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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU Foreign, so AIBU to stand in the same queue at airport as my UK family?

75 replies

flownthecoopkiwi · 03/08/2017 10:11

first time travelling with DC and while my DH and two DCs are UK citizens are not. Usually I've been happy to go off by myself with my own foreigners queue but not sure youngest DC would be happy or understand why mummy is over there not there with them.

What happens if I stand in the UK/EU queue?

OP posts:
Newtothis2017 · 03/08/2017 10:14

Yabu just stand in the other queue.the kids will be fine with their dad

NoSleepSinceSpring · 03/08/2017 10:15

Apply for the registered traveller scheme then you can all go through UK/EU entrance. Otherwise, the wife and kids should go with you through 'other passports'

waitforitfdear · 03/08/2017 10:15

Is there a separate queue?

you queue for flight you want that's what we have always done but maybe I am wrong as all British ?

Hope others come on to sort it out op

sonjadog · 03/08/2017 10:17

My brother had the same situation with his family. When his kids were younger and got stressed when he went over to a different queue, a couple of times they asked one of the security people standing at the start of the queue if they could queue together. They always were allowed to.

GwendolynMary · 03/08/2017 10:18

Totally anecdotal, but at Heathrow last month, the mother + 2 kids with US passports were pulled out of our enormous forriner queue when the Immigration staff realised their UK passport holding husband/father had cleared his queue and was waiting for them. They were taken to the front of the line, lucky things! The staff said they should have stayed together. Depending on where your passport is from, this might be worth asking about. Took me 1.5hrs to get thru!!

NoSleepSinceSpring · 03/08/2017 10:18

waitfotitdear there is a separate entrance coming into the UK if you don't have an EU passport. You all go the same way on the way out though (although some budget airlines make you go get your boarding pass stamped in a different queue)

waitforitfdear · 03/08/2017 10:19

Gosh you learn new things here daily Smile sure the kids will be fine with daddy op

waitforitfdear · 03/08/2017 10:19

Thanks NoSleep Smile

caffeinestream · 03/08/2017 10:19

I always queued with my parents in the non-EU queue in this situation.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 03/08/2017 10:20

Take whole family to the non-Eu queue if you really can't be separated.

OrangeJulius · 03/08/2017 10:20

Right I've only flown once since DD was born last year, but this as a a moot point for us as we were always put in the "family/assistance" queue. Don't know how many airports do this though.

BeepBeepMOVE · 03/08/2017 10:26

All go in the foreign line if your child can't cope being with its father for ten minutes Hmm

JellyBellies · 03/08/2017 10:26

I think you should be OK. If you have more UK travellers then stand in the UK queue. My mother has a different nationality to all her kids and we always queued together, when we were younger.

Heratnumber7 · 03/08/2017 10:27

How old are your DCs!

They will be fine with their father. Explain the procedure if you think they are old enough to understand, and if they aren't, turn it in to s game, such as a race to get through or something.
And if you're that bothered about being treated differently from UK citizens look into getting UK citizenship.

BarbarianMum · 03/08/2017 10:31

My parents always had to queue separately from db and me pre EU because we were UK citizens and they weren't. I think you may be overthinking this.

Ultimately though if you are not an EU/UK citizen you can't go through that control.

DdraigGochMwnci · 03/08/2017 10:32

I understand why children might not want to see their mother going elsewhere in such overwhelming situations like a busy passport queue(s), especially at the end of a long flight. Wind your neck in BeepBeepMove.

Whilst all my family are EU/UK nationals, DH didn't have a smart passport a while ago so had to go to a longer queue. Me and the 2 children went to the shorter one as one of the children needed the bathroom.

You can stick together but yes, you'd be unreasonable to join the UK queue. The should come in the 'foreigners' queue with you.

chronicleink · 03/08/2017 10:32

stay together whichever queue you choose to go in. It can cause more hassle separating when you get asked Q's about where you're going, why are you here, who are you with etc. We have a variety of passports as a family but have found immigration in UK and USA prefer to have you stick together...

ILoveGrammar0 · 03/08/2017 10:32

Regardless of where your DC and DH go, you need to go to the non-EEA queue because you need to get your passport stamped.

NoSleepSinceSpring · 03/08/2017 10:33

Everyone saying the OP's kids can cope without her for a few mins whilst she queues probably hasn't been in the non-EU line at Heathrow. 45 mins+ is not uncommon. Really shit for the parent who has to deal with tired kids whilst the other parent still queues.

EyeHalveASpellingChequer · 03/08/2017 10:36

Go to the non-EU queue; you have to stay together if you are travelling as a family. Staff in the EEA queue don't have passport stamps, and non-EEA citizens have to have their passports stamped.

HellonHeels · 03/08/2017 10:36

I used to have this when travelling with exDH who is British while at the time I wasn't.

We used to queue separately but sometimes the immigration staff told me to go through with DH in the UK/EU queue. At most airports they have staff herding people into the queues, I'd ask one of them if you can all go together to the UK/EU queue.

Genghi · 03/08/2017 10:37

Family members can stay in the UK/EU queue with their UK/EU family members. Got this clarified at airport security (Heathrow) last week.

Crochetlover123 · 03/08/2017 10:39

I am UK/EU, my OH is not. When coming in to Gatwick we queued in our separate lines & then I waited afterwards. I was told by the officials that he could have joined my queue (with me) & to stick together next time.

LadyPeterWimsey · 03/08/2017 10:40

I'm not a UK citizen but the rest of the family are. If the non-EU queue looks horrendous, I usually go with the rest of the family in their queue. It's never caused a problem.

HotelEuphoria · 03/08/2017 10:40

Ask a member of staff very nicely when you arrive which queue to stand in. Read it many times before on Brit Expats Forum that they will let you all queue together and go into (usually) the UK queue if your are not EU but your DP is UK.