I really like long connections between flights, when you can see another city along the way. Visa-free transit in London is a great opportunity to visit the city without a visa, i.e. free of charge without all visa bureaucracy. But from December 1, 2014, the United Kingdom significantly tightens the rules of bisviz transit (TWOV).
This news is especially relevant for EasyJet passengers, as this low-cost airline allows passengers who do not have a British visa to boarding, but have a ticket for a flight from London within the next 24 hours from any of its airports. The rule applies to all traditional airlines and is reflected in the timatics. But WizzAir does not allow passengers to board without a visa, without providing conditions for TWOV.
A lot of people watch cheap tickets from London to the Caribbean, Canary Islands and Madeira, etc., they are often found in many directions in mailings and on forums. Well, a pint of ale along the way in a London pub - why not ?! Now in most cases this makes no sense.
From travel.ru website:
The new transit scheme applies to citizens of all countries who require a visa to the UK. If earlier anyone who was flying to any third country and had tickets confirming the next flight could apply for a visa-free transit, now it is necessary to obtain a transit or tourist visa in advance. There are only a few exceptions.
1. Without a visa, in the case of a 24-hour transit, it is allowed to leave the transit zone if a foreigner flies to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA with a valid visa from that country. If a foreigner flies from these states, then no more than 6 months should pass from the moment of his last entry into that territory (that is: if a person left to study in the USA a year ago and did not leave the States within a year, then when returning home via Britain he will not be able to use visa-free transit).
2. The right to visa-free transit will be granted by a residence permit in the countries listed above, as well as in the states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. At the same time, it is stipulated that the residence permit of Canada should be issued after June 28, 2002, and the United States after April 21, 1998.
3. Holders of a valid category D visa (long-term visa that allows more than 90 days - including work, study, family reunification) issued by one of the countries of the European Economic Area or Switzerland can count on a 24-hour visa-free transit.
4. They will let out a transit tourist from the airport if he flies to Ireland with a valid Irish biometric visa. For a flight in the opposite direction from the moment of the last entry and stay in Ireland with a valid biometric visa, no more than 3 months must pass. For Russians, this item is not relevant: in our country, when applying for an Irish visa, biometrics do not give up; thus, the existence of a visa from that country does not give the right to visa-free transit.
In addition, the trip of a foreigner applying for visa-free transit must meet several more criteria. All travel segments are carried out only by plane, with a confirmed ticket for the next flight and departure time no later than 23:59 the next day after arrival in the UK. The transit route should be justified: for example, from the country of permanent residence there are no direct flights to the destination country, or flights through Britain are much cheaper or take less time (that is, a flight from Moscow to Paris through London from the point of view of the border guard is unlikely to look logical. Not This route seemed logical before, but the decision was made on the spot by the border guard, but now it is simply ruled out).
Original:
“Transit Without Visa Scheme
50A. A visa national must meet the requirements in paragraphs 50B and 50C when seeking leave to enter the UK in order to be granted leave to enter under the transit without visa scheme.
50B. The requirements to be met by a visa national seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom under the transit without visa scheme are that he:
(i) has arrived and will depart by air; and
(ii) is genuinely in transit to another country, meaning the purpose of his visit is to travel via the UK en route to another destination country, and he is taking a reasonable transit route; and
(iii) does not intend to access public funds, undertake employment or study in the UK; and
(iv) intends and is able to leave the UK before 23:59 hours on the day after the day when he arrived; and
(v) has a confirmed booking on a flight departing the UK before 23:59 hours on the day after the day when he arrived; and
(vi) is assured entry to his country of destination and any other countries he is transiting through on his way there.
50C. The visa national must also:
(i) be traveling to (or on part of a reasonable journey to) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country; or
(ii) be traveling from (or on part of a reasonable journey from) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and it is less than 6 months since he last entered that country with a valid entry visa; or
(iii) hold a valid residence permit issued by either:
(a) Australia;
(b) Canada, issued after 28 June 2002;
(c) New Zealand;
(d) USA, issued after April 21, 1998 including: a valid USA I-551 Temporary Immigrant visa (a wet-ink stamp version will NOT be accepted by UK border control); a permanent residence card; an expired I-551 Permanent Residence card provided it is accompanied by a valid I-797 letter authorizing extension; a standalone US Immigration Form 155A / 155B; or
(e) an EEA state or Switzerland; or
(iv) hold a valid uniform format category D visa for entry to a state in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland; or
(v) be traveling on to the Republic of Ireland and have a valid Irish biometric visa; or
(vi) be traveling from the Republic of Ireland and it is less than 3 months since the applicant was last given permission to land or be in the Republic by the Irish authorities with a valid Irish biometric visa.
