behalf of immigration, customs, agriculture, the money laundering folks, plus god knows what else.

Once they establish that we are Canadian (by confirming that we hold a valid Canadian passport), they put on their customs hat, which is where some Canadians feel they get the third degree.

Some Canadians pay $50 a year for CanPass, which pretty much eliminates the need to talk to border officials. (I have one and, to paraphrase Guy Clark, it's the second best $50 I've ever spent.)

Anselm

I really never had anyproblems with UK immigration/customs, but I have seen customs officer posted behind the "Green Door" on many occasions and pick randomly. Especially on flights coming in from Amsterdam...:-D

The thing I couldn't understand was the fact that the officers were picking the "hippie" type passengers, and while it may seem like a good idea, wouldn't a drug smuggler know that, and dress casualy or even like a businessperson?

The only one time UK immigration gave me a hard time was upon landing in LHR couple of years ago. When asked the purpose of my trip, I answered "to see ManU match over the weekend". The officer was a rabid Chelsea fan and gave me the second degree...:-D
It was done in fun....

All the other times it's just 1 or 2 questions at most. In most cases it is very professional and courteous.

In my last couple of solo trips entering the UK, I've gotten questioned by the immigration officers.

I think being a 30 something female traveling solo for leisure (not on a tour group) and not visiting relatives raises a red flag. There were always courteous and never gave me trouble, but just lots of questions.

One female immigration officer just could not comprehend why I would go to London by myself and tour around by myself...

Of the many, many, many customs I'd been thru in various countries, the only time I got pulled aside was returning to the US from Europe a couple of years ago. Partly I think was because DH & I checked "YES" to the box that asks if we have any food products. We always have chocolates or cookies or tea leaves that we bring back.

We have checked YES many times before that incident and many more times after that incident, and have not had any more problems.

Reassuring to read I am Not Alone.
I'm a Little Old Lady who travels alone all over the world. I can guarantee I will get stopped and searched every time I go through Gatwick airport. They took my mobile phone apart last time and broke my nail-clippers. This has been going on for the last 6/7/ years.
As I do not in any way fit the profile of the terrorists I see in the news (wrong age, wrong colour, wrong sex) I am mystified why this should happen so often. Could it be that I exude a kind of 'attitude' because I know pretty well what is coming?

yk:

I never actually thought that chocolate "qualified" as the kind of food they were looking for so I've always checked "no;" however, one time I was stopped and asked specifically if I had chocolate. Well, yes. So I got lectured by the official and had to explain my reasoning. I hate going through customs to get back into my own country!

And I still check "no" even when I have chocolate with me... I've never gotten stopped since.

There have been many times I was tempted to check "NO", esp after that time we were pulled aside in Customs.

HOWEVER, how can I explain the rational of "NO" to the officer when I have boxes of chocolate, cookies in my luggage? Aren't those food???

The last thing I want to do, is to lie to an immigration and customs officer. They are federal agents and it can be serious.

You are, of course, doing the right thing. However, smuggling in chocolate is my only vice! :D

To answer the OP, I've never gotten stopped by customs while entering the UK, although I did witness one time when they stopped the couple in front of us... who happened to be Jewish - orthodox (if that's the correct term) and when they opened their luggage for all and sundry to see, they actually had some handguns in their checked luggage.

The rest of us were told to keep moving, so we did! I do wonder whatever became of them... rotting in an English prison, perhaps?

Not necessarily. You are allowed to check in guns. It all depends if you have permission from the host country to have the guns before you land. If they did have permission (for whatever reason, i.e. sporting, hunting, work, etc.), the officers could just have been be checking the serial numbers against the submitted form.

I'm not saying it was the case but it is possible.