USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Sep 28th 2018, 6:50 pm
#1
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USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Hi,
We’ll be traveling back to the UK from the US for a holiday soon.
situation, wife and I are U.K. nationals in the US on a visa and have US family healthcare via work, etc.
since arriving we had a son, who is a US citizen!
So we’ll be traveling as a family, parents on British passports and our son on a US passport.
want to check we don’t forget anything, questions are:
While we also need to renew our I-94 records on this trip (automatic I believe as we’re traveling by air) and will be travelling under visa in our U.K. passports, assume for our son there is nothing special US wise, but what about entering the U.K., do we need a reverse U.K. visitor visa for him, or anything like that? Hate to get caught out and stuck.
If there is a medical problem in the U.K. I believe we’re still covered under the good old NHS, but what about our son, what should we do to ensure he is covered and protected.
anything else that could catch us out, given our mixed passports and nationalities?
thanks in advance for any advice.
Louis
We’ll be traveling back to the UK from the US for a holiday soon.
situation, wife and I are U.K. nationals in the US on a visa and have US family healthcare via work, etc.
since arriving we had a son, who is a US citizen!
So we’ll be traveling as a family, parents on British passports and our son on a US passport.
want to check we don’t forget anything, questions are:
While we also need to renew our I-94 records on this trip (automatic I believe as we’re traveling by air) and will be travelling under visa in our U.K. passports, assume for our son there is nothing special US wise, but what about entering the U.K., do we need a reverse U.K. visitor visa for him, or anything like that? Hate to get caught out and stuck.
If there is a medical problem in the U.K. I believe we’re still covered under the good old NHS, but what about our son, what should we do to ensure he is covered and protected.
anything else that could catch us out, given our mixed passports and nationalities?
thanks in advance for any advice.
Louis
Sep 28th 2018, 7:08 pm
#2
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Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Scotland --> NJ --> TX
Posts: 152
Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
NHS entitlement is based on being "ordinarily resident" in the UK (not nationality) so none of you are eligible. Obviously in case of an emergency, you'd go to A&E and would be seen but they may ask for a UK residence address and you might have a bit of explaining to do or possibly could be charged for treatment (although I'm not sure how much that's actually enforced in practice). You need to ensure your US insurance covers you as a visitor abroad.
If you are visiting England from a non-EEA country for less than 6 months, you need to ensure you are covered for healthcare through personal medical insurance for the duration of your visit, even if you are a former UK resident.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...es-in-england/
If you are visiting England from a non-EEA country for less than 6 months, you need to ensure you are covered for healthcare through personal medical insurance for the duration of your visit, even if you are a former UK resident.
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs...es-in-england/
Sep 28th 2018, 7:10 pm
#3
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Hi,
We’ll be traveling back to the UK from the US for a holiday soon.
situation, wife and I are U.K. nationals in the US on a visa and have US family healthcare via work, etc.
since arriving we had a son, who is a US citizen!
So we’ll be traveling as a family, parents on British passports and our son on a US passport.
want to check we don’t forget anything, questions are:
While we also need to renew our I-94 records on this trip (automatic I believe as we’re traveling by air) and will be travelling under visa in our U.K. passports, assume for our son there is nothing special US wise, but what about entering the U.K., do we need a reverse U.K. visitor visa for him, or anything like that? Hate to get caught out and stuck.
If there is a medical problem in the U.K. I believe we’re still covered under the good old NHS, but what about our son, what should we do to ensure he is covered and protected.
anything else that could catch us out, given our mixed passports and nationalities?
thanks in advance for any advice.
Louis
We’ll be traveling back to the UK from the US for a holiday soon.
situation, wife and I are U.K. nationals in the US on a visa and have US family healthcare via work, etc.
since arriving we had a son, who is a US citizen!
So we’ll be traveling as a family, parents on British passports and our son on a US passport.
want to check we don’t forget anything, questions are:
While we also need to renew our I-94 records on this trip (automatic I believe as we’re traveling by air) and will be travelling under visa in our U.K. passports, assume for our son there is nothing special US wise, but what about entering the U.K., do we need a reverse U.K. visitor visa for him, or anything like that? Hate to get caught out and stuck.
If there is a medical problem in the U.K. I believe we’re still covered under the good old NHS, but what about our son, what should we do to ensure he is covered and protected.
anything else that could catch us out, given our mixed passports and nationalities?
thanks in advance for any advice.
Louis
https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...very-programme
Sep 28th 2018, 7:33 pm
#4
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Passport is proof of citizenship, not citizenship its self. Your son may be a UK citizen.
Sep 28th 2018, 7:40 pm
#5
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Thanks everyone, I checked with work medical insurance provider and we’re covered overseas to same level as in the US, as a family, so that’s all fine.
with regard to our son and visitor visa or being a U.K. citizen by right of both parents, is there some way I could confirm that for sure, just in case Uk border control are a bit picky on it, want to ensure everything is smooth.so far he has
a) US birth certificate, b) US passport. He’s only 3 months old, so doing alright for his age
with regard to our son and visitor visa or being a U.K. citizen by right of both parents, is there some way I could confirm that for sure, just in case Uk border control are a bit picky on it, want to ensure everything is smooth.so far he has
a) US birth certificate, b) US passport. He’s only 3 months old, so doing alright for his age
Sep 28th 2018, 7:44 pm
#6
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Joined: Mar 2015
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Thanks everyone, I checked with work medical insurance provider and we’re covered overseas to same level as in the US, as a family, so that’s all fine.
with regard to our son and visitor visa or being a U.K. citizen by right of both parents, is there some way I could confirm that for sure, just in case Uk border control are a bit picky on it, want to ensure everything is smooth.so far he has
a) US birth certificate, b) US passport. He’s only 3 months old, so doing alright for his age
with regard to our son and visitor visa or being a U.K. citizen by right of both parents, is there some way I could confirm that for sure, just in case Uk border control are a bit picky on it, want to ensure everything is smooth.so far he has
a) US birth certificate, b) US passport. He’s only 3 months old, so doing alright for his age
Google registering a birth abroad about getting him a UK passport. You'll probably just need to provide proof of your UK citizenship.
