moneypenny20

Says it all really. If you are travelling from one country to another and either have a transit stop at an airport in the middle, are you in that particular country if you stay airside and don't go through passport control or are you in a sort of no man's land?

I started thinking about this after reading a post about carrying meds through Dubai and being slightly freaked about having to carry first born's meds through when we visit the UK.

I can understand problems if visiting a country with strict rules and regulations, but not if you are just stopping and going on again.

ianhutch1

This may make some interesting reading for you

http://uae.usembassy.gov/restricted_medication_.html

I believe these are all restricted even for just a stopover airside.

moneypenny20

My daughter's meds are on that list I need to find out if we are just refueling or actually getting off the plane. I think it's crap though if you have to go through hoops just for parking your bum on a seat in their airport for half an hour

Grayling

Not sure about this.....I would assume you on the territory where the airport is situated.

However, I remember travelling to Boston via Shannon from Birmingham and Dublin (all Irish flights to America go via Shannon)...there is a US customs and immigration point in Shannon airport and once you go through this you are effectively on an American domestic flight.....I assume that part of Shannon airport must therefore be American territory.

G

moneypenny20

That's the sort of thing that confuses me. When I go through passport control on leaving a country, I show the passport and go through a door so am I still in that country or am I in a bit of wherever I'm heading to???? May be I'm thick but I've never really thought about it before

ianhutch1

You are in theory in no country but I believe that the laws of the country the airport is situated in still apply.

TMRE

http://www.uaeembassy.org.au/consular.htm#medication.

There is a number and email address on there. Maybe if you email them they could tell you what you need to do.

allankate

I don't think you're technically in the country until you pass through passport control at the destination airport. I think as you mentioned earlier it's sort of like a no mans land / transition area. Did you see the Terminal with Tom Hanks? they wouldn't let him through passport control as his visa had been revoked but couldn't send him back because ... (I don't remember why now ) any how I'm sure you are always technically on the soil of the country where you've landed but you don't have any rights to go beyond that point.

Confused myself now

The other thing to consider is, on my flight to Perth from Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur last year, the plane from Heathrow was delayed 4 hours, this meant I missed my connection to Perth. We then had to be put up in a hotel, so we all actually departed Kuala Lumpur airport into Kuala Lumpur itself. Then when we went back to the airport the next day we had to check in again

What happens then re your meds? Not sure..

Allan

TMRE

There is a coup in his home country, USA no longer recognises the country he is from so he can't enter and all planes stop flying to the country. Watched it last week for the first time

JAJ

You are on that country's sovereign territory.

JAJ

No! U.S. preclearance in the Republic of Ireland (unlike Canada or Bermuda) does not cover U.S. customs, only immigration inspections, so arriving passengers must still clear customs on arrival.

Again - no!

Preclearance areas in Ireland, Canada etc remain the sovereign territory of the host nation.

Under the terms of the preclearance legislation in Canada, for example, it is an offence under Canadian law to make a false statement to a U.S. officer. However, U.S. Immigration do not have detention or arrest powers (other than for violation of Canadian law). A person under inspection remains free to leave the pre-clearance area anytime if no Canadian law has been broken.

The Bloke

It was a fictionalised story based on true events. Think it had something to do with the breakup of Yugoslavia. A chap was stranded at Paris'
Charles de Gaulle Airport for several years, even managing to get himself routine cleaning jobs and free food from the likes of McDonalds, Pizza Hut etc, in the food court.

JAJ

Apparently an Iranian:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehran_Karimi_Nasseri

Deciding to leave Belgium without becoming a Belgian citizen falls straight into the "not smart" category.

bcworld

You will be getting off the plane....if you are flying BNE to UK via Dubai then its a different plane on the Dubai - UK sector. Your cabin bags will be security screened before the UK flight as well.

ray2gill

This all to stop drug trafficing. You could bring something in hand it to someone pre-arranged in the transit lounge and they take it on to somewhere else. That is why all your luggage is screened even in transit.