If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland

This page explains the extra requirements that you must meet when you arrive at the UK border if you do not hold a passport issued by the UK, another country in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland. See Arriving at the UK border for information about what all passengers must do.

Our officer will scan your passport and check your landing card (see below) and details to make sure you have the right to enter the UK. The officer may ask you for more information about your visit to this country before giving you permission to enter.

Please put any documents relevant to your stay in your hand luggage, so they are available if the officer asks for them. This may include your travel itinerary, work permit, or university or sponsorship letter.

If you want to stay for longer than six months, you will need a visa or entry clearance to enter the UK, even if you are not a visa national. If you are a visa national, you will need a visa to enter the UK for any length of time.

You must have the correct documents for the purpose of your stay in the UK. If you break the immigration rules, we will encourage you to leave voluntarily but we will not hesitate to force you to leave the country if necessary.

If you come from certain countries and want to stay in the UK for more than six months, we will normally ask a medical inspector to examine you. If you have a UK pre-departure tuberculosis (TB) detection certificate, please give it to the officer when you arrive.

Forms (landing cards)

You will have to complete a landing card, unless:

• you hold a passport issued in the EU or EEA; or
• your final destination is not the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland (known as the common travel area) and you do not need to go through immigration controls to continue your journey.

A landing card must be fully completed for each passenger who has a passport issued outside the EU or EEA. This includes children. Please give your:

• family and given names;
• birth details and gender;
• nationality and actual occupation. If you are in business please specify your area of business;
• full contact address while you are in the UK, including the postcode. If you are staying at more than one place, please give the address where you will spend most of your time; and
• signature.

You can get a landing card before you arrive in the UK from your airline, ferry, train, or coach operator. It will help save time if you complete this card fully before arriving at our border.

If we need more information

We may need to make further enquiries about your visit to the UK, and you may have to wait while we do this. We will explain what we are doing and why. We will provide an interpreter if necessary. We will make our enquiries as quickly as possible and we will keep you informed of progress.

We may ask you to produce evidence of the money you have available to fund your stay and we may count your cash or travellers cheques. We will not normally ask you to give cash to the officer.

The European Economic Area (EEA) consists of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Although Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU), their citizens have the same rights as EU citizens to enter, live in and work in the UK.Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.