Returning to the UK

[easy_jim]

I am taking my Thai wife and kids back to the UK.  We are currently waiting for her visa application to be approved.  Does anyone have recent experience of travelling to the UK.  Are there any extra entry requirements such as medical certificates, quarantine accommodation, insurance, anything like that?  Any advice appreciated.

[7by7]

You will need provide your journey and contact details before you arrive in the UK: see here.

 

You will also need to self isolate (quarantine) for 14 days after your arrival; see Coronavirus (COVID-19) and entering or returning to the UK. Note the different rules depending on which part of the UK you are travelling to.

[easy_jim]

Thanks 7by7, that is exactly what I needed to know

[Iforbach]

All I can say is embassy wanted letter of guarantee  from my wife were she  was staying and if my wife had job etc . ..then she was granted visa  .I think each case can be diffirent as to our partners ..(When she was interviewed   I cant comment on quarantine etc  

[theoldgit]

2 hours ago, Iforbach said:

All I can say is embassy wanted letter of guarantee  from my wife were she  was staying and if my wife had job etc . ..then she was granted visa  .I think each case can be diffirent as to our partners ..(When she was interviewed   I cant comment on quarantine etc  

I assume you’re not talking about the UK, there’s no such thing as a “letter of guarantee” when applying for a UK Visa, in fact Entry Clearance Officers are instructed not to seek any form of guarantee and not to consider any that are given, as they’re unenforceable in law.

Of course applicants should should provide full details of where they would be staying and details of their ties to their home country.
Applicants are not routinely interviewed.

[Roger Of Chai Prakan]

7x7 is correct.  Having travelled back to UK last week, the travel and entry process is very simple. Register your arrival and address on the Gov.uk website up to 48 hours before arrival in UK, print out the registration confirmation that they email back to you. I waved it at Check-In in BKK, not interested, and again at the gate in Zurich where I transited, not interested.  No one asked me for it at LHR either. 

Quarantine is at your address, not at a hotel or some such, as in Thailand.  No medical certificates, Covid insurance etc. 

I won't comment about the UK visa process as that depends on your situation and is already under way. 

[RichardColeman]

Be care you do not fall foul of this new 1 in 5 checking your quarantining yourself rule - you could earn a £1000 fine if your not where your supposed to be in the 14 days

[nglodnig]

I walked through Terminal 2 Heathrow three weeks ago - no one stopped me, no one asked for my registration details (I was coming from Singapore) I just flashed my passport on the machine picked up my bags and left. I registered later retro-actively but no-one checked me. My nieces daughter however said they were stopped (coming from Dubai) and had to cough up the registration pre-filled out before being allowed to enter (we're all British).

 

And dutifully did my 14 days "isolation".

Edited July 27, 2020 by nglodnig
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[theoldgit]

14 hours ago, Roger Of Chai Prakan said:

Quarantine is at your address, not at a hotel or some such, as in Thailand. 

 

I'm afraid that's not correct:

 

Gov.UK said:

 

How to self-isolate in your accomodation

You should self-isolate in one place for the full 14 days, where you can have food and other necessities delivered, and stay away from others. You must self-isolate at the address you provided on the public health passenger locator form.

This can include:

• your own home
• staying with friends or family
• a hotel or other temporary accommodation

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk

[treetops]

19 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Be care you do not fall foul of this new 1 in 5 checking your quarantining yourself rule - you could earn a £1000 fine if your not where your supposed to be in the 14 days

Can you explain this?  Last I heard was the Health Authorities set the rules but it's down to the police to enforce them, and they don't have the information or inclination to do so.  Has something changed as it was suggested no fines had been issued as of about 3 weeks ago?

[tso310]

13 hours ago, treetops said:

Can you explain this?  Last I heard was the Health Authorities set the rules but it's down to the police to enforce them, and they don't have the information or inclination to do so.  Has something changed as it was suggested no fines had been issued as of about 3 weeks ago?

As far as I'm aware only 1 fine has been dealt out. He's just saying be careful. I think its been intimated that you're more likely to just get a phone call and not a visit but that could easily change due to Spain. Without knowing how many people are arriving back that should be staying at home, its hard to know the exact state of checking up.

[Tuvoc]

My wife is a dual Thai and UK passport holder. She is currently in Thailand. What does she need to do to return to the UK ? Simply book a ticket and fly ?  How is that possible if there are no commercial flights in and out of Thailand ?

[treetops]

There are quite a few outbound flights available.  The ones that seem to be operating consistently are Eva direct to London on a Sunday, and indirect flights with Qatar, Finnair, Lufthansa, Swiss and KLM.  Not all are daily flights although at least Qatar is.

[theoldgit]

1 hour ago, Tuvoc said:

My wife is a dual Thai and UK passport holder. She is currently in Thailand. What does she need to do to return to the UK ? Simply book a ticket and fly ?  How is that possible if there are no commercial flights in and out of Thailand ?

Yes, all she needs is to find a flight to the UK, she’ll need to self isolate on arrival.

 

As the previous poster says there are some flights operating, l would buy directly from the airline, as they’re more likely to operate.

 

Thai have scheduled three “repatriation flights” to London this month.

[Tuvoc]

13 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Yes, all she needs is to find a flight to the UK, she’ll need to self isolate on arrival.

 

As the previous poster says there are some flights operating, l would buy directly from the airline, as they’re more likely to operate.

 

Thai have scheduled three “repatriation flights” to London this month.

 

Those special repatriation flights are very expensive so the idea would be to get a normal scheduled flight where they exist, however they could be about the same price !

[Keyser Soze666]

26 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Yes, all she needs is to find a flight to the UK, she’ll need to self isolate on arrival.

 

As the previous poster says there are some flights operating, l would buy directly from the airline, as they’re more likely to operate.

 

Thai have scheduled three “repatriation flights” to London this month.

Does everyone coming from Thailand have to self isolate or just non Brits?

[Upnotover]

12 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Does everyone coming from Thailand have to self isolate or just non Brits?

Everyone.

[Keyser Soze666]

7 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Everyone.

Thought as much. Seems strange that Thailand isn't on the 'ok' list?

[treetops]

On 8/2/2020 at 10:26 AM, Tuvoc said:

Those special repatriation flights are very expensive so the idea would be to get a normal scheduled flight where they exist, however they could be about the same price !

There are multiple flights she could get at pretty regular prices.