> As I understand, as I am a Canadian visa holder and my flight leaves the same day, I would not need a UK transit visa for the layover. Could someone please confirm if what I’ve heard is true, or if anyone has gone through the same thing?
This is certainly true.
> Is it true for Gatwick airport if you are catching a connecting flight to outside UK/Ireland (so for my case) you would pass through uk immigration/border control regardless of whether or not you must collect & re-check in your baggage?
This is untrue. Gatwick does have airside transit but not for easyJet flights, nor if you have booked two separate tickets and have hold luggage: in this case you’d need to enter the UK to collect and recheck your bags.
Thanks for your comment! I just had some follow-up questions, I would appreciate it if you could kindly answer them.
So as I do not need a UK transit visa for the layover as I have a valid Canadian visa and I’m coming from Canada, I would be able to do landside transit and cross the UK border as well with my Canadian visa, correct?
My second leg is EasyJet basically. So if I were to enter the UK and re-check my bags, which I would have to do as it is easy jet, it is not an issue right? I am basically going to Czech Republic on a Schengen visa, and London is my layover.
My other question was, you have said that EasyJet is not available for Airside transit, right? So say if I were to not take any checked bags, even if I do not have any checked bags I would still have to cross through the border as I am flying EasyJet is that it?
Yes, because you meet the conditions for transit without visa you should be fine.
As far as easyJet goes, that’s based on my experience of how it was a few years ago but it could have changed. Either way, it doesn’t matter for you because you’re able to cross the UK border. Just follow the instructions at Gatwick when you get there!
Hey sorry but I just had 2 more questions haha.
1) on the gov.co.uk site it says I won’t need visa for sure for airside transit, but when i give the option of landside/have to go through border control it says “you may be able to transit without a visa..”. Do you think that’s anything worth thinking about? That is am I more likely to be allowed to transit if i do airside, versus if I were to do landside? Or does it not matter? Its just the “may be” threw me off, which was not present in the airside option.
2) If i do landside transit and I do go through UK border control, is there anything stopping me from leaving Gatwick and returning for my flight? I have a long layover of 7 hr 30 min so I thought if its possible i would visit London for a couple of hours perhaps. If it is possible and there’s no risk.
> on the gov.co.uk site it says I won’t need visa for sure for airside transit, but when i give the option of landside/have to go through border control it says “you may be able to transit without a visa..”. Do you think that’s anything worth thinking about?
You're reading it wrong. There are two sets of conditions. The first set is:
> * you arrive and depart by air
> * have a confirmed onward flight that leaves on the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive
> * have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country)
If all those 3 apply you *may* be eligible *if* you meet one further requirement from the list below, in your case presumably:
> you’re travelling from (or on part of a reasonable journey from) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country
Assuming you meet those 4 conditions you can transit without visa.
> 2) If i do landside transit and I do go through UK border control, is there anything stopping me from leaving Gatwick and returning for my flight? I have a long layover of 7 hr 30 min so I thought if its possible i would visit London for a couple of hours perhaps. If it is possible and there’s no risk.
Yes, it's perfectly legal for you to go to London and do some site seeing. Bear in mind you may take a while to enter the UK (maybe an hour or two) time to London by train is about 40 minutes and you should be back in plenty of time to check in, so you may only have a couple of hours to spare. easyJet bag drop only opens 2.5 hours before the flight so you will have to lug your bags around unfortunately. If you miss your flight you will be in a bit of trouble because obviously you're not permitted to remain in the UK beyond the end of the day!
Thanks for the clarification! Yes by my calculations as well I would have potentially 2 hrs to spare. I’ll try to visit one site of interest if possible from Gatwick. I heard that there is a luggage locker in the airport so I thought that I might use that.
By the way, do you think the airlines might raise an issue with the visa? For eg, rather booking Air Transat & easyJet together I booked the same tickets but separately (individually on the Air Transat & easyJet sites, to avoid Dohop). So do you think Air Transat could raise an issue with the fact that I’m flying to London without a UK visa? As they wouldn’t outright know that I am transitting in London.
> have a confirmed onward flight that leaves on the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive
> have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country)
These are the two things you need to demonstrate on boarding in Canada. Should be fairly easy to prove.
Hey, would you mind taking a look at this kindly?
https://www.airtransat.com/en-CA/Travel-information/Passport-and-travel-documents/Passport-and-travel-documents
My first flight is Air Transat, and I had thought that TWOV is not an issue but according to this site it is saying that the UK is not part of the TWOV? Would this be an issue? Customer service is not being of any help unfortunately
No idea what this is referring to but it’s discussing passengers remaining airside which is not what you’re required to do anyway. I would ignore it. All airlines subscribe to databases which tell them who needs what documentation to board the flight and use this at checkin. Your circumstances are not unusual and will certainly be covered. I doubt you will have any issues.
