BA refuses boarding back to UK despite OK from Immigration Authorities
Nov 26, 2018, 2:09 am
#46
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Just sign an indemnity form that airlines have for this specific reason. Else use road to the country of your Citizenship and get a duplicate birth cert and a passport.
Nov 26, 2018, 2:13 am
#47
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BA are not the authorities in this context. They will be fined if the passenger cannot prove their identity when they arrive at the border, and they are completely within their rights to refuse to carry the passenger to the border. It is not BA's job to make the verification allowed by the EU regs.
Nov 26, 2018, 2:22 am
#48
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I can't add much to what others have said already. You didn't have valid travel documents and are relying on things like leniency and reasonableness from BA and others. While things may be a little different if you were presenting yourself for entry into your country of citizenship, that's different to your problem here. I'm a little surprised that your embassy can't help more, but that may be due t the fact that you already have one valid passport out there. We can't really say because we don't know citizenship.
In any case, coming off all DYKWIA and slapping the same story on multiple travel websites is counter-productive. It won't get you home and it won't get you sympathy and help from the gang here.
In any case, coming off all DYKWIA and slapping the same story on multiple travel websites is counter-productive. It won't get you home and it won't get you sympathy and help from the gang here.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:00 am
#49
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face 
On a serious note, maybe the OP can just clarify if he was actually aware that his EU ID had expired prior to his outbound travel. We seem to have conflicting information in relation to this point.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:00 am
#50
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I try not to be a BA apologist, but feel that the OP has created this situation. The problem the OP has is that they expect everyone to just take their word as gospel.. Having watched Reality TV,, border officials world wide come across people not being truthful and who have invented a series of events and documentation that could easily be faked in an attempt to gain unlawful entry to a country.
The refusal to accept for travel is reasonable when you consider that there are always people intent of dishonesty. Why should the OP be exempt from the rules?
The refusal to accept for travel is reasonable when you consider that there are always people intent of dishonesty. Why should the OP be exempt from the rules?
Nov 26, 2018, 3:10 am
#51
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Went to my embassy and asked for temp passport. They said I need birth certificate. I don't have that because its back in London so I don't get temp passport from my embassy.
...
To recap. I am totally stranded in Budapest. My embassy cant get me a temporary passport because I have no birth certificate.
...
To recap. I am totally stranded in Budapest. My embassy cant get me a temporary passport because I have no birth certificate.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:14 am
#52
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Which obligation are you referring to here specifically?
Airlines check that passengers have proper documentation for the destination country as an obligation to themselves - to make sure that they are not fined by that country if a passenger does not have proper documents. Airlines do not do the passenger's job of making sure that the passenger does have proper documentation to enter any particular country. It is solely the passenger's responsibility. As it is to ensure that they have enough money, insurance. warm clothes etc. That the airline permits someone to board a plane does not mean anything. People are refused entry even when airlines are satisfied that they have proper documentation - that does not make airlines in any way liable towards the passenger for bringing such a properly documented passenger to the border. Again, let's be clear here - document checks that airlines perform are not for the benefit of the passenger and are not some form of an extra check that the passenger must perform before travel. Blaming the airline rather than accepting this for what it is - a very painful lesson - does not help anyone. That BA agent may have missed that the OP did not have proper docs for Hungary is between BA and Hungarian immigration authorities. And if we're talking about any obligations, then BA did not fulfill its obligation to itself and the agent may have exposed BA to a fine.
Airlines check that passengers have proper documentation for the destination country as an obligation to themselves - to make sure that they are not fined by that country if a passenger does not have proper documents. Airlines do not do the passenger's job of making sure that the passenger does have proper documentation to enter any particular country. It is solely the passenger's responsibility. As it is to ensure that they have enough money, insurance. warm clothes etc. That the airline permits someone to board a plane does not mean anything. People are refused entry even when airlines are satisfied that they have proper documentation - that does not make airlines in any way liable towards the passenger for bringing such a properly documented passenger to the border. Again, let's be clear here - document checks that airlines perform are not for the benefit of the passenger and are not some form of an extra check that the passenger must perform before travel. Blaming the airline rather than accepting this for what it is - a very painful lesson - does not help anyone. That BA agent may have missed that the OP did not have proper docs for Hungary is between BA and Hungarian immigration authorities. And if we're talking about any obligations, then BA did not fulfill its obligation to itself and the agent may have exposed BA to a fine.The airline quite clearly didn’t check that the ops documents were valid for travel to Hungary on the outbound flight.
I am am assuming that on the ops MMB there are his real passport details that BA validated this though it was not checked by BA agents boarding the Budapest flight,
Not having seen the other forum can’t comment on if the OP isn’t being as free with truth as they should be. Would have thought the wife could have spoken to UK Border Force staff at Heathrow and got them to work with BA to get him back to the UK whilst she had the 2 parties able to sort this easily to hand.
I lost my passport in the USA once. was hell on earth to get a replacement from the UK Consulate in NYC. I was issued an emergency document valid for one return journey to the Uk but the rest of my trip was down to Puerto Rico before flying back to NYC and home. UK embassy said document wasn’t valid to travel to San Juan only home.
