paris eurostar

Can anyone advised please is it difficult to travel to London from Paris by Eurostar?

How is the border control? What kind of checks do they do anyway? What sort of questions do they ask? Do I need to show proof of finance and accommodation?

Is it better to travel to London from Paris by plane?

Thanks ppl

I think you can safely assume that the checks will be the same, whichever way you decide to travel.

There oughtn't to be any difference. The only difference is that on the Eurostar all the immigration control and passport checks are carried out before the journey, so that at the other end you just walk straight off the train. (Occasionally, for reasons that I don't know, when I've arrived at the UK end everyone's been asked to show their ticket to immigration officials - not the train people - on the way out.)

But in terms of immigration questions, they will be the same as if you flew.

Is this your first trip outside the UK since you arrived here?

From the OP's other posts I don't think he/she has BC and is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

Let's hope there's no plan to 'chance' it, big risk!

...... is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

I have not looked back at previous posts but surely that does not follow. For example, US citizens are not visa nationals but they don't require Schengen visas.

But it does need to be appreciated that the UK list of nationalities within the definition of Visa National is not exactly the same as the Schengen Area equivalent list of those requiring a visa before entering a Schengen Area country.

Wanderer wrote:From the OP's other posts I don't think he/she has BC and is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

Let's hope there's no plan to 'chance' it, big risk!

Yes, but some non-visa nationals for the UK are also non-visa nationals for the Schengen area (e.g. citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore ...), whereas other non-visa nationals for the UK do in fact require a visa for the Schengen area (and vice versa possibly). So it depends where the OP is from, surely, as to whether this would be an issue or not?

Christophe wrote:

Wanderer wrote:From the OP's other posts I don't think he/she has BC and is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

Let's hope there's no plan to 'chance' it, big risk!

Yes, but some non-visa nationals for the UK are also non-visa nationals for the Schengen area (e.g. citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore ...), whereas other non-visa nationals for the UK do in fact require a visa for the Schengen area (and vice versa possibly). So it depends where the OP is from, surely, as to whether this would be an issue or not?

True, true, maybe I jumped in a bit quick!

Thank you guys for your feedback.

I heard that immigration at eurostar conducted security checks like at the heathrow airport - I just wanted to clarify thats all.

I am from a commonwealth country and I dont need to apply visa for visitor entry.

I am thinking to take trips like to 10 eu countries at the same time. As a bonus the tour agency will give me a eurostar ticket from paris to london - thats why the query about eurostar i want to be prepared.

So you saying border control only at Paris and not at Waterloo station? Is it the french or british who will conduct the checks?

As I will be getting visa stamps from 10 different countries - will I get visa stamps when I enter London by eurostar?

It will be nice to have passport stamps as a memory - if you know what I mean.

I am from a commonwealth country and I dont need to apply visa for visitor entry.

I am not saying that you need a UK visitor visa but it is not correct to say that all Commonwealth citizens can enter the UK visa-free.

So you saying border control only at Paris and not at Waterloo station? Is it the french or british who will conduct the checks?

British ... the French and British now have juxtaposed controls in place.

nyetmo wrote:I heard that immigration at eurostar conducted security checks like at the heathrow airport - I just wanted to clarify thats all.

The security checks are the same as at an airport, but they're not conducted by immigration officials, either at an airport or at a railway station. (This is when your bags get X-rayed and you walk through a metal detector.)

nyetmo wrote:I am from a commonwealth country and I dont need to apply visa for visitor entry.

That depends on which Commonwealth country. And people from some countries do not need a visa or prior entry clearance to enter the UK as a visitor but do for the Schengen area.

nyetmo wrote:So you saying border control only at Paris and not at Waterloo station? Is it the french or british who will conduct the checks?

Leaving the UK, border controls are conducted in the UK - first British passport control (thought the desks are not always staffed), then French for the Schengen area. Returning from Paris, border controls are conducted in France - first French, then British. They seem to me (from what I've observed) to be as rigorous as those at an airport, although the queues tend to be shorter than at, say, Heathrow or Gatwick.

Wanderer wrote:From the OP's other posts I don't think he/she has BC and is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

Let's hope there's no plan to 'chance' it, big risk!

Does that mean that i can enter uk with my schengen visa??!

Please reply.. I thought that i am not allowed to travel to uk with the schengen visa!!!

As far as i know UK is not in schengen state if you have schengen visa you still need UK visa to enter in the Uk.

egyptian wrote:

Wanderer wrote:From the OP's other posts I don't think he/she has BC and is a non-visa national so hopefully has a Schengen visa.

Let's hope there's no plan to 'chance' it, big risk!

Does that mean that i can enter uk with my schengen visa??!

Please reply.. I thought that i am not allowed to travel to uk with the schengen visa!!!

This is a rather ancient thread, but to answer your question, you can't use a Shengen visa for the UK.

egyptian wrote:Does that mean that i can enter uk with my schengen visa??!

No, a Schengen-visa does not grant entry to the UK.