Do I need to go through immigration in Heathrow?

CONNECTING FLIGHTS If your baggage is checked through to your final destination, that's where you clear customs. If you're collecting your baggage and checking in to your next flight yourself, you need to pass through customs at Heathrow.



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You will need to go through passport control (and customs if applicable) and then check in again as normal for your connecting flight, so please ensure you have enough time.

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You'll need to clear customs and immigration. Next, you'll recheck your luggage for the domestic flight. Finally, you'll need to go through Transportation Security Administration screening. This may include a physical inspection of your luggage and personal items with a metal detector or a full-body scan.

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Your first stop after landing is passport control.

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How do I avoid immigration queues at Heathrow? Once the check is made successfully, the gate opens automatically for you to walk through. Using e-gates helps you to avoid the queues and get through passport control more quickly. A Passenger Ambassador is available to help should you need it.

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You then have to clear immigration & customs which can take anywhere from 15 minutes (on a very good day) to an hour (assuming you have to claim and recheck your luggage). Now, your outbound flight will begin the boarding process 30 minutes prior to departure.

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For British and European passengers, the “service level agreement” that Heathrow airport has with UK border force is for almost everyone –95 per cent of passengers – to be through passport control in 25 minutes. For other nationalities, the time is 45 minutes.

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In most cases, you'll go through customs and immigration after your flight first arrives in a new country, but there are exceptions. For example, some countries have mutual agreements intended to help speed travelers through the process, so you may go through customs and immigration before you board.

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You'll need to clear customs and immigration. Next, you'll recheck your luggage for the domestic flight. Finally, you'll need to go through Transportation Security Administration screening. This may include a physical inspection of your luggage and personal items with a metal detector or a full-body scan.

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Everyone who boards an aircraft at Heathrow has to be security screened to UK government standards. Even if you've already been through security checks at another airport, we're obliged to screen you again before you fly from Heathrow.

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You might have to go through customs during a layover, especially if your layover is in the Schengen Area (which consists of most countries in the EU). For example, if your final destination is Paris, France, but you have a layover in Madrid, Spain, you will actually go through customs in Spain, not France.

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Arriving at the airport When you arrive at an airport in the UK, you will need to pass through immigration control. There will usually be two queues: one for nationals from the UK/EU/EEA, and one for everyone else.

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What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.

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This means that if you fly into Heathrow and have a connecting flight out of Gatwick, Stansted or Luton airport you will need a Visitor in Transit visa to catch your connecting flight.

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If you are in Spain (no matter what country you are from), you must carry a valid ID card or passport at all times, and failure to do so could see the police detain you temporarily whilst they ascertain your identity, and furthermore, it is within their rights to issue a fine.

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8 Ways to Breeze Through Customs Quickly
  1. Fill out customs and immigration forms in advance. ...
  2. Get in line faster. ...
  3. Ditch the food. ...
  4. Know the questions they'll ask. ...
  5. Retain your receipts. ...
  6. Put your phone away. ...
  7. Become a trusted traveler. ...
  8. Keep your cool.


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Many flights from the United States arrive at Heathrow between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. (local time) each day, so this is when you can expect long lines at immigration. Similarly, each Sunday from 5 p.m. onwards many Brits will be returning from weekends away so there will likely be long waits.

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