UK Border control

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UK Border control

For all passengers not making a connecting flight your first stop is passport control, which will be clearly signposted on your arrival.

There are two separate queues as follows:

One for European Union (EU)*, European Economic Area (EEA), British nationals and Swiss nationals.
And a second for all other nationalities.

At the passport desk a UK Border Agency officer will ask to see your passport or travel document and any supporting documentation necessary for your visit. Please remember that your passport must not expire during your visit to the United Kingdom. For full details on entry requirements into the United Kingdom, please visit the UK Border Agency website.

With tougher checks now in place at the border you may have to wait a little longer to get into the United Kingdom, especially at peak times. The UK Border Agency uses scanners to ensure that passports, visas and other official documents are genuine. UK Border Agency officers are trained to detect forgeries and check that people have the right to enter the United Kingdom.

Want to speed up the process?

If you are a frequent traveller, read about IRIS, our automated barrier system which allows registered passengers to cross our border more quickly. Find out more about IRIS.
If you are part of a group you may be able to travel under the group travel scheme. This can also speed passage through the border. See Group travel for details.

*EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.