Border Control

[Tanya_and_Mick]

Over the last few weeks I have had to travel between Spain and the UK on two occasions (for legal reasons) and I thought it might be worth sharing recent experience of Border Control.

On return to Spain yesterday, via Portsmouth to Santander, all documentation and test certificates was gathered / prepared at cost for Border Control inspection.

Leaving the UK, no request for Passenger Location, COVID Test - just Passport, residence and Dog EU passports; plus, no inspection of fridges or enquiries about food.

On arrival at Santander, temperature check (you had to be below 37 degrees - unsure what would happen if you were not) and passenger location forms 'conducted and collected by Brittany Ferries crew', then, Passport, residence check, dog EU passport check; plus, finally vehicle check for headlight deflectors - no request for COVID test results (so £160 and the rush to get test within times frames was grrr)

On my two previous trips, via airport and tunnel, no stamp in passport - providing residence card was produced. Passenger Location form enquired about but we were never asked to produce it. When in the UK I was never contacted by isolation teams to check my whereabouts.

Pick the bones from this experience , as I'm sure it changes all the time; subject to the different interpretations of border controls and their personnel.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Border force.

Mainly made up of jumped up jobsworths who gain an attitude with a uniform.

 

[The general]

Border force.

Mainly made up of jumped up jobsworths who gain an attitude with a uniform.

Might be , but they carry a LOT of power , you would be a crazy person to go against them

 

[Googlebot]

Border force.

Mainly made up of jumped up jobsworths who gain an attitude with a uniform.

I have found the opposite, always courteous and friendly. Never had an issue.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Thanks Tanya_and_Mick ,I assume you are resident in Spain? You mentioned your dog EU passport ,I assume you used this rather than an AHC document,where there any issues ,and were you on UK passports for yourself?

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[Jim]

Mainly made up of jumped up jobsworths who gain an attitude with a uniform.

 

[Tanya_and_Mick]

Thanks Tanya_and_Mick ,I assume you are resident in Spain? You mentioned your dog EU passport ,I assume you used this rather than an AHC document,where there any issues ,and were you on UK passports for yourself?

Yes we are Spanish Residents and the TIE (residence card) is presented with the UK passport.

Our dogs travel on a EU passport (issued in Spain), hence, no AHC required - it did take three calls to verify this with the UK pet control chaps; but they all landed on the same page in the end - but to confirm no issues....and they were throughly checked at UK and Spain borders; unlike the COVID test results.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Thanks for the info,so for the EU pet passport it was the UK pet Customs at Portsmouth side that queried it,not the French?

 

[Tanya_and_Mick]

Thanks for the info,so for the EU pet passport it was the UK pet Customs at Portsmouth side that queried it,not the French?

Apologies, no it was Tanya who checked - prior to us travelling - that we did not need an AHC. We got different answers; until on the third call we were assured that the EU passport would suffice and an AHC was not required.

 

[emjaiuk]

Was there any UK pet check leaving the UK, and if so who by?

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[gus-lopez]

Apologies, no it was Tanya who checked - prior to us travelling - that we did not need an AHC. We got different answers; until on the third call we were assured that the EU passport would suffice and an AHC was not required.

You should have asked,I'd have sent you my defra (Ahpa) email stating an EU animal does not require one.

 

[Tanya_and_Mick]

Was there any UK pet check leaving the UK, and if so who by?

Yes, at the Portsmouth check-in.


The same individual did Booking, Passport / Residency and Pet Checkin (micro-chip verification and a review - in this case - of the EU passport.....and I assume they would also do the AHC form for UK dogs)

 

[EuroTrotters]

Might be , but they carry a LOT of power , you would be a crazy person to go against them

Unless you know their boss!.

Simple really, you keep quiet and polite and let them be as rude as they like.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I have found the opposite, always courteous and friendly. Never had an issue.

At the major ports I’ve never had an issue.

At Manchester airport they are grumbling munts !.

 

[Googlebot]

Unless you know their boss!.

Simple really, you keep quiet and polite and let them be as rude as they like.

Not a chance, letting them be rude gives them licence to do it again to the next person.

Complain politely and lodge it formally.

Had a Police Officer do it to me once, my brother who is also a Copper advised me to complain to Professional Standards. His reasoning that if he is like that to everyone, he clearly won’t be a very good Police Officer and needs addressing.

Sorry if Manchester wasn’t welcoming either. I know Birmingham was doing a lot of work to improve the passenger experience through security as they recognised some employees were not all that projecting of happiness.

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[gus-lopez]

Not a chance, letting them be rude gives them licence to do it again to the next person.

Nor me.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Always courteous to them
as I’m mindful that border control have big rubber gloves and torches
and if your lucky a tub of lube

 

[Sundowners]

And they checked headlight beam deflectors!!!! Never used then since about 1985!!!!

 

[Andrew E]

We had similar experiences to Tanya and Mick when going over to Spain in December BUT very different when we came back yesterday. At Santander we had to produce our covid test results and the van was searched from top to bottom. Worse was to follow at Portsmouth where despite there being very few travelling we had to queue for over an hour at passport control where everyone had to produce passport, covid test and evidence of completion of the passenger location form. Clearly a lot of people had not complied as some in front of us were taking 10 minutes to get through compared to our 2 minutes. We were also searched again.
I would just add the officers on duty were very pleasant and friendly, I was even reminded that my passport expires in 2021.

 

[Madbird]

Yes we are Spanish Residents and the TIE (residence card) is presented with the UK passport.

Our dogs travel on a EU passport (issued in Spain), hence, no AHC required - it did take three calls to verify this with the UK pet control chaps; but they all landed on the same page in the end - but to confirm no issues....and they were throughly checked at UK and Spain borders; unlike the COVID test results.

I’m hoping our residencia will be just as good as the TIE as not got that sorted yet!

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