Ash UK/US

That the UK has an actual physical border that you cross, I thought that when you went through passport control you were in the country. I watched a show last night that showed the border. Is this something new or have I just being missing it all these years?

Thydney

The only one that I can think of would be with the Republic of Ireland

Mummy in the foothills

I thought the same as you, passport control was it.

Ash UK/US

Watch from 5.40 onwards, this is at Heathrow, maybe it is in the new terminal?

traceym

Cross the Border is released from passport Control, so in effect 'the Border' is Passport control, until they let you in you havent 'crossed the border.'

Zonie

It's not like Narnia. You are admitted, or not admitted in which case they may put you on the next aircraft back to your point of departure.

traceym

Bloody hell if the queues arent bad enough imagine waiting to get through that wardrobe one by one

Brit3964

Now can you imagine how US Immigration would have handled that? LOL My bet is she'd be off back to Canada on the next plane.

Ash UK/US

Did you watch the clip? she says she walking her/him across the border and on the wall it says 'UK Border'

Ash UK/US

I understand that but I have never seen an actual border... on the clip the passport control woman says she is walking her across the border and it says on the wall 'UK Border'.

Awesome Welles

I wonder how US CBP would react, when they asked the question, "What are you going to be doing in the USA?" and they got the reply, "Heroin and lots of cocaine" from the total weirdo, trying to gain entry?

Ash UK/US

I saw another one of the shows were the guy from New York he had something like $400 in his pocket and wanted to stay for, I think it was, 6 months as a visitor. He had his bags searched, was caught lying but was throwing a hissy fit saying his rights (bag search) had been violated... yeah right like that wouldn't happen on entering the US. He ended up being sent home.

Lothianlad

The only actual, physical, land-based border (frontier if you prefer) between the UK and another country is that between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a country which technically is a foreign country.

All immigration into the UK is handled by the UK Border Agency, and apart from the above exception, the UK of course being an island nation, any actual "Border" as such is the passport control barrier manned by immigration officers at all points of entry into the UK, be they at airports or coastal ports, or at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, in London. There is also a "border post" actually based on French soil, at Calais, on the French side of the Eurotunnel, also controlled by the UK Border Agency personnel.

All travellers entering the UK at main airports especially are directed into the appropriate channels depending on national status - ie UK and EU and All Others. Naturally enough the UK and EU passport holders generally flow through the quickest, with hardly a question asked. The last time I had to go through it was when I returned to Heathrow after an archaeological trip visiting ancient sites in Libya. The guy at the UK control looked as if he himself had just spent a wet weekend in Wigan...."Good evening" - swift glance at the personal data info at back of my passport..."Where have you arrived from?"......Me: "Tripoli"......Him:- glance up at me, glance down at pasport...closes passport and hands it back to me...."Cheers!" Me: "Cheers"! And off I went on my merry way, crossing the imaginary border on the floor of the massive terminal....back in my own country again, and after eight days in Libya where the sale of alcohol is totally banned, I headed straight for one of Heathrow's many bars. That was so bloody marvellous I cannot tell you how much!

In complete contrast to that Heathrow Terminal Five experience the process of entry through Tripoli airport eight days before was a total nightmare, a total bureaucratic mess in an airport which one of the guys in a group who was over 80 years of age said reminded him of what the original London Airport (later named Heathrow) looked like when it first opened up to commercial air travel in 1946.

Zonie

Because there isn’t one, it’s a concept. If that building had been designed by the architect slightly differently your UK Border would have been in a different place. You land on Heathrow runway 27 and technically you are in the UK but as far as border control is concerned you have not yet been admitted. When they have satisfied themselves with your paperwork you are admitted to the UK and have crossed the bureaucratic border as seen on TV.

tigerbaywarrior

Wales has a border - it's just not high enough.