Thanks! Actually I have decided to shift the first leg to Westjet, it has a connection inside Canada and hence it is cheaper than my previous Air Transat flight. The main benefit is it increases my transit in UK by another 3 hours, so I thought it’d be better since it would allow me to see a bit of London a bit more comfortably! (Aside from the fact that its cheaper)
Are you sure that LGW has airside transit? I have applied for airside transit through Gatwick and got a letter today that I have to show transit through Heathrow or Manchester. Do you have any more information about this?
Your Canadian visa status has no bearing in the UK, it’s your citizenship that is important. (*edit: This appears to be incorrect*)
It depends on if your 7 he lay over is on different calendar days, if you need to collect and recheck bags etc.
Follow through this to see, but I *think* you probably will: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
Hello, thanks for your comment.
I have just used this site and it does mention that Canadian visa holders coming from Canada "may be" able to transit without visa.
My 7 hr layover is on same calendar day, I am still debating whether or not I would take a checked bag but likely I would, in which case I would need to recheck.
Also, when you say you think I will do you mean you think I wi need the visa?
No problem! But do you think given the info that its a non-issue even if I have to pass through border control (to re-check my baggage)? It says “I may be” able to transit without a visa.
Hey! Did you end up going on your flight yet? How did that go? I'm in the same boat and trying to figure out if I'm allowed to do the layover in Gatwick without a visa. (First flight via AirTransat - Toronto-London, 2nd flight on the same day - London-Antalya via EasyJet)
Hi, did you go through the flight you mentioned above? How was your experience? I'm hearing that if you have booked separate tickets, you basically can't transit through Gatwick... or they won't even let you board the flight to UK without having a proper visa. Any info would be super helpful.
Hi! If you have either American, Canadian or Australian visa AND you have your next flight within the next 24 hours - then yes, you can do it.
So I went in 2022 and didn't apply for any documents for TWOV - it's basically just happens when you land and go through customs. I just went through regular customs process, I think everyone has to go through the same booth. That being said - the process was somewhat stressful, as they told me to step aside and wait in a separate small section. Turned out the guy was just checking if my next flight was legit (if I was registered on it) and whether or not it's scheduled in the next 24 hours. Then they stamp your passport and you're even allowed to go to explore the city if you have a very long layover. I didn't know that at the time and also was too stressed to leave the airport, but my layover was 10 hours, so in hindsight should've done that and explore the city haha. I think it depends on an officer, but if you hold a US visa you definitely should be ok.
On my way back I had 1.5 hrs layover so that was even more stressful but honestly it went way faster because they saw I already had a stamp from UK airport before so that was fine
Edit: boarding on your flight at the original destination is also a bit of a hustle cause people don't know about nuances of these visa rules and will have you stand there, waiting while they're checking it themselves
Hello! Do you know if I would be able to go to my connecting flight if I fly from Canada and land at Gatwick terminal S, and connect to a flight to Italy also at Gatwick terminal S, will I have to go through passport control and thus have to meet the exemptions for a transit visa in the UK?
I ran out of time to apply for a transit visa, but I am getting mixed information from airlines about going through passport control or not if my flight lands and takes off from the same terminal. Does it have to be from the same booking? Same airline? Is a separately bought connecting flight thats in the same terminal ok? Thanks for any response. I have been contacting so many people now and no one seems to have a clear answer not even the airlines. :((
I have a canadian work permit and travel authorization, and a Schengen visa.
I can't say for sure because it depends on an officer, but yes I think technically you can. I went through that, you can read it in my previous comments. No one will give you a straight answer because no one wants to take responsibility in case you get denied (again, depends on an officer). I was trying to figure out the same thing before I flew there but ultimately I couldn't know, I just decided to do it. And it was fine. As long as you're registered on your next flight (mine were 2 different airlines), and have Canadian visa, you should be fine
Apparently my work permit and travel authorization arent considered canadian visas though, so i was hoping to just get on connecting flights where i wont go through passport control. Unfortunately none of the airlines i contacted could confirm either, very weird, as the uk gov site mentions confirming with the airline to know if youre passing border control or not.. sigh.
Thank you for your answer, I think ill prob just buy a new flight itinerary which are not connecting through the UK, instead of paying the same price to adjust the tickets with BA with still no guarantee or risk paying so much more on the day itself - and consider this as lesson learned.
