What vehicle operators must do to prevent clandestine entrants

This page explains how drivers and haulage companies must protect vehicles coming into the United Kingdom to prevent people from using them to enter the country without going through the proper immigration controls. It also explains the fines we will impose on those who fail to do so and are found to have carried these clandestine entrants into the country.

A clandestine entrant is a person who hides in or on a vehicle as it enters the United Kingdom with the aim of avoiding or attempting to avoid immigration controls.

The law that allows us to impose fines (known as civil penalties) for carrying a clandestine entrant applies to all road vehicles, including cars, caravans and coaches, and rail freight. It is particularly designed to encourage hauliers and drivers to take responsibility for protecting and checking their vehicles before crossing into the United Kingdom from mainland Europe. It applies to all arrivals into the United Kingdom from all European sea ports and on Eurotunnel.

The law was introduced because the large number of vehicles travelling to the United Kingdom provides opportunities for people to hide inside and on them and enter the country illegally.

We have taken steps to strengthen our borders by investing in new technology to detect people hiding inside vehicles, creating teams of staff to carry out checks on freight, and introducing immigration controls at certain ports in Europe. But vehicle operators must also have effective systems in place to prevent people hiding in and on their vehicles, and the law both recognises those that do and penalises those that do not.

For more information on what we consider to be an effective system, see What is an effective system?

For more information on the technology we use to detect people hiding in vehicles, see Methods we use to detect clandestine entrants.

Fines for carrying clandestine entrants

We will impose a fine (known as a civil penalty) when a driver and/or company fails to have an effective system to protect vehicles from being used by clandestine entrants, or fails to operate the system properly.

If your vehicle is found to contain clandestine entrants, you may face a fine of up to £2,000 for each entrant you are carrying. The driver of the vehicle, the driver's employer, and the owner or hirer of the vehicle can each be fined. For more information on what you should do if you find clandestine entrants in your vehicle, and what we will do, see What happens if there are clandestine entrants in my vehicle?

Recognising hauliers who have effective protection

We have an accreditation scheme for road haulage companies. If your company is accepted onto the scheme and clandestine entrants are discovered in your vehicles, we will not fine you if you are operating in accordance with the scheme.

See Accreditation scheme for haulage companies for more information.

If you have questions that are not answered here, you can contact our Civil Penalty Unit.