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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

JungleInTheRumble · 03/08/2017 12:17

Many who told you that? Surely it makes sense for families to go together.

When me and my partner were in separate lines I had to wait anyway to speak to the immigration person about what he was doing in the country...makes much more sense to be together so they don't waste their and your time waiting for you to realise your partner can't get through without you and having to come back to immigration.

HairyMcFairy16 · 03/08/2017 12:31

I'm not a UK citizen but DH and the kids are. We all fly multiple times a year. I go with them in the UK line or they all come with me in the foreign line and gave done so for years. We pick the shorter line!

MadgeMidgerson · 03/08/2017 12:37

When I flew with my mother who is not UK/EU I went in the foreign line with her to keep her company (she is not a seasoned traveller) and was told by the customs agent that if she was with me (or any other UK/EU passport holder) she could have gone in the UK/EU line.

Whether this is a consistent policy or not by UKBA, there is a weird undertone to some of the posts on this thread, some seem needlessly aggressive.

lunar1 · 03/08/2017 12:40

From my experience you need to queue separately. The only time they made an exception to Lee the family together for us was when dh flew with one child without me.

We always went separately until dh got his citizenship. Very often his queue was shorter.

swingofthings · 03/08/2017 12:44

Surely the rule is you all queue in the non UK/EU line? No difference to families who have to all queue with those whose passport is non biometric?

That's what DC and I did until DH finally got his renewed. Otherwise, all you're doing is cutting the queue.

Smitff · 03/08/2017 12:44

I've flown into Heathrow with my non- EU children maybe 20 times now. Each time I've confirmed whether it's still the case that children go where the mother/parent in charge goes. Each time I've been told yes.

When my non-EU DH travels with us, he insists on going into the overseas citizens line himself. I think he just wants a few minutes' peace after our long flight! But we've never had to wait that long for him. He normally meets us down at the baggage carousel in time to get our suitcases off.

Imamouseduh · 03/08/2017 13:12

I always go through the UK line with my British husband. Never had a problem.

WeiAnMeokEo · 03/08/2017 13:14

My husband is a non-EU citizen and whenever we've come through customs at Heathrow they've specifically said for him to go through the UK line with me...

Original poster

flownthecoopkiwi · 03/08/2017 13:28

there is a weird undertone to some of the posts on this thread, some seem needlessly aggressive.

British queues for British people?

And how is it queue jumping as two posters have eluded too?

OP posts:

Degustibusnonestdisputandem1 · 03/08/2017 22:36

Flownthecoop... great Aussie band, that crowded house

crazywriter · 03/08/2017 23:57

When we flew to Canada, we all went to the non Canadian passport line, despite me on a Canadian passport. The staff want to keep families together and told us that was where we were to go.

Those belittling the kids for not wanting to be separated. Some queues can take more than an hour depending on the airport. It's overwhelming for them and they can act up. Best just to keep everyone together.

Talk to the staff when there OP. there is usually someone willing to help and find the best option to keep everyone together. Usually you all go on the non national queue.

JellyTipisthebest · 04/08/2017 08:07

always stick together and go through the uk line.
I am part of a family we all have PR for New Zealand and UK passports and were told last time we came home to NZ to just join the NZ line with the kiwis. A NZ passport as long as it has the right visa for the uk will be ok in a uk line

Coffeeisnecessary · 04/08/2017 08:15

My husband has a foreign passport and me and kids have British- we just choose the shortest queue and stay together!

juneau · 04/08/2017 08:21

My DH is a non-EU foreigner and when travelling with us before he got his British citizenship, he always joined us in the EU line. He had a spouse visa and then LPR at that time, so was legally resident in the UK. We never had an issue and his presence with us was never questioned.

However, if he travelled on his own for business he had to go through the non-EU line unless it was Heathrow, which specifies 'EU Citizens and UK Permanent Residents'. HTH. Ignore the haters upthread telling you you have to stand alone in the other line - it's bollocks and they clearly have no experience of the situation.

stargazer2030 · 04/08/2017 08:36

Passport control ask that you stay together so not sure why there are sarcastic comments on here about not being able to be separated from your child for 5 minutes.
They would have to go with you in the non European queue rather than the other way round . My friend always does that.

allegretto · 04/08/2017 08:43

stick together
go in the shortest queue

rubybleu · 04/08/2017 09:01

You are fine to go through the EU queue with your kids. Even if the desk doesn't have a stamp, they will get one off another desk or transfer you. I'm Australian & the only time I go through the non-EU queue is when I'm travelling solo.

If you have small kids and the queues (esp non-EU) are enormous, have a word with the first m immigration officer you see as they often put young families through the special assistance route at Heathrow. In T5 it's on the left hand side beside the e-gates.

British immigration officers tend to be pretty decent people, unlike US and the French part of Canada.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2017 09:02

YY to going to the shortest queue, if they will let you all stick together. Use the situation to your advantage. All the people in the UK/EU queue will look on with envy.

If you've just got off a European holiday flight with 300 people, 292 of them being UK/EU citizens, I'd say the 'family groups' go through together request trumps the streaming of passports request.

The person sat at the non EU queue is probably thankful of something to do for once, rather than sitting there twiddling their thumbs if all the planes from outside Europe land in a different part of the airport and they are working in a section that is primarily European flights full of mostly Europeans.

savagehk · 04/08/2017 09:13

"The person sat at the non EU queue is probably thankful of something to do for once, rather than sitting there twiddling their thumbs if all the planes from outside Europe land in a different part of the airport and they are working in a section that is primarily European flights full of mostly Europeans."

This ^ most of the time we fly!

Original poster

flownthecoopkiwi · 13/08/2017 10:18

UPDATE

came back from EU country and all went through non EU line as there was only 1 person in queue compared to long UK queue. All fine. Us cheeky foreigners coming over here standing in our own queues....

OP posts:

SerfTerf · 13/08/2017 10:22

You really need to lose that chip on your shoulder OP

Original poster

flownthecoopkiwi · 13/08/2017 17:24

LOL

OP posts:

lljkk · 13/08/2017 19:01

Those of us with EU passports queue together with the ones without EU passports. We end up waiting on other side, anyway, even after the longest queue experience, b/c of checked luggage.

zoobaby · 13/08/2017 19:04

I see this thread has already been concluded but just wanted to add that's it better to be the non-UK-EU partner because of the rule that whoever gets through passport control first has to go and get the luggage!

ittakes2 · 13/08/2017 20:16

My hubby is uk/euro and I am not. I always go with him in uk/euro que and have for almost 20 years. You will not have any problems. They say the only issue is they might ask you more private questions than uk/euro residents - and there is apparently less privacy in these ques - but I've never been asked anything so private that I have felt uncomfortable answering it.

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