Leave to enter under the transit without visa scheme
50D. A person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom on arrival under the transit without visa scheme may be admitted for a period ending no later than
23:59 hours on the day after the day on which he arrived, with a prohibition on employment, study and recourse to public funds, provided the Immigration Officer is satisfied that the requirements of paragraphs 50B and 50C are met. "
About myself. I am 47 years old, I have 2 higher educations (economic and biological), a candidate degree in biology (defense of a dissertation at the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova), diploma of expert - canine specialist. Work experience over 15 years, associate professor of the Department of Genetics and Zoology at the University, senior researcher at the Biomonitoring Research Laboratory. My son and I are 27 years old; my higher education is a geographer. There are 3 dogs with us - bull terriers (dog owners will understand me - these are also our family members). In this composition, we want to migrate.
1. I wrote a thousand times about the importance of English, and the unimportance of diplomas, which is simply surprising ... because in England they are not needed and there is no sense in them - IF YOU HAVE NO EXCELLENT ENGLISH OWNERSHIP.
If there is English, and you speak great, teach it, write letters, and calmly answer by phone, (I'm not saying that you watch the Guy Ricci Snatch movie without any subtitles in the original and understand what it is about), so here - if english is so good - then go at least with rats and mice ... you will find a good job here and you will be happy.
Otherwise, it’s better to stay where you are, or go to Russia ... in Russian, can you speak?
To take dogs to England you need to be millionaires ... You need a house ... Will you buy it? Permission is needed to keep dogs - from neighbors on the right and left, from Kansil (this is a local council, yes, they are in England), and thousands, thousands of pounds (? - this means), because each dog a month it will go as much as per person ... but in order to bring and arrange animals, it will take at least 3,000 pounds per 1 creature and nerves of iron, plus, of course, excellent English skills to explain, call, pick up, bring, and take animals for the next vaccination, examination, etc., etc. ...
2. There are more dogs than people here ...and to surprise the English with your diplomas and knowledge about dogs, and to find work "for dogs", you can only with excellent knowledge of the language and "dog" terms ... plus publications in the Western press in English, of course, the language of dogs, of course. ... then maybe the British will still take you to work as an assistant in some kind of dog shelter ... for starters ...
Does your son also speak English? I repeat once again - KNOW ENGLISH THIS
Be able to watch films in English and calmly understand what is happening on the screen
Be able to write a letter in English and create a CV in English without a dictionary
Be able to answer by phone and call the agency, ask them questions, etc.,
To be able to communicate with strangers - Pakistanis, Indians, Somalis, and not to ask them to speak more slowly ... not to say that "Ay dont Understand"
Packs, Hindus and Somalis get their tongues as if they speak their native, native, and simply add English words ... yes, it’s with these you will communicate every day in London... and you thought white British live here? No, my dears, the British LIVED in London ... and now this city has been given to the looting of tourists and immigrants. The British in London are only 30%. The rest live outside of London.
You will succeed if, if you buy a house.
Go to America ... everything will be easier and faster ... and the language is not really needed there ...
-----------------
If you have no dogs, you still need good English ... what are you going to work with?
Are you strong Do not get sick? This is a very difficult country ... everything is going very tight ... and ... it's cold here ... there is no summer, no, and never will be ...
Today I turned on the heating ... for the first time in my 55 years of life, in the summer, June 15, I turn on the heating in the apartment ... because outside the window there is wind and rain, and 17 degrees, it's damp ... in the house 19 degrees and blows out of all the holes ... because they peeled off the paper and opened all the windows for the summer ... now the return stroke - close the windows, curtains everywhere in the bathroom, in the toilet ... because it blows, it blows with cold, moist air ...
