Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
Dec 19th 2016, 1:24 pm
#16
Just Joined
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Joined: Jan 2014
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Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
?????? Why would you have to prove your marriage to enter the UK? Your spouse and children have passports don't they? You are all traveling together, right? You all have the same surname? If not, even that doesn't matter. They enter the UK based on their US Citizenship and desire to visit not on their relationship to a UK Citizen.
I know you are worried about joining a line as a family group, but have you never flown together to the UK before now? Seems like a little thing to be obsessed about. As pointed out they appear to allow families to remain together when entering and you will encounter this when you return to the US after your holiday.
Merry Christmas.
I know you are worried about joining a line as a family group, but have you never flown together to the UK before now? Seems like a little thing to be obsessed about. As pointed out they appear to allow families to remain together when entering and you will encounter this when you return to the US after your holiday.
Merry Christmas.
Dec 19th 2016, 3:41 pm
#17
Heading for Poppyland
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Dec 19th 2016, 3:56 pm
#18
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon
Posts: 9,965
Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
There were times when I worked in the immigration halls at Heathrow that I used to wonder how people had managed to get that far. 
Dec 19th 2016, 6:51 pm
#19
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Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
I've traveled with business colleagues quite a few times and I just stand with them in the non-EU line and show my British passport. Once when traveling with my boss and we were in Frankfurt airport the border control official gave my boss a hard time. (We had flown from Amsterdam and were changing planes for Basel). I then walked up and presented my UK passport and when the officer looked at me I simply said "I'm with my boss" before he could ask me why I was in the wrong line. He simply said "I feel sorry for you" and waved me through.
Dec 24th 2016, 4:28 am
#20
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Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
Last year me (Dual), my USC wife and kid were in the non-EU line, the immigration guy moved us to the front of EU line. So I'm not sure it matters too much. We didn't have to prove we were married. We do all have the same last name.
Dec 24th 2016, 1:46 pm
#22
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Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
I'm dual, wife is US only. We always go through which ever line is shortest, never an issue.
Dec 26th 2016, 9:57 am
#23
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 134
Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
I've been through UK airports on several occasions with my US citizen wife and each time received a different response.
On our first trip to the UK through Heathrow terminal 3, we assumed we need to line up separately and started to voluntarily separate when a U.K. Border rep saw this, told us groups travel together and directed us to the EU line where we were processed without issue.
The second time was through Stansted, shortly thereafter, returning from a short trip to the continent. We lined up in the EU line only to be told to get into the other line.
The third time was through Heathrow, again we just got into the EU line because it was shorter. The officer at the counter told us that she'd process us but that we had to be married to go through together (we weren't married at the time).
The bottom line is that there is no bottom line. I've heard that policies can change from day to day and even vary from terminal to terminal. When in doubt ask or just join the shorter line. The worst they can do is send you to the other line.
Also would like to add that your US citizen wife should always be prepared to show proof of onward travel/ return ticket to the US. It is unlikely that they will ask see it but if they do and you don't have it, they could give you a really hard time. It happened to us once and put a bit of a damper on an otherwise fantastic trip.
On our first trip to the UK through Heathrow terminal 3, we assumed we need to line up separately and started to voluntarily separate when a U.K. Border rep saw this, told us groups travel together and directed us to the EU line where we were processed without issue.
The second time was through Stansted, shortly thereafter, returning from a short trip to the continent. We lined up in the EU line only to be told to get into the other line.
The third time was through Heathrow, again we just got into the EU line because it was shorter. The officer at the counter told us that she'd process us but that we had to be married to go through together (we weren't married at the time).
The bottom line is that there is no bottom line. I've heard that policies can change from day to day and even vary from terminal to terminal. When in doubt ask or just join the shorter line. The worst they can do is send you to the other line.
Also would like to add that your US citizen wife should always be prepared to show proof of onward travel/ return ticket to the US. It is unlikely that they will ask see it but if they do and you don't have it, they could give you a really hard time. It happened to us once and put a bit of a damper on an otherwise fantastic trip.
Last edited by deng890; Dec 26th 2016 at 10:04 am.
Dec 26th 2016, 11:48 am
#24
Septic Sprout
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Visiting the UK with Non-EU Wife/Border Patrol Protocol
I've been through UK airports on several occasions with my US citizen wife and each time received a different response.
On our first trip to the UK through Heathrow terminal 3, we assumed we need to line up separately and started to voluntarily separate when a U.K. Border rep saw this, told us groups travel together and directed us to the EU line where we were processed without issue.
The second time was through Stansted, shortly thereafter, returning from a short trip to the continent. We lined up in the EU line only to be told to get into the other line.
The third time was through Heathrow, again we just got into the EU line because it was shorter. The officer at the counter told us that she'd process us but that we had to be married to go through together (we weren't married at the time).
The bottom line is that there is no bottom line. I've heard that policies can change from day to day and even vary from terminal to terminal. When in doubt ask or just join the shorter line. The worst they can do is send you to the other line.
Also would like to add that your US citizen wife should always be prepared to show proof of onward travel/ return ticket to the US. It is unlikely that they will ask see it but if they do and you don't have it, they could give you a really hard time. It happened to us once and put a bit of a damper on an otherwise fantastic trip.
On our first trip to the UK through Heathrow terminal 3, we assumed we need to line up separately and started to voluntarily separate when a U.K. Border rep saw this, told us groups travel together and directed us to the EU line where we were processed without issue.
The second time was through Stansted, shortly thereafter, returning from a short trip to the continent. We lined up in the EU line only to be told to get into the other line.
The third time was through Heathrow, again we just got into the EU line because it was shorter. The officer at the counter told us that she'd process us but that we had to be married to go through together (we weren't married at the time).
The bottom line is that there is no bottom line. I've heard that policies can change from day to day and even vary from terminal to terminal. When in doubt ask or just join the shorter line. The worst they can do is send you to the other line.
Also would like to add that your US citizen wife should always be prepared to show proof of onward travel/ return ticket to the US. It is unlikely that they will ask see it but if they do and you don't have it, they could give you a really hard time. It happened to us once and put a bit of a damper on an otherwise fantastic trip.
So, the summary of everything I've read so far (here and elsewhere) is:
1) If married then allowed to use EU queue together (but non-EU can be used if shorter as this sometimes is the case).
2) If not married then use separate queues, but can attempt to use shortest queue together and may be ok. Worst case scenario one is sent back into 'correct' queue.
This makes sense and seems logical to me.
