UK Customs checks
Discussion
Biker9090 said:
I'm not exactly sure how I failed the "attitude test" when I was incredibly polite to begin with until they started searching further.
You didn’t. It’s just the standard form of reply from a certain type of dullard who frequents these forums. Your mistake was in expecting something different on here.
Biker9090 said:
I'm not exactly sure how I failed the "attitude test" when I was incredibly polite to begin with until they started searching further.
This is PH forums. You are always wrong and it's always your fault, even when you are right. Criticising authority figures in any form always has all the resident plod and authoritarian types crawl out of the woodwork to instantly tell you that you are wrong and it must be your attitude, as authority is never wrong. Just look at any similar thread and it's the exact same format in every one with the same handful of throbbers.I got collared by an absolute brute of a woman at Manchester airport a few years back returning from Mexico. A right nasty b
h she was, talking to me like I'm some piece of st she'd trodden in. I was struggling to remain polite. Anyway, before the full search even began, she had to go out of the room for some reason, and walked past the end of some seating where an old boy was parked at the end, with his stick leaning against the seat base. She tripped over his stick and face planted the floor with a right thud, landing in the coffees of the couple sat next to the old boy 
. It was glorious to witness . The full search never happened, presumably because she had to go clean herself up and I was sent on my way after a quick scout of my stuff by another bod.Biker9090 said:
As far as I was aware you are supposed to use the same [passport] entering and leaving
For the avoidance of doubt and to help you and others in future, the advice is to use your UK passport when leaving and entering the UK. Then use your EU passport to enter and leave the EU.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.
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.
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.
Just come through the customs/ passport on the tunnel 10 mins ago. No one checking anything. Make the most of your right to buy wine by the pint tho.Can’t wait to get back home to the cones, traffic snarl ups, potholes and roadworks that I’ve not seen for 1400 miles.
Edited by nute on Thursday 28th March 16:34
Returning from Le Mans 24 hours a couple of years back was interesting. 3 of us in the car with broken aircon & hot weather. We were unshaven & had little sleep so must have looked & smelled like proper tramps! I totally forgot to even take my sunglasses off at passport control. We were waved through with no checks whatsoever.
Luck of the draw isn't it? Friend came over for a visit from France and got as far as the plane door before anyone noticed she had her hubby's passport and not her own. Not wanting to remove her bag from the hold and delay take off they let her on and told her not to show hubby's passport when she got to the UK but to say she'd lost her own. Border Control had a quick search of the plane made and, after failing to find the 'lost' passport sent her on her merry way.
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.
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.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.
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.
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 have a stainless steel Intramedullary rod inside my femur that sometimes sets off airport metal detectors. If I remember I'll warn security in advance and if/when it does set off the alarms I'm always polite and offer to show the scars from the surgery but a quick wave of the wand around the knee area sees me on my 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...
M11rph said:
Most detailed searches are intelligence led, so there was probably information that led them to target your arrival.
The questions might seem obtuse but often quickly trip up people who haven't got their story straight.
It can be frustrating but there is nothing to be gained by showing that. I have seen cars physically disassembled at Dover.
You will not win an argument with Customs.
I have seen the army unloading their trucks at Dover while a bunch of customs bloke watch intently. They were also draining a water bowser down a drain. Strangley, the "water" had quite a pungent aroma to it. The questions might seem obtuse but often quickly trip up people who haven't got their story straight.
It can be frustrating but there is nothing to be gained by showing that. I have seen cars physically disassembled at Dover.
You will not win an argument with Customs.
OP, you’re dealing with people who probably don’t travel frequently and just want to vent spurious bks. The reality is that people have good and bad days, you were unlucky. Customs seem generally ok to me, Border Force, at T5 specifically for some reason seem to harbour some of the worst angry self important types. I managed to incur the wrath of a particularly obnoxious woman who accused me of taking her picture! Whilst it cost me an extra 15 mins or so I made sure to call her senior officer and told him what a stty example she was setting for the service. Whilst authority is to be respected, general manners cost nothing. If you don’t flag these things it’ll never get better.
ks. The reality is that people have good and bad days, you were unlucky. Customs seem generally ok to me, Border Force, at T5 specifically for some reason seem to harbour some of the worst angry self important types. I managed to incur the wrath of a particularly obnoxious woman who accused me of taking her picture! Whilst it cost me an extra 15 mins or so I made sure to call her senior officer and told him what a stty example she was setting for the service. Whilst authority is to be respected, general manners cost nothing. If you don’t flag these things it’ll never get better. CarlosSainz100 said:
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.
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.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.
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.
I never really minded, it was just bemusing! Slightly annoying when I used to take my little MG as packing was very much a game of Tetris so repacking took a while. Sheds very well lit though.
I had the full search treatment at Dover about 35 years ago. My Wife and I coming back from a trip to Epernay. Everything out of the boot and piled up on the side, and then a detailed search of the car. Spare wheel bounced a few times, back seat out, fuel tank tapped and the question "What you got in there mate?" was given the straight and factual answer "Petrol". What he was actually asking was "How much petrol is in the tank?".
It turns out that they had intelligence that a couple in an "Italian sports car" were smuggling drugs. We were in an Alfasud, so very much stretching the definition.
They had no interest whatsoever in the duty free or the contents of our luggage, they were purely interested in potential hiding places in the car. They also wanted to see receipts that backed up what we'd told them about where we'd been. I suppose a well organised smuggler would have a provable back story, but it would be pretty difficult to fake the outbound crossing in the same car if you're also going to be fabricating hidden compartments in the same car and you're only "away" for a few days.
It turns out that they had intelligence that a couple in an "Italian sports car" were smuggling drugs. We were in an Alfasud, so very much stretching the definition.
They had no interest whatsoever in the duty free or the contents of our luggage, they were purely interested in potential hiding places in the car. They also wanted to see receipts that backed up what we'd told them about where we'd been. I suppose a well organised smuggler would have a provable back story, but it would be pretty difficult to fake the outbound crossing in the same car if you're also going to be fabricating hidden compartments in the same car and you're only "away" for a few days.
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.
Biker9090 said:
Can I do this though? I always thought you couldn't/it would look dodgy?
You'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.
Jordie Barretts sock said:
If you don't want to be treated as a foreign national at UK Immigration, don't travel on a foreign passport.
You were an Irish citizen travelling alone attempting to enter the UK.
Have you ever heard of the Common Travel Area? UK, Irish, and Crown Dependency citizens are free to live, work and travel within the CTA zone without impediment. Which means an Irish citizen can live and work and travel in the UK on an Irish passport. It is - quite literally - the old EU 4 Freedoms within these Isles.You were an Irish citizen travelling alone attempting to enter the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-...
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