This is London, June 15th ....
The invitation to visit the Russian Shrovetide in London coincided perfectly with my trip to Britain. The organizers promised a closed dinner of "Russian" British, domestic celebrities and the presence of the mayor of London. Walking near the Tower and having dinner with Sir Boris Johnson - the plans for the weekend were quite successful.
In flight, I imagined the British establishment and was very worried about the suit in hand luggage, which I was going to wear to meet with the English mayor. The plane landed at Heathrow, I hurriedly packed up and was one of the first to go to the exit. Cleverly bypassing the queue for citizens of the EU and Britain at the passport control, I went to the tail of All Other Passports, holding my bag so that the suit would not be wrinkled inadvertently.
A border guard named Goksel - a native of Turkey - greeted good-naturedly and asked traditional questions about the purpose of the trip and the number of days of stay. “Oh, this Russia,” Goksel sadly nodded to the Times cover, with which President Putin smiled under the heading “Could War.”
Okay Michael. What about the second visa?
Apparently, it hints that I should return, ”I decided and joked that everything was still ahead.
No, ”Goksel changed his tone. “I need a valid British visa so you can visit our country.”
I opened the passport page with a stamp and handed it to Goksel. The border guard stared at me, and then with a gesture of his hand indicated the validity of the document.
The visa ended a week ago.
An hour later, I filled out four immigration sheets, provided hotel reservations and return tickets to Russia. Goksel asked to wait for him at the front desk. The realization that I came to a country with an expired visa has not yet come.
Time dragged on painfully slowly, I began to study the arriving passengers. These were mainly Indians and Chinese. The former are necessarily from Prada or Louis Vuitton, the latter - without fail with cameras and guidebooks. “The suit, apparently, was crumpled,” I mentally apologized to Boris Johnson. Out of boredom, he began to hum the song of Grigory Leps "I will leave to live in London."
Michael, come after me, ”an officer named Alex interrupted my vocal attempts.
I was photographed, fingerprinted, asked about illnesses and asked about the religion I profess.
Catholic? Excellent! - suddenly exclaimed Alex and ran out of the office.
Another quarter hour passed, Alex had already managed to take my documents and return.
Mick ha el, ”he said. “Am I saying it right?”
They usually say “Michael,” I replied. - Well, like "Michael Jackson."
Sorry sir! How do I deal with a surname? - the cop entered the spelling excitement.
Don't even try, ”I laughed. - The surname is Ukrainian, not everyone succeeds even in Russia.
You are Russian, but with a Ukrainian surname, just like Mr. Putin is trying to recapture part of Ukraine for Russia, ”my British escort unexpectedly remarked.
Our talk about geopolitics is the pass bell. Alex listened to someone on that end for a long time, answering only Yes, and when finished, he turned to me:
Putin, Putin ... No, we are “good guys” and will try to help you. We see that you are also a “good boy”. Now I will take you to the cell for deportation, do not be alarmed. The wait may be delayed for a long time. But first, we will need to inspect you and your things.
I stood in the mirror room in my socks, and Alex laid out an illegal kit from my backpack: a fresh Vanity Fair, polished shoes and a suit. “Do not crumple!” I happily say.
Michael, great suit! he caught my eye. “True, it will be cool for you to walk the streets.”
After checking my shoes and clothes, they took all my things, including the phone.
I don’t know if they will meet you or immediately deport to Russia - it does not depend on me. - Alex explained to me, leading into the camera, and said goodbye.
A room with bleached walls, one of which is made of transparent plastic with small air holes. Two escort guards are walking right behind her, behind their bosom they stick out on a rubber club. Chairs are placed inside the room, a bookcase (volumes with the Bible and the Koran) is piled up, in the center is a table on which there is a plate with fruits and cookies and the British GQ is lying. On the side are three toilets and a children's room. TV and posters on the wall “Do you need spiritual help? Call! " - each religion has its own hotline.
"Hey!" - a stocky guy of about 30 with a thick stubble and a golden tooth almost yells at me. His eyes are small and black, like raisins. He comes close and whispers: “Cigar?”
This is Tito, he is from Albania. Well, like from Albania.