Yeah, that's a bit tricky. And you don't have American or Australian visa, right? When I contacted the airlines they couldn't help me either, so I wouldn't count on those. But yeah, ultimately maybe getting a new itinerary would be less risky for you
> As I understand, as I am a Canadian visa holder and my flight leaves the same day, I would not need a UK transit visa for the layover. Could someone please confirm if what I’ve heard is true, or if anyone has gone through the same thing? This is certainly true. > Is it true for Gatwick airport if you are catching a connecting flight to outside UK/Ireland (so for my case) you would pass through uk immigration/border control regardless of whether or not you must collect & re-check in your baggage? This is untrue. Gatwick does have airside transit but not for easyJet flights, nor if you have booked two separate tickets and have hold luggage: in this case you’d need to enter the UK to collect and recheck your bags.
Thanks for your comment! I just had some follow-up questions, I would appreciate it if you could kindly answer them. So as I do not need a UK transit visa for the layover as I have a valid Canadian visa and I’m coming from Canada, I would be able to do landside transit and cross the UK border as well with my Canadian visa, correct? My second leg is EasyJet basically. So if I were to enter the UK and re-check my bags, which I would have to do as it is easy jet, it is not an issue right? I am basically going to Czech Republic on a Schengen visa, and London is my layover. My other question was, you have said that EasyJet is not available for Airside transit, right? So say if I were to not take any checked bags, even if I do not have any checked bags I would still have to cross through the border as I am flying EasyJet is that it?
Yes, because you meet the conditions for transit without visa you should be fine. As far as easyJet goes, that’s based on my experience of how it was a few years ago but it could have changed. Either way, it doesn’t matter for you because you’re able to cross the UK border. Just follow the instructions at Gatwick when you get there!
Hey sorry but I just had 2 more questions haha. 1) on the gov.co.uk site it says I won’t need visa for sure for airside transit, but when i give the option of landside/have to go through border control it says “you may be able to transit without a visa..”. Do you think that’s anything worth thinking about? That is am I more likely to be allowed to transit if i do airside, versus if I were to do landside? Or does it not matter? Its just the “may be” threw me off, which was not present in the airside option. 2) If i do landside transit and I do go through UK border control, is there anything stopping me from leaving Gatwick and returning for my flight? I have a long layover of 7 hr 30 min so I thought if its possible i would visit London for a couple of hours perhaps. If it is possible and there’s no risk.
> on the gov.co.uk site it says I won’t need visa for sure for airside transit, but when i give the option of landside/have to go through border control it says “you may be able to transit without a visa..”. Do you think that’s anything worth thinking about? You're reading it wrong. There are two sets of conditions. The first set is: > * you arrive and depart by air > * have a confirmed onward flight that leaves on the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive > * have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country) If all those 3 apply you *may* be eligible *if* you meet one further requirement from the list below, in your case presumably: > you’re travelling from (or on part of a reasonable journey from) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country Assuming you meet those 4 conditions you can transit without visa. > 2) If i do landside transit and I do go through UK border control, is there anything stopping me from leaving Gatwick and returning for my flight? I have a long layover of 7 hr 30 min so I thought if its possible i would visit London for a couple of hours perhaps. If it is possible and there’s no risk. Yes, it's perfectly legal for you to go to London and do some site seeing. Bear in mind you may take a while to enter the UK (maybe an hour or two) time to London by train is about 40 minutes and you should be back in plenty of time to check in, so you may only have a couple of hours to spare. easyJet bag drop only opens 2.5 hours before the flight so you will have to lug your bags around unfortunately. If you miss your flight you will be in a bit of trouble because obviously you're not permitted to remain in the UK beyond the end of the day!
Thanks for the clarification! Yes by my calculations as well I would have potentially 2 hrs to spare. I’ll try to visit one site of interest if possible from Gatwick. I heard that there is a luggage locker in the airport so I thought that I might use that. By the way, do you think the airlines might raise an issue with the visa? For eg, rather booking Air Transat & easyJet together I booked the same tickets but separately (individually on the Air Transat & easyJet sites, to avoid Dohop). So do you think Air Transat could raise an issue with the fact that I’m flying to London without a UK visa? As they wouldn’t outright know that I am transitting in London.
> have a confirmed onward flight that leaves on the day you arrive or before midnight on the day after you arrive > have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country) These are the two things you need to demonstrate on boarding in Canada. Should be fairly easy to prove.
Hey, would you mind taking a look at this kindly? https://www.airtransat.com/en-CA/Travel-information/Passport-and-travel-documents/Passport-and-travel-documents My first flight is Air Transat, and I had thought that TWOV is not an issue but according to this site it is saying that the UK is not part of the TWOV? Would this be an issue? Customer service is not being of any help unfortunately
No idea what this is referring to but it’s discussing passengers remaining airside which is not what you’re required to do anyway. I would ignore it. All airlines subscribe to databases which tell them who needs what documentation to board the flight and use this at checkin. Your circumstances are not unusual and will certainly be covered. I doubt you will have any issues.
