thetaxman

Recently traveled to Glasgow, UK (GLA) from the US and transited through LHR. My bag was checked through to GLA and I didn't need to collect it in London. I did pass through immigration, but at no point did I go through any type of Customs clearance/review/processing area with that checked luggage.

The arrivals hall at GLA was domestic and it was as simple as walking off the plane, exiting the secure area and collecting bag - just like any other typical domestic flight I've taken around the globe.

Just seemed strange that there wasn't even an opportunity (from a physical logistics perspective) for HM Revenue & Customs to do anything or for me to make a conscious decision to go through the Red/Green channel.

Did I miss something here or is this the norm?

FlyingUnderTheRadar

I basically did the same transiting from Schiphol to Edinburgh. I did need to do a self service/automatic passport check but no true immigration check. In Edinburgh I did go through immigration/customs.

:D!

Transiting where? Sounds like you took a direct flight AMS-EDI, which is an international non-Schengen flight, therefore immigration and customs will be done on arrival in the UK.

If you flew from the US to AMS, then remember that unlike the US most countries do not treat transiting passengers as though they are trying to enter and only the airline needs to see the boarding pass and passport in order to make sure you can enter the true destination.

The OP flew USA-LHR-GLA and as LHR was his entry point into the UK, he would have expected both immigration and customs in LHR, but only went through immigration in Flight Connections.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

You are correct I flew BOS->AMS->EDI. What surprised me was that when I have transited in places like NRT I went through a transition station and then funneled off to the departure area. At AMS there was none and was immediately in the terminal. That said I did go through a passport/ticket/security check to get to my gate.

scottishpoet

Unless it has changed, what is supposed to happen at GLA "transit" bags are supposed to arrive on a different belt and you then clear customs (such as it is, you really just walk through a door)

What happens in practice is the baggage handlers just put all the bags on the one belt

Xyzzy

Bags frm international flights and domestic flights have different markings on the tags so customs inspectors (if any) can easily tell who arrived internationally.

Aviatrix

Customs and Immigration are two different things, and Customs has nothing to do with Schengen (which is about Immigration only).

When you fly to an airport in the EU Customs is always done at your final destination. AMS-EDI would be treated in exacactly the same way Customs-wise as LHR-EDI.

If your baggage does not have a green tag then Customs can stop you - even if (as seems to have happened in the OP's case) the bag ended up on the same belt as the internal bags (i.e., those with green tags). There will have been a Customs Officer somewhere - probably at the other end of a CCTV camera. And Customs will have gone through the passenger lists, and checked out whatever they deem necessary to establish whether or not there were passengers on board that they wanted to talk to.

:D!

What is supposed to happen at LHR if you came from outside the EU but transited GLA?

Aviatrix

Exactly the same as would happen if you were transiting anywhere else in the EU... your checked baggage clears Customs at LHR.

thetaxman

Sure? - from memory (and I admit I rarely travel domestically in the UK anymore) there are no Customs areas in the domestic arrivals hall at any UK airport. That may not be a 100% accurate statement in terms of all airports, but I think it does apply to the larger ones where there are separate physical facilities for domestic v international. I don't see a different physical route for passengers or bags who are on an international connection - everyone is treated the same and so it seems are their checked luggage.

To be clear as well - "clearing Customs" is in my mind two things. The first is that I am in possession of my all my belongings and secondly, that I physically pass through a dedicated area that allows a Customs officer to intervene in my forward progress either through observation/physical impediment or passenger declaration. Just like how it is done here in the US.

Immigration I cleared - no doubt there.

thetaxman

OK. I may have "found" the customs piece.

The link below is for a US>LHR(T3 Arrival : T5 Dep)>GLA journey that uses the Heathrow Airport website guide.

http://www.heathrowairport.com/heath...nal-5-domestic

At the Security Screening point, it states that non-UK residents should phone HMRC if they have goods to declare, but it does clearly show that there is no traditional Customs screening.

I'll just leave that genius piece of Customs Policy right there.........