Sep 28th 2018, 7:44 pm
#7
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
Posts: 18,194
Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
The NHS will only cover you free of charge for primary care (A&E, GP). Any secondary care (in-patient treatment) will be billable as it would be for any other visitor. Also should you need to be repatriated then again that would become very expensive without travel insurance.
Whilst it would be advisable for you all travel on the same passports it’s not essential for a visit if you’re travelling in less than two weeks.
Whilst it would be advisable for you all travel on the same passports it’s not essential for a visit if you’re travelling in less than two weeks.
Sep 28th 2018, 7:46 pm
#8
Joined: Feb 2012
Location: Not in Paris
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
Sep 28th 2018, 8:30 pm
#9
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Hi, ok thanks for the advice.
since I don’t want to send off vital docs just before travel, we intend to go on our two valid U.K. passports (parents) and our son’s new valid US passport. That should be ok, right? As a natural US citizen that seems to be the right thing to do, get his US passport first, for our travels.
So, no visa for US citizen visiting the U.K., ok that’s good, thought there might be an equivalent of ESTA or similar.
With respect to getting him a U.K. passport then, I thought I needed to apply for his U.K. registration first (will take time and requires sending off important original docs by post, eek if they get lost, hence waiting for a time when we can be without them for a few months, just in case something goes missing).
are you saying I can apply for him to get a UK passport anyway in the meantime, where would I do that since we’re in the US most of the time, again by post? We could apply for that for him even though all we have for him so far is his US passport and birth certificate?
since I don’t want to send off vital docs just before travel, we intend to go on our two valid U.K. passports (parents) and our son’s new valid US passport. That should be ok, right? As a natural US citizen that seems to be the right thing to do, get his US passport first, for our travels.
So, no visa for US citizen visiting the U.K., ok that’s good, thought there might be an equivalent of ESTA or similar.
With respect to getting him a U.K. passport then, I thought I needed to apply for his U.K. registration first (will take time and requires sending off important original docs by post, eek if they get lost, hence waiting for a time when we can be without them for a few months, just in case something goes missing).
are you saying I can apply for him to get a UK passport anyway in the meantime, where would I do that since we’re in the US most of the time, again by post? We could apply for that for him even though all we have for him so far is his US passport and birth certificate?
Last edited by LouisB; Sep 28th 2018 at 8:33 pm.
Sep 28th 2018, 10:04 pm
#10
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Ok sorry I missed the link above and think I’m potentially conflating two different things.
looking at the U.K. website it seems we can apply for his U.K. passport online using our U.K. passport ids for both parents, some photos etc and that’s it.
so will give that a go then, takes 6 weeks so probably too late for this trip but at least he will have for the next
for some one reason I thought he had to be registered in the U.K. first, a longer process it seems, done only by posting a whole bunch of vital docs away, which makes me quite nervous. Hoping to do that part at a later date when we have everything else we definitely need first.
also, point noted about repatriation and medical costs.
for that reason alone, is it worth getting suplimental medical travel insurance and if so, any recommendations for providers or approximate likely costs? Maximum would be for 2 adults, one child for a couple of weeks.
looking at the U.K. website it seems we can apply for his U.K. passport online using our U.K. passport ids for both parents, some photos etc and that’s it.
so will give that a go then, takes 6 weeks so probably too late for this trip but at least he will have for the next
for some one reason I thought he had to be registered in the U.K. first, a longer process it seems, done only by posting a whole bunch of vital docs away, which makes me quite nervous. Hoping to do that part at a later date when we have everything else we definitely need first.
also, point noted about repatriation and medical costs.
for that reason alone, is it worth getting suplimental medical travel insurance and if so, any recommendations for providers or approximate likely costs? Maximum would be for 2 adults, one child for a couple of weeks.
Sep 28th 2018, 10:21 pm
#11
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Joined: Apr 2001
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
How long is your holiday? Can you apply for it while in the UK?
Sep 29th 2018, 12:30 am
#13
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Consular birth registration and a first time passport application are separate processes and not reliant on each other - you can do one or the other or both. The website quotes six weeks but anecdotally it’s taking less than two for US applications. You will need to send, at a minimum, your son’s full US birth certificate and your full British birth certificate. These need to be originals. You do not need to send any original passports, just photocopies, so you can retain these to travel should his British passport not arrive in time. I can’t advise on whether your existing health insurance would be sufficient for this trip. If extra cover is a matter of a few dollars then that would seem prudent.
Sep 29th 2018, 12:38 am
#14
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Call your health insurance and enquire.
Sep 29th 2018, 1:13 am
#15
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Re: USA return to U.K. holiday, visas and insurance?
Insuremytrip.com will present you with all the available options, and prices. If you enter $0 trip cost your cost goes down dramatically, and you get medical and repatriation insurance plus travel delay, baggage delay and loss and usually return air coverage of $750 or $1,000 per person depending upon what policy you choose. You do not get trip cancellation or interruption (other than the $750/$1,000 return air benefit but if you do not have significant non refundable accommodation costs or an expensive air fare to worry about, it is a very good deal. As an example, we are paying $96 for two adults for 30 days coverage for a trip to the U.K. next year. You can of course buy trip cancellation and interruption but that increases the cost. Anyway, a good and easy to use website to let you know what your options are. Squaremouth.com is another one.