UK Customs checks
Discussion
Just returned from my first European Motorcycle journey (solo). Didn't have any issues outbound last Friday and everyone was fine.
On the way back at Calais I get a snotty UK passport guy dealing with me when a woman over his shoulder tells me to go to a booth for checks.
Here they take my luggage all apart. I'm asked when I left, if I have proof of the outbound journey, what date the outbound ticket was issued, proof of where I stayed, where I work, who I met, what I bought, that I know importation of drugs and guns is illegal etc etc etc. Whilst I was polite to begin with I admit to getting pretty bloody angry at this point considering I'd rushed to get there on time yet had to put up with this.
Is this really what you have to go through now? I've been all over and even USA customs/border isn't this invasive. Do these questions really need to be answered?
For clarity here I was travelling on my Irish passport but also have a UK one (born in the UK to British Father and British/Irish Mother).
What's the actual process if you declined to say what you did - considering I'm a British citizen.
This is as much curiosity as it is being treated like a bloody criminal trying to reenter my own country. They also had several other cars they were pulling apart Inc an old guy having his range rover stripped.
On the way back at Calais I get a snotty UK passport guy dealing with me when a woman over his shoulder tells me to go to a booth for checks.
Here they take my luggage all apart. I'm asked when I left, if I have proof of the outbound journey, what date the outbound ticket was issued, proof of where I stayed, where I work, who I met, what I bought, that I know importation of drugs and guns is illegal etc etc etc. Whilst I was polite to begin with I admit to getting pretty bloody angry at this point considering I'd rushed to get there on time yet had to put up with this.
Is this really what you have to go through now? I've been all over and even USA customs/border isn't this invasive. Do these questions really need to be answered?
For clarity here I was travelling on my Irish passport but also have a UK one (born in the UK to British Father and British/Irish Mother).
What's the actual process if you declined to say what you did - considering I'm a British citizen.
This is as much curiosity as it is being treated like a bloody criminal trying to reenter my own country. They also had several other cars they were pulling apart Inc an old guy having his range rover stripped.
craigjm said:
Yes but he was travelling on Irish paperwork one assumes to make it easier to travel into the EU so he would be treated as a foreign citizen.
OP there was obviously some intel that you got caught up in and unfortunately you failed the attitude test that’s pretty much it
Exactly, I have used it multiple times before precisely to avoid the horrendous queues at various airports in the EU (which my Girlfriend with only a UK passport gets caught up in). As far as I was aware you are supposed to use the same one entering and leaving and considering Irish Citizens have right to travel and work in the UK this didn't seem a problem. OP there was obviously some intel that you got caught up in and unfortunately you failed the attitude test that’s pretty much it
I'm not exactly sure how I failed the "attitude test" when I was incredibly polite to begin with until they started searching further.
Jamescrs said:
I usually travel from Port of Hull into the E.U (Rotterdam Port) however I have also done Dover- Dunkirk.
I'd say more often than not i've been pulled in by customs on my way out of the U.K, no idea why I can only assume I am profiled based on the car's I have driven being BMW M cars and a Porsche on one occasion.
Whatever the reason though i've always found Border Force to be very friendly and chatty with me, i'm honest with them about my travel plans and where i'm going, ultimately to the Nurburgring on each occasion, they usually have a poke around in my boot but never had a full search.
I had my door handles swabbed once but I guess it was clear as they sent me on my way again quickly.
I suspect it's down to attitudes when you meet the Border Force officers
I'm aware of not giving them a reason, hence why I didn't have a bad attitude until part way through the search - i certainly didn't have one with the initial passport check because I had no reason to. There was an incredibly long queue for one booth where they were checking absolutely everything (circa 7 minutes per car) before you even get to the actual customs part. I'd say more often than not i've been pulled in by customs on my way out of the U.K, no idea why I can only assume I am profiled based on the car's I have driven being BMW M cars and a Porsche on one occasion.
Whatever the reason though i've always found Border Force to be very friendly and chatty with me, i'm honest with them about my travel plans and where i'm going, ultimately to the Nurburgring on each occasion, they usually have a poke around in my boot but never had a full search.
I had my door handles swabbed once but I guess it was clear as they sent me on my way again quickly.
I suspect it's down to attitudes when you meet the Border Force officers
Jordie Barretts sock said:
The idiot was trying to be Mr Big Balls and was failing the attitude test. Then trying to claim he's British when using an Irish passport. In the eyes of Border Force, he's Irish. If he wants to be British, use his British passport. Don't get arsey with people doing their job.
You know what they say about assuming? I didn't once mention I was a dual national to them. I also didn't have a bad attitude UNTIL HE started to become difficult. I was particuarly pleasant to the (rude) person checking the passports precisely to avoid this nonsense.
They're doing a pretty s
tty job about it considering what's happening a few miles down the road from the tunnel. Tom8 said:
Out of interest has anyone brought much booze through Calais since Brexit? Another of the "benefits" is reintroduction of limits for duty free. Are these being enforced? I am planning a trip to France to stock up a bit and wondering what the risk is.
They were checking a LOT of vehichles yesterday and saw a number having their cigarettes counted so I would be careful.surveyor said:
I've always found it pays to be polite. They have a job to do, and me being an arse is only going to make them respond in the same way.
You do occasionally get an arse hangover, when the person in front has dicked them around, and they are ready for someone to wind them up. Again, they generally chill as the chat goes on...
