Jack Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 When Jim and I were on our way to Mons a couple of weeks ago and we got to Dover customs. They didn't even ask to see our passports...:???:??? What is that all about and has the law changed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Signals Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Very often these days they do not check on the way out if they see the front of it is a UK one. If you were a Johnny Foreigner you may find it was given a closer inspection. Coming back of course it is given the big once over whilst you are in the port. As mine was on my return back from Normandy. 'Is this your passport?' - er yes, upon which he turns it to me to show a nice smiling face of my missus. i'd only picked the wrong one up and never looked at it myself at all! He was full of mirth and very good about it. Could have been a bit dodgy if I'd come unstuck in some way whilst in foreign parts though. :sweat::-D Thank God some civil servants have a sense of humour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 When we went to Schichpol last year no one really bothered whith our passports. Those with a heavy sun tan got the full third degree. Mind you some of the customs , emmigration officials at Schipol. :shocked: Cor, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeileen Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Ive never had a problem with immigration, but customs freaked out once with an NBC suit and various other bits of kit in a car which were only for work purposes! Christian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 I guess the customs man first thought might have been that you might have had a bit of surgery while out of the country?:rofl::rofl::rofl::shocked: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeileen Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 He laughed so much I got locked up for 24 hours it was a Sunday and i was coming back to the UK in a Civvie plated car. My boss was fuming the next day late for work and war practice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 jack if that picture is a picture of you theres no wonder ....:coffee: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisg Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 When Jim and I were on our way to Mons a couple of weeks ago and we got to Dover customs. They didn't even ask to see our passports...:???:??? What is that all about and has the law changed? Didn't you have to show it to get out of Dorset? :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 jack if that picture is a picture of you theres no wonder ....:coffee: - Only since I have lost my hair!!:cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 :rofl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightweight Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 When Jim and I were on our way to Mons a couple of weeks ago and we got to Dover customs. They didn't even ask to see our passports...:???:??? What is that all about and has the law changed? a) There is no embarkation controls when you leave the UK - it was stopped several years ago (cost-cutting). b) Most of mainland Europe are signatories to the 'Schengen Agreement', in which they agreed that there would be no border controls within Europe. You can drive from Calais to Italy without showing your passpart. Britain, however, did NOT sign the agreement and therefore EVERYONE has to show a passport (or something else that establishes their Nationality and Identity) to enter the country. c) Most of the UK Primary Arrival Controls in SE England are now in France - Calais, Boulogne, Dunkerque, Coquelles. That way, you have to establish your right to enter the UK before you ever actually touch English soil. d) Customs are only interested in your passport as a means of establishing your identity, they deal in goods - the artist formerly known as HM Immigration Service (then the UK Immigration Service, then the UK Border and Immigration Agency, now the UK Border Agency) deal with people. Parts of Customs have now been enrolled into the UKBA but even so, they are based in the UK and deal in excise goods. In summary, no need to show your passport when leaving the UK via a SE port and on your return, you will have to show it before you get on a boat on the way back - and don't call Immigration Officers, Customs Officers (or vice versa), they get snippy about it:n00b: Helped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 Great work Martin, many thanks for that and that was exactly what happened on the way back. Next question - what is on that micro chip in my passport and why aren't I allowed to see what comes up on the screen when they scan it:???:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightweight Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 All that's on the chip is a copy of your photo, so they can compare your handsome mug to the passport photo and then to the 'chip' photo. That way, if you have managed to substitute a passport photo in someone elses passport with one of yourself, the chip photo will still be wrong - does that make sense? it's just one more thing for the forger to contend with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 When we went to Schichpol last year no one really bothered whith our passports. Those with a heavy sun tan got the full third degree. Mind you some of the customs , emmigration officials at Schipol. :shocked: Cor, as Tony said no one was bothered about passports this side but it took bloody ages to take off and relace my paraboots ,still at least I had no holes in that pair of socks Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppypiesdad Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Do they still have a border post going into England ? Anyway drove from home to Wroclaw (Poland ) and Showed my passport once ,on re-entry into Hull . They were on a major search for something as everyone was being made to open boots ,caravans, bus holds etc Pretty scary that you can cross most of Europe and not get checked once not even in hotels did they want to see passports just you visa card Jamie Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 When we left Portsmouth for Normandy, our passports were all checked by ticket office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 I was amazed when I went to the Victory show last week they didn't ask for my passport - didn't know you could go that far north in the UK.....:sweat: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightweight Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 When we left Portsmouth for Normandy, our passports were all checked by ticket office. That's not a check to establish your legal right to entry to another country, that's for the passenger manifest (a requirement under maritime law I believe - not my area of expertise) and also because companies that carry people over international boundaries can be prosecuted for bringing in undocumented persons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 That's not a check to establish your legal right to entry to another country, that's for the passenger manifest (a requirement under maritime law I believe - not my area of expertise) and also because companies that carry people over international boundaries can be prosecuted for bringing in undocumented persons. Thanks Martin, that explains it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ives Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 well just on my way back from a two week tour of northern ireland and have just had to check into belfast city airport not only passport checked but everything checked must have a suspicius face or the fact that im wearing my vetrans pin upsept someone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 ...or the fact that im wearing my vetrans pin upsept someone Or possibly it was the Gorilla & Beret badge next to it that did the trick? :evil::rofl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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