If you’re a foreign national looking to come to the UK, the following guide will help you to understand the rules and requirements relating to entry clearance, from what this actually means to the rules on transiting through the UK.
Under UK Immigration Rules, you will need to apply for entry clearance if you are a foreign national coming to the UK as either a visitor, to work or to study, or if you intend to settle here temporarily or permanently.
Entry clearance is used by Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) based overseas to verify before an individual arrives in the United Kingdom if that person qualifies under the Immigration Rules for entry to the UK. ECOs are officials of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the division of the Home Office responsible for the United Kingdom’s visa system.
In some cases, it is mandatory to obtain entry clearance, whereas in others it is optional. However, in all cases, the authority to admit someone to the UK ultimately rests with the Immigration Officer (IO) at the UK port of entry.
If you are transiting or travelling through the UK while on your way to another destination country, even if you are only changing flights at a UK airport, you may still need to apply for prior entry clearance.
There are two types of transiting: landside, where you pass through UK border control, but come back through it and leave the UK within 48 hours; and airside, where you do not pass through border control before you leave on your connecting journey.
If you are a visa national, you may be required to obtain some form of transit or visitors’ visa when passing through UK border control, even for a matter of a few hours.
In relation to transiting airside, certain nationals will need what’s known as a direct airside transit visa (DATV). However, as you will not be deemed to have entered the UK when transiting airside, the rules and requirements for DATVs fall outside the scope of the UK Immigration Rules and into the realms of completely different UK legislation. As such, you should always seek expert advice from an immigration specialist before travelling.
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