I was polite - to begin with - when his own attitude got the better of me. Oddly as soon as I started to become angry they let me go, which again reinforces my belief they get off on acting the billy big bYou do occasionally get an arse hangover, when the person in front has dicked them around, and they are ready for someone to wind them up. Again, they generally chill as the chat goes on...
ks rather than doing actual work.donkmeister said:
OP, Google your name and see if there is any mention of crims of a similar name and age on the run. It can be as simple as that.
From 2006-2019 I was stopped every time I returned from the continent. Pulled into the shed, car handles all swabbed, all compartments of the car emptied and inspected, questionned about where I'd been.
I'm not dodgy, however I had some dodgy relatives (long deceased) so I've wondered if it was something to do with that. My shoes always got swabbed at airports too, to the extent I never wore smart shoes when flying as I knew I'd have to take them off. Hasn't happened since 2019 so perhaps something changed.
A few things previously.From 2006-2019 I was stopped every time I returned from the continent. Pulled into the shed, car handles all swabbed, all compartments of the car emptied and inspected, questionned about where I'd been.
I'm not dodgy, however I had some dodgy relatives (long deceased) so I've wondered if it was something to do with that. My shoes always got swabbed at airports too, to the extent I never wore smart shoes when flying as I knew I'd have to take them off. Hasn't happened since 2019 so perhaps something changed.
I had the dreaded 6666 code on one flight to the US. We'd done our ESTA the year before but had to delay the holiday due to money. In the meantime my drivers licence had expired so I was using my (UK) passport to go out drinking. That got forgotten about and put through the washing machine which meant I had to get another passport and another ESTA. Thus being given a few extra questions by G4S at Heathrow and having devices swabbed - US were fine.
My car was cloned a few years back and used in an armed robbery. I had such a pain in the arse from associated speeding tickets and bilking I swapped to my grandads private plate. Said car was later sold and this private plate is now used on the bike I travelled on.
On this occasion the other day I joined the back of a queue of about 10 cars for UK passport control but as it wasn't moving I swapped lanes - guessing this didn't help my case.....
CarlosSainz100 said:
I used to work for Border Force. It was almost certainly your link to dodgy relatives. If you start getting stopped all the time it will be because your name has pinged on their system.
There's lots of reasons why it might be on the system in the first place and links (perceived or otherwise) to dodgy relatives would certainly be one of them. Although it would have been the police who stuck it on the system unless your relatives did their crime at the border.
Yeah, zero dodgy relatives that I know of. Don't actually know anyone who's been in trouble..... I did join one queue but got fed up with the wait and joined another. Wasn't the passport guy that told me to go to customs but rather a customs woman who walked in and told me. I assume she saw me change lanes?There's lots of reasons why it might be on the system in the first place and links (perceived or otherwise) to dodgy relatives would certainly be one of them. Although it would have been the police who stuck it on the system unless your relatives did their crime at the border.
Forester1965 said:
ou're a British citizen. You can enter the UK by proving it, using your British passport. How could this look dodgy?
Dual citizenship isn't uncommon. A decent chunk of MPs in the House of Commons have EU passports.
I was told previously that you had to travel on just one. If that's not the case then so be it. I also didn't really see the point considering the CTA effectively negating the need to even renew my UK one when it expires Dual citizenship isn't uncommon. A decent chunk of MPs in the House of Commons have EU passports.
craigjm said:
The UK does not have an embarkation process where you are checked out on your way out so when you return the system has no idea what passport you used to show at the gate. In other countries they do and you would need to go back on the same passport you came out on. Any British citizen not showing their UK passport when entering the UK is being a bit silly.
What are they doing when they take my passport and scan it on the way out then?Jordie Barretts sock said:
That's the commercial airline/ferry checking you are eligible to travel. They get into all sorts of bother if they allow someone to travel who shouldn't. See the latest in the news about passport expiry dates.
If you are randomly pulled for a check on the way out, they presumably scan your passport as a way of logging the event, that's all.
Nope, that was UK customs/border staffIf you are randomly pulled for a check on the way out, they presumably scan your passport as a way of logging the event, that's all.
CarlosSainz100 said:
If you're stopped at the border on re-entry into the UK and decide to be uncooperative then you should probably expect to get scrutinized a lot more.
Personally, I could tell straight away whether the person I was speaking to was being uncooperative because they'd done something wrong or just tired after a long flight and wanted to get home. I'd try not to escalate things and tried to be reasonable. It didn't always work.
One thing to bare in mind is the Border Force officers probably won't be sure which flight you've arrived off until they ask you. I often thought that members of the public believed it was a lot more hi-tech behind the scenes than it actually was. It's an omnishambles the majority of the time.
I presume this is the cass considering he didn't verify fPersonally, I could tell straight away whether the person I was speaking to was being uncooperative because they'd done something wrong or just tired after a long flight and wanted to get home. I'd try not to escalate things and tried to be reasonable. It didn't always work.
One thing to bare in mind is the Border Force officers probably won't be sure which flight you've arrived off until they ask you. I often thought that members of the public believed it was a lot more hi-tech behind the scenes than it actually was. It's an omnishambles the majority of the time.
k all before letting me go and I was quite clearly absolutely exhausted.Seemed ludicrous he wanted to see the outbound ticket email confirmation from bloody February
omniflow said:
I've got a great idea - let's introduce a rule that if you arrive at Dover and you looked tired (or say you're tired) and you've rushed to get there in time for your train / ferry because you didn't leave early enough, then you're automatically exempt from all customs checks and you just get waved through.
Ah! You sound like you've also got an NVQ in clipboard management like the little Hitlers at the port! Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff