UK Border Force
12 December 2016, 01:36 PM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
UK Border Force
Had my first experience with the UK Border Force on Saturday. I’ve since read up that they do far more than border control, so in reflection, I’m no longer surprised about what happened, but at the time, I was thinking WTF……
So I arrived in to Heathrow on a flight from Bogota, my original location had been Santiago. As I walked the 17 miles from the gate to passport control I passed three of UKBF’s finest who casually enquired, “Where have you come from”, so I replied Santiago and carried on walking.
After walking another 23 miles, I arrived at passport control where I used my new automagic one to pass through the facial scanner thing. Job done, or so I thought. As I walked towards the baggage carrousel I could see another of UKBF’s finest making a beeline for me from across the hall. Then the questions started.
Can I see you passport please? Handed it over and carried on walking to the carousel for my checked baggage. Where have you come from? Answered that one. What have you been doing? Are you self-employed or can you prove you work for a company? How long have you been out there? Have you got any proof that you work for company x, can I look in your bag please? At no point was the lady rude, she was just matter of fact and very much US Immigration Stylee. I was just somewhat bemused that as a British passport holder, I was getting asked so many questions. Anyway, she had a look through my bag, whilst I made a joke about not sitting on the carrousel in case it started up, and found my receipts etc. Then I got asked for more proof that I’d been working – have I got any paper work. I ended up showing her emails on my phone at which point she lost interest, said thank you and walked off.
I was expecting to get pulled to the side by the customs dudes as well, but the excitable Springer Spaniel didn’t seem that interested in my case.
As I say, it was all a bit weird at the time and I was thinking on the way home have I got some kind of marker on my passport, because I’ve been stopped by customs in Leeds twice before as well, but it seems UKBF have a joint responsibility of controlling who enters the country as well as stopping people bringing in things they shouldn’t so it makes sense now.
So I arrived in to Heathrow on a flight from Bogota, my original location had been Santiago. As I walked the 17 miles from the gate to passport control I passed three of UKBF’s finest who casually enquired, “Where have you come from”, so I replied Santiago and carried on walking.
After walking another 23 miles, I arrived at passport control where I used my new automagic one to pass through the facial scanner thing. Job done, or so I thought. As I walked towards the baggage carrousel I could see another of UKBF’s finest making a beeline for me from across the hall. Then the questions started.
Can I see you passport please? Handed it over and carried on walking to the carousel for my checked baggage. Where have you come from? Answered that one. What have you been doing? Are you self-employed or can you prove you work for a company? How long have you been out there? Have you got any proof that you work for company x, can I look in your bag please? At no point was the lady rude, she was just matter of fact and very much US Immigration Stylee. I was just somewhat bemused that as a British passport holder, I was getting asked so many questions. Anyway, she had a look through my bag, whilst I made a joke about not sitting on the carrousel in case it started up, and found my receipts etc. Then I got asked for more proof that I’d been working – have I got any paper work. I ended up showing her emails on my phone at which point she lost interest, said thank you and walked off.
I was expecting to get pulled to the side by the customs dudes as well, but the excitable Springer Spaniel didn’t seem that interested in my case.
As I say, it was all a bit weird at the time and I was thinking on the way home have I got some kind of marker on my passport, because I’ve been stopped by customs in Leeds twice before as well, but it seems UKBF have a joint responsibility of controlling who enters the country as well as stopping people bringing in things they shouldn’t so it makes sense now.
12 December 2016, 01:58 PM
#3
Had my first experience with the UK Border Force on Saturday. I’ve since read up that they do far more than border control, so in reflection, I’m no longer surprised about what happened, but at the time, I was thinking WTF……
So I arrived in to Heathrow on a flight from Bogota, my original location had been Santiago. As I walked the 17 miles from the gate to passport control I passed three of UKBF’s finest who casually enquired, “Where have you come from”, so I replied Santiago and carried on walking.
After walking another 23 miles, I arrived at passport control where I used my new automagic one to pass through the facial scanner thing. Job done, or so I thought. As I walked towards the baggage carrousel I could see another of UKBF’s finest making a beeline for me from across the hall. Then the questions started.
Can I see you passport please? Handed it over and carried on walking to the carousel for my checked baggage. Where have you come from? Answered that one. What have you been doing? Are you self-employed or can you prove you work for a company? How long have you been out there? Have you got any proof that you work for company x, can I look in your bag please? At no point was the lady rude, she was just matter of fact and very much US Immigration Stylee. I was just somewhat bemused that as a British passport holder, I was getting asked so many questions. Anyway, she had a look through my bag, whilst I made a joke about not sitting on the carrousel in case it started up, and found my receipts etc. Then I got asked for more proof that I’d been working – have I got any paper work. I ended up showing her emails on my phone at which point she lost interest, said thank you and walked off.
I was expecting to get pulled to the side by the customs dudes as well, but the excitable Springer Spaniel didn’t seem that interested in my case.
As I say, it was all a bit weird at the time and I was thinking on the way home have I got some kind of marker on my passport, because I’ve been stopped by customs in Leeds twice before as well, but it seems UKBF have a joint responsibility of controlling who enters the country as well as stopping people bringing in things they shouldn’t so it makes sense now.
So I arrived in to Heathrow on a flight from Bogota, my original location had been Santiago. As I walked the 17 miles from the gate to passport control I passed three of UKBF’s finest who casually enquired, “Where have you come from”, so I replied Santiago and carried on walking.
After walking another 23 miles, I arrived at passport control where I used my new automagic one to pass through the facial scanner thing. Job done, or so I thought. As I walked towards the baggage carrousel I could see another of UKBF’s finest making a beeline for me from across the hall. Then the questions started.
Can I see you passport please? Handed it over and carried on walking to the carousel for my checked baggage. Where have you come from? Answered that one. What have you been doing? Are you self-employed or can you prove you work for a company? How long have you been out there? Have you got any proof that you work for company x, can I look in your bag please? At no point was the lady rude, she was just matter of fact and very much US Immigration Stylee. I was just somewhat bemused that as a British passport holder, I was getting asked so many questions. Anyway, she had a look through my bag, whilst I made a joke about not sitting on the carrousel in case it started up, and found my receipts etc. Then I got asked for more proof that I’d been working – have I got any paper work. I ended up showing her emails on my phone at which point she lost interest, said thank you and walked off.
I was expecting to get pulled to the side by the customs dudes as well, but the excitable Springer Spaniel didn’t seem that interested in my case.
As I say, it was all a bit weird at the time and I was thinking on the way home have I got some kind of marker on my passport, because I’ve been stopped by customs in Leeds twice before as well, but it seems UKBF have a joint responsibility of controlling who enters the country as well as stopping people bringing in things they shouldn’t so it makes sense now.
12 December 2016, 06:54 PM
#6
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