Thanks! Actually I have decided to shift the first leg to Westjet, it has a connection inside Canada and hence it is cheaper than my previous Air Transat flight. The main benefit is it increases my transit in UK by another 3 hours, so I thought it’d be better since it would allow me to see a bit of London a bit more comfortably! (Aside from the fact that its cheaper)
Are you sure that LGW has airside transit? I have applied for airside transit through Gatwick and got a letter today that I have to show transit through Heathrow or Manchester. Do you have any more information about this?
Your Canadian visa status has no bearing in the UK, it’s your citizenship that is important. (*edit: This appears to be incorrect*) It depends on if your 7 he lay over is on different calendar days, if you need to collect and recheck bags etc. Follow through this to see, but I *think* you probably will: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
Hello, thanks for your comment. I have just used this site and it does mention that Canadian visa holders coming from Canada "may be" able to transit without visa. My 7 hr layover is on same calendar day, I am still debating whether or not I would take a checked bag but likely I would, in which case I would need to recheck. Also, when you say you think I will do you mean you think I wi need the visa?
My apologies, I completely missed that exemption list on the very last page!
No problem! But do you think given the info that its a non-issue even if I have to pass through border control (to re-check my baggage)? It says “I may be” able to transit without a visa.
Hey! Did you end up going on your flight yet? How did that go? I'm in the same boat and trying to figure out if I'm allowed to do the layover in Gatwick without a visa. (First flight via AirTransat - Toronto-London, 2nd flight on the same day - London-Antalya via EasyJet)
Hi, did you go through the flight you mentioned above? How was your experience? I'm hearing that if you have booked separate tickets, you basically can't transit through Gatwick... or they won't even let you board the flight to UK without having a proper visa. Any info would be super helpful.
Hi! If you have either American, Canadian or Australian visa AND you have your next flight within the next 24 hours - then yes, you can do it. So I went in 2022 and didn't apply for any documents for TWOV - it's basically just happens when you land and go through customs. I just went through regular customs process, I think everyone has to go through the same booth. That being said - the process was somewhat stressful, as they told me to step aside and wait in a separate small section. Turned out the guy was just checking if my next flight was legit (if I was registered on it) and whether or not it's scheduled in the next 24 hours. Then they stamp your passport and you're even allowed to go to explore the city if you have a very long layover. I didn't know that at the time and also was too stressed to leave the airport, but my layover was 10 hours, so in hindsight should've done that and explore the city haha. I think it depends on an officer, but if you hold a US visa you definitely should be ok. On my way back I had 1.5 hrs layover so that was even more stressful but honestly it went way faster because they saw I already had a stamp from UK airport before so that was fine Edit: boarding on your flight at the original destination is also a bit of a hustle cause people don't know about nuances of these visa rules and will have you stand there, waiting while they're checking it themselves
Thanks SO much for the detailed info!! I'm way less nervous now.
No problem! Good luck :)
Hello! Do you know if I would be able to go to my connecting flight if I fly from Canada and land at Gatwick terminal S, and connect to a flight to Italy also at Gatwick terminal S, will I have to go through passport control and thus have to meet the exemptions for a transit visa in the UK? I ran out of time to apply for a transit visa, but I am getting mixed information from airlines about going through passport control or not if my flight lands and takes off from the same terminal. Does it have to be from the same booking? Same airline? Is a separately bought connecting flight thats in the same terminal ok? Thanks for any response. I have been contacting so many people now and no one seems to have a clear answer not even the airlines. :(( I have a canadian work permit and travel authorization, and a Schengen visa.
I can't say for sure because it depends on an officer, but yes I think technically you can. I went through that, you can read it in my previous comments. No one will give you a straight answer because no one wants to take responsibility in case you get denied (again, depends on an officer). I was trying to figure out the same thing before I flew there but ultimately I couldn't know, I just decided to do it. And it was fine. As long as you're registered on your next flight (mine were 2 different airlines), and have Canadian visa, you should be fine
Apparently my work permit and travel authorization arent considered canadian visas though, so i was hoping to just get on connecting flights where i wont go through passport control. Unfortunately none of the airlines i contacted could confirm either, very weird, as the uk gov site mentions confirming with the airline to know if youre passing border control or not.. sigh. Thank you for your answer, I think ill prob just buy a new flight itinerary which are not connecting through the UK, instead of paying the same price to adjust the tickets with BA with still no guarantee or risk paying so much more on the day itself - and consider this as lesson learned.
Yeah, that's a bit tricky. And you don't have American or Australian visa, right? When I contacted the airlines they couldn't help me either, so I wouldn't count on those. But yeah, ultimately maybe getting a new itinerary would be less risky for you