U.K. and Ireland - British citizen travelling on non-EU pasport

I have to go to the UK next week but my UK passport has expired. Doh :o

Do I have to use the "foreigners" lane or will they let me through if I show my expired passport (it says "British Citizen") and/or UK birth certificate?

LHR T5 if it makes any difference.

tia

I imagine you'd be expected to use the non EU lane but I suppose they wouldn't send you to the back of the queue if you feigned ignorance. Although you might get a grumpy one as they aren't in the best of moods at the moment.

A few months back, I had to send off my UK passport to the HO and only had my US passport and photocopies of my UK passport. During this time I traveled to Paris on the Eurostar for a long weekend. I didn't bother explaining to the French immigration that I was also a UK citizen. When coming through UK immigration at Gare du Nord, I showed the gentleman my US passport and a colour photocopy of my UK passport's photo page. He let me through without a second glance (and also without a stamp).

Granted, this is not quite the same as there are no EEA-specific lanes at GdN. However...

- You cannot legally be kept out of the UK as you are a UK citizen.
- The immigration officer might give you a tough time but unlike some countries (USA for one) you are not required by law to enter on your UK passport.
- Bringing your expired UK passport with you is he next best thing and I cannot imagine anyone will think twice.

You might get a stamp in your non-UK passport; if so, you can ignore it as you are not subject to immigration restrictions by virtue of your UK citizenship.

Thank you, people. I did intend to feign ignorance as it comes quite naturally to me, but with less trepidation now.

The worst he/she can do is send me to the foreigners line where I would have been anyway. :cool:

Given OP is a British citizen there's nothing stopping him using the UK & EU lane as long as he has proof of that citizenship (ie the expired passport).

And as the UK doesn't have exit controls they'd have no problem leaving the UK.

I'd be worried about using a non-UK passport when entering the UK for several reasons


The immigration officer might realise you are a British citizen and wonder why you aren't using your UK passport
The immigration officer might decide that you are persona non grata before discovering you are a UK citizen
For an extended stay you'd ultimately run out of visa and hence be liable for removal


Now all of these can be resolved but they may cause a few minutes - or hours - of inconvenience.

Given OP is a British citizen there's nothing stopping him using the UK & EU lane as long as he has proof of that citizenship (ie the expired passport).
I know that the US accepts expired passports for its nationals, but I was under the impression that this is not normally an acceptable proof of citizenship for UK citizens.

The UKBA page would appear to confirm this:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/Enteringtheuk/arrivingatukborder/

You must be the legal holder of a genuine document. Your documents must be valid and issued by a government or authority.

The immigration officer might realise you are a British citizen and wonder why you aren't using your UK passport
This can be cleared up very easily with an explanation; FWIW, UK citizens are not required to enter the country on their UK passports.

The immigration officer might decide that you are persona non grata before discovering you are a UK citizen
Easily avoided by preemptively explaining one's situation.

For an extended stay you'd ultimately run out of visa and hence be liable for removal
UK citizens can never be removed from the UK under any circumstances except for extradition to other states.

Now all of these can be resolved but they may cause a few minutes - or hours - of inconvenience.
The OP clearly states that his UK passport is expired and that he must come next week. What sort of alternative are you suggesting? Or are you just trying to scare the OP?

I know that the US accepts expired passports for its nationals, but I was under the impression that this is not normally an acceptable proof of citizenship for UK citizens.

The UKBA page would appear to confirm this:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/Enteringtheuk/arrivingatukborder/

All this says is that one needs a valid passport to enter the UK. The OP does have a valid passport (albeit no a UK one), so should not have a problem entering the country. Presenting the expired UK passport alongside the non-expired US one seems to me to be the obvious thing to do.

I would call a British Embassy and seek their guidance. At very least having some of blessing from them to travel and proof of your consultation will help discussions in the UK. They might well identify a solution to calm your nerves.

If you are a UK citizen, they could be in hot water if they don't let you in.

Even if you don't have a valid or expired passport, as long as you tell the truth - and expect they will check up - for example, addresses and details of relatives, you should be welcomed back to your home country. If not - an e-mail to your MP may be in order.

All the OP wants to do is save some queuing time at LHR immigration.

Hie eligibility to enter the UK is not in doubt.

Given OP is a British citizen there's nothing stopping him using the UK & EU lane as long as he has proof of that citizenship (ie the expired passport).

And as the UK doesn't have exit controls they'd have no problem leaving the UK.

I'd be worried about using a non-UK passport when entering the UK for several reasons


The immigration officer might realise you are a British citizen and wonder why you aren't using your UK passport
The immigration officer might decide that you are persona non grata before discovering you are a UK citizen
For an extended stay you'd ultimately run out of visa and hence be liable for removal


Now all of these can be resolved but they may cause a few minutes - or hours - of inconvenience.

I don't think that the immigration officer would realise that the OP was a British citizen, but even if he or she did, it wouldn't be a problem – the UK requires only that a traveller's documentation be sufficient for the purpose of the trip. As I understand it, the OP is visiting the UK for a short period of time and won't be working/studying in the UK, so a US passport is sufficient for the purpose of the trip.

To the OP: technically, now, an expired British citizen passport would not be accepted at the port of entry as proof of British citizenship (one's right of abode in the UK can be established for that purpose only by showing a valid British citizen passport, a valid British subject passport or other British passport indicating that the holder has the right of abode, or a valid non-British passport with a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode in it); however, some immigration officers may be prepared to bend the regulations by using a little common sense...