No Record of Departure - Private Flight

[Kingy567]

Hi All

Some background: I was previously on a tier 5 YMV which expired in November 2017, I then left and re-entered the country on a tourist visa right around the time expiry. The person at immigration did give me a bit of a hard time but as I had a copy of my itinerary for a one way flight to Hong Kong I was allowed in.

I ended up not taking that flight as my friend is a flying hobbyist, and took me with him on a flight to France on his plane. I then I flew back to Australia from Paris. From everything I've read and speaking to my pilot friend, no passport information is submitted for private flights from the UK to the EU, so essentially there is no record of me having left the UK.

I'm back in Australia now (and have been for over a year) and I'm planning to come for a trip to Europe in the summer, my question is will I have any issue entering the UK on a new tourist visa, as they will think that I've overstayed my previous tourist visa? Or is the overstay "flag" only triggered in the system from the API exit data? From what I've read there are lots of gaps in the data collection methods so I believe I can't be the first person in this situation, but can't find any information online.

[abhijit19]

UK doesn't do exit checks. So i think you should be ok.

[secret.simon]

UK doesn't do exit checks.

There aren't any visible exit checks. That does not mean that there aren't any.

Also see Home Office report on the statistics being collected under the exit checks programme.

To the OP, was your passport stamped on arrival in France on your friend's flight? You could possibly use that as proof of leaving the UK.

Alternative arrangements, separate from exit checks, are being put in place to cover:

journeys made within the Common Travel Area (journeys between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man)
small, non-scheduled flights (General Aviation)
non-commercial pleasure boats (General Maritime)