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Hi all, would like to ask for your advice please. After years of waiting, I now have my Permanent EU family member residency card. I have had it since last year, but only used it for travel abroad last week. The usual hustle of Spanish boarder control was anticipated and dealt with by producing the email from Spanish consulate confirming that I didn't need the visa, then the IO asked -Married ? pointing at my hubby...I said yes and he stamped my passport and waved us through. On the arrival to UK boarder control I was asked by IO for a boarding card ! I was confident that I did not need one under the whole Freedom of movement law, so I have told her, to which she smirked and replied -No, you do ! I asked her if she was sure and she replied-yes, every time you travel, than asked me if I traveled before with this card, which I didn't but did on my previous five years one(without the boarding cards!), then she asked me when this card was issued, to which I replied that it has the date of issue on it and I couldn't remember when last year. The IO was very unpleasant and arrogant, so after I filled in the boarding card ! she asked me for a finger prints on the machine she had, after which she let us through. By that time, I was fuming , angrily writing down her shoulder number on my boarding pass to make a complaint later. My question is .... was she right about the boarding card and fingerprinting ? or should i make a complaint ? if the latter, then how and to whom ?

Thank you all x

She was wrong to require you to fill out a landing card. Those are absolutely not required for anyone entering under the EEA rules, with the exception of Family Permit holders, and even then only their first time into the country. Which lane were you in though? IOs in the non-EU/EEA lane are often much less familiar with the EEA rules, and treat everyone as non-EEA. Like they say, when your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. If she was in the EU/EEA lane, then that's pretty poor training. That's one where I personally would say "I'll have a seat over there while you go find me the senior immigration officer on duty."

As for the fingerprinting, I'm not sure since I still have one of the old paper EEA Residence Cards, and they don't have my biometrics. I've read of some people having their prints checked, but very very few. Perhaps someone else can comment.

Here's the UK Border Force complaints website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisat ... -procedure

I would definitely file a complaint, at least concerning the landing card.

Fingerprints is normal procedure for biometric card holders. I (Lithuanian national) have been travelling with my husband (Egyptian national) who holds permanent resident card and he has never filled boarding cards. Not even when travelling alone.

Thank you for your responses I am glad, that I was right about the boarding card. Will make the complaint tomorrow !

GMB is correct with the terminology. You should refer to a landing card and not a boarding pass/card.

But I don't understand why people get upset over this. If you don't keep your all your boarding passes, then a landing card is an official record your date of entry. These, in conjunction with exit controls, may actually help to verify your date of entries/exits into/out of the UK, i.e. your absences from the UK, for other purposes, such as naturalisation.

Perhaps you may benefit more in complaining that you want to fill out landing cards and have them date stamp your passport on each entry/exit.

Thank you Vinny for your comment. You are right about that it is not a hardship to fill in a boarding card , however the airline did not provide any boarding cards and I didn't have to fill the card on my previous travels, also when we are standing by IO desk at 1 am with two crying toddlers and all we want is get out to our car and the stubborn IO demands the boarding card and asking why I did not fill one out ?? It is inconvenient and frustrating and unnecessary. She was clearly not aware of the law and was deriving pleasure in using that power she holds over us foreigners. When she gave me the card , she didn't even give me the pen, which I had to ask for. This is not a service/treatment I expect from a British boarder guard.

It is a landing card, not a boarding card ! Sorry ............

This Border Force official should have been better trained and treat people with respect.