Passport control going out of Heathrow Terminal 3?

[gkwilly]

Can anyone vouch for whether you have to go through passport control when leaving London Heathrow terminal 3? I've read online that the UK doesn't do exit stamps but that this "may change" (post from early 2010) so curious whether anyone has recent experience; I have a US passport.

[nativenewyorker]

Hi
We regularly travel out of terminal 3 and always have to go through passport control.

[gkwilly]

Anyone know of airports/terminals without immigration when leaving England?

I flew out of Scotland over the summer and wasn't stamped, but I can't remember if they checked and it could have been because I was just flying to Germany. I've heard people say they aren't always checked but not sure whether that's due to flying out of specific airports/terminals.

[mulderpf]

Most people trying to avoid immigration control fly via Dublin, but this is not guaranteed, however probably best bet for avoiding them.

[wf]

I have flown out of the UK at least 25 times in the last 6 years. I have been checked by immigration on exit twice that I can remember, both at Heathrow(Terminal 3 IIRC).

The area I was checked in does not have permanently manned immigration desks, however on occasion there are immigration officers there checking passports.

I have never been checked at Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, London City or when going via Eurostar.

Most people mistakenly believe they are checked on exit when in fact it is airport or airline staff that are inspecting their passport, and they are generally not concerned with your UK immigration status.

[mulderpf]

When I went via Eurostar they had the EU border control at Waterloo (when that was still the London terminal) and UK border control in Paris. I only get checked before boarding each time, not when leaving the terminal.

[gkwilly]

Thanks for the info - so it looks like you can get flights back to the US from terminal 1, 3, or 5 - so 1 or 5 may be safer bets?

Also, on returning to the US (as a natural-born citizen), do they care about your status abroad?

[wf]

IMO I would avoid Heathrow altogether.

[gkwilly]

Eesh, checking into it and it's like $1300 to fly from one of the others to the US. But in your experience if you were to catch an early/late flight from one of the smaller london airports to the EU, say, you typically wouldn't get checked?

FWIW, I was checked both ways when I took the train a few weeks ago.

[wunder]

I think this topic is against forum rules.

[Mr Rusty]

If the OP travelled to Europe and back on the train "a few weeks ago", he was presumably admitted to the UK either on the tail-end of extant leave as a student or something, or on a 48-hour transit entry stamp, and his apparent concern must be because he overstayed it. If he had previously been in the UK for a while and still had extant leave a few weeks' overstay isn't necessarily going to cause him a huge problem, even if it's noticed. If he told the IO he intended to leave within 48hours and was given an entry stamp accordingly, his statement will be on record and he will have some explaining to do.

[mulderpf]

I think this topic is against forum rules.

There's nothing illegal about this topic. If people were saying that you should board cargo ships or hide under lorries, then yes, I would agree, but this isn't about entering or exiting the country using illegal means.

[gkwilly]

While I'd prefer not to get into specifics, I've consulted with a visa lawyer who's told me it probably won't be a problem, but I'll likely get questioned. I have had bad experiences with customs in the past, and if it's possible and economically feasible to avoid the situation entirely, or maximize the odds of avoiding it, I'll look into that. If it's not, it's not.

[wf]

FWIW, I was checked both ways when I took the train a few weeks ago.

Yes, on your way to France by Fench immigration at Kings Cross, and on your way back by UK immigration at Garu De Nord.

ie: you were not checked on exit by UK immigration. The French are not concerned with your UK immigration status.

[MPH80]

Ah - but they have been running checks at St. Pancras for dodgy passports. I was checked both at Gard Du Nord *and* St. Pancras by UK immigration at the beginning of December.

They were clearly inspecting the passports closely rather than the person on it at St. Pancras though - it was hand and eye checking the security measures on the passport rather than machine scan for warning list etc.

We did joke they were looking for Julian Assange (who was the focus of the media at the time).

M.

[wf]

Interesting to know, that is similar to the exit checks I have experienced at Heathrow ie: visual inspection of passport, however in my case it appeared they were checking for valid current leave.

There is every chance such (exit)checks will become more commonplace.

[The Station Agent]

yes exit checks are becoming more frequent and will be rolled out slowly to become a standard thing at all ports. Remember you will also go through US immigration even though you are a US passport holder. Last time I flew into JFK they were checking the US nationals almost as thoroughly as the foreigners. I was amazed everyone in that line was being so patient.

[Mr Rusty]

yes exit checks are becoming more frequent and will be rolled out slowly to become a standard thing at all ports.

And eventually they'll come back to the system that existed before formal embarcation controls at all ports were abolished in the early 1990's as a cost-saving measure. We were told at the time that the money saved would be devoted to strengthening the asylum process - what a joke. It was a disastrous mistake, just one of many.
The only reason they re-started checks (not a full control) a few years ago was when they realised they could boost their removal statistics by identifying asylum seekers and illegals and overstayers who were leaving.

[gkwilly]

Huh, interesting. Does US Customs care about your status abroad if you're a citizen? What if you are flying through Dublin and do the pre-screening thing?

[Casa]

Are you referring to Customs or Immigration?

[gkwilly]

Immigration, I mean.