I decided to risk it as had prepaid accomadation. Fortunately My Tower Air flight from JFK to SJU was delayed 8 hours and this gs e me time to get my document and back in this day and age there were no IDs needed when flying within the US. On my return at SJU. US CBP (INS in those days) we doing document checks on SJU departing flights, they looked at my emergency passport and said it wasn’t valid for PR and asked if the Consukate advised me of this, I said that they didn’t and they struggled to believe this. They took my details and said they would feedback to the Consukate, They also gave me a white departure card and said to keep a copy of this and boarding card for flight to London to present to US authorities if I were to return within 90 days as it might take a while for departure records to update and would cause delays as an overstayer.
On landing at JFK got a voicemail fromTWA to say my passport was left in seat pocket of Boston to JFK flight and was at their JFK ticket counter I stopped by and picked it up on my way to Terminal 7. Showed the Emergency passport to BA staff at check in who said it must have been hell having loss my passport and upgraded to First generation Club World with the white fans dividing seats.. back to the OP. Unless he knowingly boarded the flight to BUD with expired ID then I do feel BA should do a little more to help him.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:16 am
#53
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As for who is at fault: OP is for not having valid (in-date) travel documents. Hungarian Immigration authorities are for letting OP blag his way into the country.
Should BA have caught this on the outbound, maybe; though given the speed they look at EU documents, would have been difficult (and I can see the threads already complaining of slow "date checks" on EU passports / ID cards, if they were to implement a process change). Are BA at fault: NO
Nov 26, 2018, 3:25 am
#54
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Why leave your valid UK residence card at home? Mine is checked almost every time I come to the UK, and bringing it along makes life significantly easier - it's biometric so identity can be checked immediately. Given that everything else you carried had expired, you'd think this would be worth bringing, but YMMV...
Nov 26, 2018, 3:27 am
#55
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I have to doubt the wisdom of trying to travel without proper, valid, documentation. Seems to me the OP is kicking up a stink over this because he is angry at not being able to get home and wants to blame someone else other than himself for not organising himself to have the correct documents. In which case it would be foolish to go to the press who will ask these questions, find it was his own fault and make him look a complete fool!
A lesson for us all though... have the correct, valid, documentation.
A lesson for us all though... have the correct, valid, documentation.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:29 am
#56
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The airline quite clearly didn’t check that the ops documents were valid for travel to Hungary on the outbound flight.
I am am assuming that on the ops MMB there are his real passport details that BA validated this though it was not checked by BA agents boarding the Budapest flight,
I am am assuming that on the ops MMB there are his real passport details that BA validated this though it was not checked by BA agents boarding the Budapest flight,
What BA did or did not do is of no concern here. It is not the airline's job to prevent passengers from making a mistake like this. It is up to the airline to protect itself from a possible fine from the immigration authorities of the arrival country, and it is up to the passenger to ensure that he or she has all of the required documents. Airlines do no play any role in how passengers prepare for the trip and what documents they decide to travel with. That the OP somehow managed to board the flight to BUD means absolutely nothing in terms of him not having proper documents to come back to the UK; and it was not BA's job to make sure that he did. The gate agent of the BUD flight would have no need to check whether the OP had documents to enter the UK when the OP was going to a Schengen country. There is only one party responsible for this predicament, and it is the OP, especially now that it transpired that the OP knew that his documents were expired but decided to chance it anyway. No matter how some are trying to sugarcoat it. Neither BA nor the Hungarian immigration authorities are to blame here.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:33 am
#57
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During the length of time of this thread, the OP could have taken the train to London... (if the assumption is true that UK passport control wouldn't care about the expired ID)
FWIW, an expired ID isn't some photoshopped nonsense. The only reason these things expire is usually so that a more current photo can be used. It's no wonder that most people wouldn't even notice that it had expired.
FWIW, an expired ID isn't some photoshopped nonsense. The only reason these things expire is usually so that a more current photo can be used. It's no wonder that most people wouldn't even notice that it had expired.
Nov 26, 2018, 3:49 am
#58
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During the length of time of this thread, the OP could have taken the train to London... (if the assumption is true that UK passport control wouldn't care about the expired ID)
FWIW, an expired ID isn't some photoshopped nonsense. The only reason these things expire is usually so that a more current photo can be used. It's no wonder that most people wouldn't even notice that it had expired.
FWIW, an expired ID isn't some photoshopped nonsense. The only reason these things expire is usually so that a more current photo can be used. It's no wonder that most people wouldn't even notice that it had expired.
Given that, the OP might things worse by traveling to France without any ID/ Passport. Also note that Germany/ Austria have implemented full border controls (on a temp basis) due to migration crisis and any trip from Hungary by train will cross the German/ Austrian border.
Otherwise, being a German living in London with a British wife, I feel with the OP (and will use this as a reminder to check my documents always twice when traveling to continental Europe.
D
Nov 26, 2018, 4:09 am
#59
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If this is an airline liability issue, why not fly to Paris or Brussels (within Schengen, so no immigration) and then present yourself directly to UK border officials at the Eurostar terminal?
Nov 26, 2018, 4:11 am
#60
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