windsong

Absolutely! My thoughts exactly.

My friend called BA this morning to see if she could take her own dogs on vacation to the UK. They said "no problem". I suppose I could do the same thing . . . IF I was going in as a visitor.

I suppose I could still go in as a visitor and enter the UK with my US passport and not even present my expired UK passport - but they'd find it in my luggage anyway. Sometimes I still think I am inviting risk by even presenting that UK passport when I could so easily enter as a visitor. The problem would occur when they ask me how long I plan to stay.

Giantaxe

You're wasting your energy trying to convince windsong of anything bar the most negative scenario possible.

windsong

No, he is not. He has helped me enormously - and is in a position to advise correctly.

windsong

Good to know. Hopefully, the word has reached the ears of the IOs by now.

SanDiegogirl

If you enter the UK WITH your dogs and without showing your expired UK passport and your birth certificate to the Immigration official plus an explanation that you are a returning citizen but have not renewed your UK passport ,then you can expect to be pulled aside and questioned.

With only a US passport, two dogs and no return ticket you have no proof that you are a UK citizen. Saying you are, even with a British accent is no proof you are British and so the Immigration official has no option but to consider you a visitor and one with intentions of overstay. Likely to be put on the next plane back to the US.

A colleague's son did exactly as you intend to do. Only presented his US passport and told the UK official he was returning to the UK to work. Really? was the response.

He was pulled aside and when the officials found him to be a UK citizen - when he eventually showed them his UK passport - they were less than impressed. Gave him a serious talking to for wasting their time.

windsong

If I entered without even mentioning my UK passport, I wouldn't dream of telling them I was there to stay. But I am not going to do this. I am going to show my UK passport upon entry - expired or not. I will also have a return ticket simply because it's cheaper.

englishguygoinghome

Sounds like the right plan. Take your dogs. Once you intend to tell them you are staying permanently then the issue of the dogs suggesting that you want to stay permanently is irrelevant.
As for the landing card - you can ask for one one the plane, decent (european) airlines always carry them, or get it before joining the queue at the airport. If you decide to use the non-EU line and staff see you without one in the queue then they tend to come over and tell you to fill one in. If you go in the EU line with one they come and ask you to change queues.
As a BC and non-BC couple we've always picked the queue which looks fastest and folded the landing card in half so it's not obvious in her passport

jamjax

Have you checked the cost of taking your dogs on your flight vs air shipping them later?

We took our two dogs to London and because of the restrictions required for the vet check in London they were transported as air freight it cost about $3,500 per dog for two medium size retrievers, even though we were on the same flight.

Incidentally there are no such restrictions flying to the continent, Paris for instance they just go as excess baggage about $120 at that time in 2005. Much cheaper to fly there and then the train/ferry to the UK. You can't take dogs on the Eurostar. Chunnel train if you are driving a car is fine.

FYI you have to be very careful about which airline you take your dogs on and confirm they have air conditioning where ever they are transferred to their London flight. Only Continental/United has air con in their Houston hub. Plus there are very severe temperature restrictions on flying dogs at both departure, transfer and arrival. If it is over 75 degrees at any of those points the airlines will not transport them.

One should never sedate a dog for flying. This suppresses their ability to pant and dogs can only cool off by panting and through their feet. They don't sweat. Most dog fatalities from air travel are from heat stroke.

You can't see or visit your dogs in the transfer airport and you don't see them when they arrive in London if you/they are on a flight from the US, they are delivered to wherever you are staying after the Vet Check in Heathrow.

You can fly and see them on arrival if you go through the continent.

FYI as a dual national I always use the passport of the country I am leaving and the passport of the country I am arriving at. People travel all the time with dogs on vacation. Go in on your US passport and renew your UK passport, just be sure your return ticket to the US is far enough out to get your UK renewed...now running over ten weeks for an expired renewal.

Good luck to you and dogs.

windsong

Do you know at which point between France and England, should I elect to travel this route, do you show your passport on arrival in the UK? Is it when you board the train/ferry to go into the UK?

What happened with your dogs that they had to be flown as air freight (which I imagine is different from the usual method - air cargo)?

Are you saying I can't pick up the dogs at the airport and that they have to be delivered (by road) to where I would be staying?

I am just not sure if I can look for work immediately if I go in on my US passport and show my expired UK passport. Not sure if I would be allowed in as a visitor or citizen.

SanDiegogirl

Maybe I have missed some important information in this thread, but the fact that you have an expired UK passport, and you have not undergone any renunciation of your passport, means that you were a UK citizen, you are a UK citizen and you will continue to be a UK citizen.

As such the Immigration officials in the UK might not be happy that your passport has expired but they WILL let you in as a citizen. You will also be able to work immediately.

With all this stress I can't understand why you would not have renewed your UK passport?

Jerseygirl

Of course you can work...you are a Brit. You are British whether your PP has expired or not...you are still a Brit even if you have never had a UK passport.

Sally Redux

Good question.

windsong

Well, if you both had read my comments in the various threads, you would know! Truthfully, I don't find the last comments from either of you helpful; in fact, a waste of time!

jamjax

If I used the wrong term freight/cargo I meant whatever they call it when they are on the same flight as you are. Dog kennels are charged by volume and weight which is why it is so expensive.

That is correct about the dog delivery. The dog 'immigration' vet is in a secure area of Heathrow that has no access from the public, hence they had to be couriered to our house.

The dogs had to be considered freight/cargo because of the secure vet arrival at Heathrow it is not possible to take them as excess baggage pets and walk them over to the immigration vet who checks all of their paperwork so they are delivered by the airline to the Heathrow vet.

I assume you are aware that you have to do the rabies shot and test/six month wait in the US before you can get your dogs into the UK. There is only one lab in the US, in Kansas city, that can certify the rabies blood test.

You do not have to do that to get into Europe. Which is why it is a good way to go...you can get them microchipped and new pet passports in France and probably skip the six month wait that way.....but I stress my info is ten years old and you have to do a lot of research to check the entire process and transportation, safety, etc.


Generally UK passport control is when you get on the train or ferry in France.
But I have also driven on the chunnel train and they don't bother to check.

You still have a lot of research to do about getting your dogs over since it has been almost ten years since I did it. Also when you take dogs from the continent to the UK they have to have a distemper shot and be wormed within 24 or 48hrs of transporting them. Easy to do most French vets speak a little English and they do this all the time. But this would work for the Netherlands just as well and English is nearly universal there. Whatever is closest to your UK destination and has the cheapest air/dog fare add ons.

And I agree that you can go to the UK on your US passport and enter and you are completely legal to work immediately. I say this as an international lawyer/barrister.

good luck

jamjax

Delete everything I said about the six months and Heathrow vet I forgot they changed the rules in 2012 so that the UK conformed with EU regulations on pet movements.

This also negates my advice to go to France first....sorry I shouldn't post at midnight.

DogFriendly.com: Pet Regulations for Travel Between Countries