Albania, Egypt, Berlin, Rome, - Tito's dirty fingers bend. - British (claps his hands) - stop!
From time to time, he jumps up, runs up to a transparent wall and begins to have the strength to rush at it and ask for cigarettes. The calmness on the part of the police annoys Tito, he shouts: "British boom!" and claps his hands on the wall.
On the chair, propping his head in his hands, the Ethiopian Marco sits - Tito introduces us. Marco greeted me with a nod of his head, after which he did not say a word. Only a couple of hours later, he took out a photograph from the inside pocket of a greasy jacket and peered intently at it. Walking around the camera — sitting on wooden chairs was painfully painful — I saw that in the photo Marco was captured with a girl and two children. Apparently a family. In the corner of the room there was an inconspicuous sofa, and on it, wrapped in a plaid, lay a Moroccan. I did not recognize his name.
An hour later, I was invited for interrogation: the purpose of the trip, a booked hotel, occupation, education, income. When I returned to the cell, Tito was escorted by two escorts. Apparently, finally broke.
Then the agonizing hours of waiting began. The song about "I will leave to live in London" is repeated in my head with a refrain. Soon the convoy brought Tito, he methodically continued to throw himself on the transparent partition of our cell, Marco hardly raised his head, and the Moroccan continued to sleep on the sofa. Out of boredom, I flipped through the GQ, Bible and Quran. At first, the British magazine did not arouse the interest of my cellmates until I reached the strip with the girls in swimsuits - then Tito ran up and snatched it from my hands. I had to watch British television. For some reason, the culinary channel was turned on in the cell: the chefs prepared a festive dinner of four sets. For a moment I remembered Boris Johnson and our apparently already failed dinner. My suit, like all other things, was confiscated.
Finally, after three hours, Goksel returned for me. The unknown forces of England (MI6? David Cameron?) Went forward and postponed my deportation for two days.
God save the queen!
The passport was seized and an immigration certificate was handed in return. On Monday, two days later, at exactly 5 a.m., I had to arrive at Heathrow Airport, check in for the specified flight, go through the search, and then visit the immigration department again to return my passport.
You don’t have to pay money for the ticket, ”Goksel explained. - In fact, this is deportation, you are obliged to put you on a flight, so do not worry.
He escorted me to the exit of the airport. For joy, I wanted to kiss Goksela, he was no less joyful than me. We said goodbye.
***
Needless to say, not a single big-ben tower was able to surprise me in the next two days. Why the big ben there, I think if I met Prince Charles, walking along the Thames, I would have passed by. The suit had to be hung in a closet - it was really cool to walk in it. I never saw Sir Boris Johnson, nor did the gala dinner in honor of Shrovetide. That evening, when I was released, Liverul beat Southampton 3-0, and it seemed that the whole of London had been dumped into the street, chanting “Li-ver-buls!”. Pubs were packed to capacity, people drank right at the entrance to them, taxi drivers joyfully shouted from the windows of their company cars, grocers, wrapped in flags with the emblem of their favorite team, punched goods at the box office and rejoiced. I chose the noisiest pub, defended the queue, ordered dark ale and fried ribs. It was at that moment that I began to definitely like London.
How to visit the UK without a visa?
If you fly to the final destination in transit through the UK, then under certain circumstances you can visit Britain without a visa. What is needed for this?
To visit the UK without a British visa formally need:
1. Flights that confirm that you will leave the United Kingdom within 24 hours;
2. Visa of the country - the final destination (if necessary);
3. Confirmation of hotel reservation, if docking is supposed to be at night (a fully paid reservation is better).
The main thing is transit through various airports in London.
An example of a successful connection: departure from Moscow at 20-55, arrival in London (Heathrow) at 22-55. Departure from Gatwick Airport to Jamaica at 12-10. Therefore, we have 12 hours to view London. This is the most common visa-free transit (flight data taken from the website of British Airways). But it is not necessary that there be the same airline. An example of another good and common practice of visiting London without a visa is to fly to Ireland. For example: Moscow (departure at 6-30) - London Heathrow (arrival at 7-50), BMI airline, then London - Dublin by Ryanair airline at 17-40 from Luton airport.
