Originally Posted by
Jamieharvey
I would really appreciate some guidance on the following question regarding an upcoming LHR T5 transfer. I have an ex-DUB trip to the US coming up, specifically DUB-LHR-DFW, all on BA metal connecting through T5 in J, with a ~2hr stopover in LHR. My question is as follows: do we need to clear UK immigration at any point? There is a possibly my American wife's new visa will not have arrived physically (although is already approved), and I had assumed when booking this wouldn't be a problem as just connecting through LHR shouldn't require entry into the UK. However, I'm now worried as I read in this helpful guide that "arrivals from DUB do not require passport control at LHR" - which suggests you would need to have the right to enter the UK before you got on the plane at DUB, even if you are simply connecting straight through.
Any clarification would be much appreciated. Thanks.
You have already cleared UK passports since the UK and Ireland are in a Common Travel Area. You will need proper documentation for arrival in the USA, and that will be checked by BA's staff but there isn't a passport control point (and there never has been). Personally, if I were you I would go landside, follow the signs to baggage reclaim, up to the departures level and then off to the First Wing. If you weren't BA Gold/ Emerald - well ideally Fast Track North, but if not Fast Track South which is probably nearer. You can also go airside via Flight Connections, and you must do this if your connection falls below 1 hour, but I wouldn't bother subjecting yourself to that unnecessarily. In both cases there is a security check point, Fast Track is simply better than Flight Connections, the First Wing much better than both.
[For the benefit of uber accuracy, there are some nationals that strictly speaking require visas to the UK to do this such as certain Palestinian Authority passports, but no one seems much bothered]