Arriving in the United Kingdom
This page explains what you can expect when you arrive in the United Kingdom.
Passport control
When you arrive at passport control you must show your passport or any other relevant documents to the immigration officer, who may ask you for further information about your visit to the United Kingdom. If you want to stay more than six months you will need a visa or entry clearance to enter the United Kingdomand even if you are not a visa national. If you are a visa national you will need a visa to enter the United Kingdom for any length of time.
If you want to stay in the United Kingdom for more than six months, we will normally ask a medical inspector to examine you.
What travel documents are accepted at passport control?
Your documents must be valid and issued by a government or authority. The most common examples of travel documents are:
- national passports; or
- 1951 Convention travel documents for refugees.
We also accept nationality identity cards for citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Waiting times at passport control
If you are not a national of the EEA you will need to go through passport control where we will check your passport and give you permission to stay, if appropriate. We aim to see you within 45 minutes. If you are a national of the EEA, you can use the separate channel marked 'EEA/EU' where we will usually check your passport or national identity card more quickly.
If you are part of a group you may be able to travel under the group travel scheme. This can also speed up the passage through passport control. You should see Group travel for details.
Further enquiries at passport control
We might need to make further enquiries about your visit to the United Kingdom and you may have to wait while we do this. We will explain what we are doing and why. We will provide an interpreter if necessary. We will make our enquiries as quickly as possible and we will keep you informed of progress. We may ask you to produce evidence of funds (the money you have available) and we may count your cash or travellers cheques.
We will not normally ask you to give cash to the immigration officer.
Forms (landing cards)
You will have to complete a landing card, unless:
- you are a national of the EEA; or
- the United Kingdom is not your final destination and you do not need to go through passport control to continue your journey.
Your airline, shipping company, train, or coach operator may supply your landing card. Cards are also available in the passport control area.
For more information on what is expected of you when you arrive in the United Kingdom you should read Rights and responsibilities.
Terms explained
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European Economic Area
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.