Is the Isle of Man part of the UK?
 

Hi all, I wanted to know if I traveled to England and then to the Isle of man for a few months, would my time in the Isle of Man count as time spent in the UK or would it be seen as time spent outside of the UK allowing me to return to the UK again?

From WikiTravel (an awesome source of travel info):

<i>It is a British Crown dependency (and therefore not part of the United Kingdom itself); the UK is responsible for defence and foreign affairs...The Isle of Man is not a full member of the European Union or the Schengen Area, however it is part of the Common Travel Area and maintains a full customs union with the United Kingdom. No passport control checks are in place for travellers from the UK, however the plane and ferry companies usually request some form of photo ID. </i>

In other words, you can go between the UK and Isle of Man as many times as you would like.

Ooops, I meant to add that since it is Common Travel Area (and there are no passport checks), it would not be seen as time outside of the UK.

The Isle of Man is not technically part of the UK.
It is a self-governing British Crown dependency. I think the Queen of England is a Lord there. It would not count imo.

As far as passport control is concerned it is treated as within the UK so your idea won't work. Why anyone would actually want to spend 6 months in the Isle of Man unless they had a family/job there is hard for me to get my head round!

@Gordon_R<<<Why anyone would actually want to spend 6 months in the Isle of Man unless they had a family/job there is hard for me to get my head round!>>>

They could be Scousers or Paddies!
There's a heck of a lot worse places than spending a few months on the IOM.
Best way of getting there is by ferry from Heysham in North Lancashire.
A great place to stay for a day or two close to Heysham is Morecambe.
Morecambe is great, one of the original UK holiday resorts.
A bit run-down these days, but nonetheless well worth a peek at, especially on a Wednesday, when the traffic lights change!

Forget it, Disneygirl, it won't work.

I have a friend that lives on the IOM and it is beautiful. She shows her dogs and her commentary on the ferries is very funny. I so want to go for the famous TT races.

Annhig . . . She is nothing if not persistent ;)

I'm trying to find a loophole!

Thedisneygirl, are you looking to avoid non-English speaking countries? Between this thread and your other one I am trying to get my head around what it is exactly you want.

Is it really so horrible to suggest that after 6 months in the UK that you go to Spain for 90 days then Moldova or Turkey or another non-Schengen member for 90 days then go back to the UK?

Sparkchaser, that was my original plan, but I thought that if I could stay in the UK for 6months and then move to another country for 6months that would be preferable. I am trying to explore new countries while also completing my online Business degree, so the longer I get to stay put the better... Moving every 3months would be a little difficult.

"Best way of getting there is by ferry from Heysham in North Lancashire.
A great place to stay for a day or two close to Heysham is Morecambe.
Morecambe is great, one of the original UK holiday resorts.
A bit run-down these days, but nonetheless well worth a peek at, especially on a Wednesday, when the traffic lights change!"

The ferry takes about 3 or 4 hours if I remember correctly, a bit longer from Liverpool. We passed through Morecambe on Monday, which is the best way to visit it! The place is awful.
They spent a lot of money on the new promenade area, but the shops etc on the other side of the road are a mess.

<i>Sparkchaser, that was my original plan, but I thought that if I could stay in the UK for 6months and then move to another country for 6months that would be preferable. I am trying to explore new countries while also completing my online Business degree, so the longer I get to stay put the better... Moving every 3months would be a little difficult.</i>

I guess it depends on how much stuff you have to move but I agree that moving is a major PITA.

Were you planning on renting an apartment in your destinations?

@Rubicund<<<They spent a lot of money on the new promenade area, but the shops etc on the other side of the road are a mess.>>>

Here's one of my favourite videos of Morecambe. Look out for me and our lass after 17 seconds...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLRQ8ElrEoU

This is a nice promotional video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g44Ga5jM59E

Spotted you both and can I say how smart you both look. The place hasn't changed much has it, although the promenaders I saw on Monday were a trifle more heavily tattooed!

Back to your original question - there is no loophole. Your time in the Isle of Man will be counted towards your 6 months in the UK

Thankks Chalseaboy