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What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Old Mar 4th 2011, 5:05 pm
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Default What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

This is probably a basic questions that may have been posted before, so sorry for that in advance.

When moving back to the UK what do you do at immigration? Just join the queue for passport control and then explain your situation or do you have to make arrangements with immigration in advance to tell that that you're moving back?

Thanks in advance
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Old Mar 4th 2011, 5:38 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by Dave2009
This is probably a basic questions that may have been posted before, so sorry for that in advance.

When moving back to the UK what do you do at immigration? Just join the queue for passport control and then explain your situation or do you have to make arrangements with immigration in advance to tell that that you're moving back?

Thanks in advance
You don't need to tell them anything. Just show them your passport and walk through as normal. If they ask you, then you can say you're moving back, but otherwise its just like entering on holiday.
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Old Mar 4th 2011, 8:00 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

You walk thorough passport control; and they look at your passport and say Welcome home. Well they have each time I go back, it makes me smile and also well up with a few tears.
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Old Mar 5th 2011, 6:42 am
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Just moved back after 30 years away and nobody said nowt.
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Old Mar 5th 2011, 3:21 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by Beedubya
Just moved back after 30 years away and nobody said nowt.
Aww well Welcome home bee
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Old Mar 5th 2011, 4:02 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by Beedubya
Just moved back after 30 years away and nobody said nowt.
Same here Bee
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Old Mar 6th 2011, 3:35 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by Mummy in the foothills
You walk thorough passport control; and they look at your passport and say Welcome home. Well they have each time I go back, it makes me smile and also well up with a few tears.
I know exactly how you feel. When I went back in September just for a holiday, there was an enormously long queue for non -UK passport holders and no queue for UK citizens. So I asked the passport control person if I could use my British passport to enter, even though I had travelled on my Canadian one. He gave me big smile and said "Course you can my love, Welcome Home!!" I almost burst into tears right there and then....must have been the jetlag
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Old Mar 6th 2011, 8:54 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by SomersetGirl
I know exactly how you feel. When I went back in September just for a holiday, there was an enormously long queue for non -UK passport holders and no queue for UK citizens. So I asked the passport control person if I could use my British passport to enter, even though I had travelled on my Canadian one. He gave me big smile and said "Course you can my love, Welcome Home!!" I almost burst into tears right there and then....must have been the jetlag
I always use my UK passport to enter the UK regardless of the fact that I have to use my US one to leave the States. It makes it so much easier as the line for UK is always shorter - same coming back to the US - the line for US citizens is always shorter. I just wish the baggage would come up quicker as that is always the painful wait for me
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Old Mar 6th 2011, 10:25 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by Lorac05
I always use my UK passport to enter the UK regardless of the fact that I have to use my US one to leave the States. It makes it so much easier as the line for UK is always shorter - same coming back to the US - the line for US citizens is always shorter. I just wish the baggage would come up quicker as that is always the painful wait for me
Ditto. UK passport for entering UK, Canadian passport for entering Canada.
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 12:11 am
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by bandrui
Ditto. UK passport for entering UK, Canadian passport for entering Canada.
I also used to do that too, until I was advised by an Immigration Officer in the UK that it wasn't wise to use 2 different passports in the same trip.
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 4:28 am
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by SomersetGirl
I also used to do that too, until I was advised by an Immigration Officer in the UK that it wasn't wise to use 2 different passports in the same trip.
Did he say why?
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 12:25 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Can't imagine why. My daughter does it all the time, leaves South Africa on her SA passport - legal requirement if you have dual nationality - and enters the UK on her British one. How would they know, and why would they want to?
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 12:34 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by SomersetGirl
I also used to do that too, until I was advised by an Immigration Officer in the UK that it wasn't wise to use 2 different passports in the same trip.
You're not supposed to check in at one airport with one passport and then at the other airport with a different one. The airline system has a record of your trip over, and the system catches that you used a different passport (or at least, it did for us ).

But going through immigration, I don't think they have any way of knowing. They're just checking your passport to see that it's valid and that you realy are a citizen.

So we always use the same passport both ways for the airline, but then go through immigration with the passport of the country we just arrived in.
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 12:49 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

Originally Posted by sallysimmons
So we always use the same passport both ways for the airline, but then go through immigration with the passport of the country we just arrived in.
That's exactly what I do - when returning to the US I use my US passport as that is what the airlines want but on the entry to the UK through immigration I use my UK passport
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Old Mar 7th 2011, 1:10 pm
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Default Re: What Happens On Arrival When Moving Back To The UK?

I wouldn't mind being greeted like this when landing back home:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3NPNM4xgo
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