It is popular among students of the Work & Travel program who fly to the USA through London to connect their flights through different airports and with enough time to walk around the capital of Britain. If you have the same airport of arrival and departure, there is a possibility that you will be refused a 24-hour transit.
Some airlines may be very resistant before landing on a flight to London. In practice, there is a sad situation when airlines refuse to board passengers flying through London to Europe. For this flight you need a Schengen multivisa. Bad fame at EasyJet, WizzAir, AirBaltic, Ryanair at some airports. A number of airlines directly write that you can get on a flight to London only with a British visa. WizzAir writes on his website (even in Russian) that he does not transit through London (the case concerns the flight Kiev - London Luton). In this case, the airlines are insured, as they risk being fined if you are deported back.
For Ryanair flights from Tampere (Finland) to London, the usual situation is when Russians with multi-visas fly, for example, to Spain or Portugal, it is also much cheaper. But getting on a flight to London, say, from Riga or Gdansk is practically impossible. You need to have a lot of patience to explain your situation to the airline representatives. For this, it is recommended that you arrive at the reception earlier. Good English and knowledge of the laws is desirable.
You can warn the airline that fly through London, print the airline’s response.
It is also recommended to print part of the laws: (and reference 2). You can also make an excerpt from Timatic.
Remember, it may take a single hour to analyze the situation.
Suppose you are put on a flight and you fly to London. Now the last one is left - convince immigration officerthat your goal is only transit, that you do not want to stay living in England. The decision to authorize transit is made by him, and, theoretically, entry may be denied. But in practice, they let almost everyone. In order for the officer to be more supportive, you must have tickets along your entire route, answer the simple questions "why and why, where and for how long you fly." If visa-free transit is denied, the immigration officer may offer paid transit with police escort to another airport. But it will cost you more than one hundred pounds. There will be no choice: paid transit or deportation. There are such cases.
When speaking with an immigration officer, look tidy and communicate calmly. You will be asked a lot of questions (where, why, whether we had it, where we work, etc.) - answer with confidence. A positive decision on visa-free transit also depends on this. At the same time, your passport will be carefully studied. They are interested in British and Irish visas. They can also ask questions about them.
Also, the most important thing should not be missed - there is no transit zone at UK airports. That is, theoretically, a visa is necessary even with the usual connection in the same terminal. At the same time, if there is a docking within the same terminal of London Heathrow Airport, then you are unlikely to see border control. Another thing, if you plan to transfer from flight to flight with a change of terminal. In this case, you can’t avoid communicating with the UK Immigration Service in the same way as a regular visa-free transit. At the same time, permission for visa-free transit is also requested, but without access to the city. At the same time, the hotel’s reservation is not needed and they do not let out to the city. Although, of course, there are ways to get to the city from the airport even in this case, because the stamp “24 hours transit” has been received. We do not consider all these methods for ethical reasons.
The procedure for obtaining a visa-free entry permit is usually as follows:
1. Fill in advance on the plane or at the passport control Landing card (migration card).
2. We approach the passport control desk and submit documents.
3. We explain that we want to go out into the city (at the same time we say the goal of going out into the city).
4. The immigration officer asks to wait 15 minutes and goes to the authorities to make a decision.
5. The immigration officer returns with the documents and the stamp "24 hours transit."
Bad docking examples
Many get into unpleasant situations, we will describe them:
Flights from Europe to Europe via London. It's one thing if you fly through London from Finland to Spain, and another thing when you try to fly on the route Berlin - London - Amsterdam. Such movements are incomprehensible to Europeans; this is an illogical route. This is not recommended.
Do not fly with principle airlines that do not put transit passengers on flights to London. For example, EasyJet airline easily ruined the plans of people who flew along the route Munich - London - Morocco and Istanbul - London - Cuba.
If you have a docking at the same airport, do not despair. No need to tell the visa officer that you always wanted to see the Tower Bridge and drink a couple of pints in a real English pub. They may not understand. Arguments can be - a long dock, fatigue, a desire to sleep, a hotel reservation (which is extremely necessary for night docking) would look like a good bonus. As a rule, a little more likely if night docking.
If you did everything correctly and logically, there will be no problems, and you will be allowed to transit to the UK without a visa.
