Transit is a fairly common occurrence for travelers. Firstly, prices for tickets with transfers are usually lower, and secondly, not every city can be reached by direct flight, especially from Russia. We have already talked about transit visas and the most popular countries for transit, and now let’s look in more detail at the UK and how to apply for a transit visa to the UK.

UK airports are a fairly popular transfer point when traveling from Russia to other countries North America, which has become popular recently in Iceland and many other countries. Until recently, the UK government was flexible and allowed transit without a visa for a limited period in quite a large number of cases, even giving the right to go into the city. Now the country's migration rules have become stricter, and Russians planning a layover there must, in most cases, obtain a transit visa to the UK.

Before you worry about how to apply for a UK transit visa, you first need to make sure that you really need a visa. You can count on transit without a visa only when you fly through Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London, as well as through Manchester Airport, and do not plan to leave the transit area at the airport. Please remember that baggage claim and check-in counters are located outside the transit area. Additionally, your next flight to a third country must depart before midnight the day after your arrival.

It is worth noting that in order to undergo transit without a visa, Russian citizens must fall under one of the following conditions:

  • Heading to Australia New Zealand, United States or Canada with a valid visa from that country
  • Arrive from Australia, New Zealand, the United States or Canada after staying in that country for less than six months
  • Have a residence permit in Australia, New Zealand, one of the EU countries or Switzerland, Canada (issued no earlier than 06/28/2002) or the USA (issued no earlier than 04/21/1998)
  • Hold a European or Swiss visa category D
  • Fly to or from Ireland (less than 3 months after entry) and have a valid biometric visa Ireland (only relevant if you obtain an Irish visa outside of Russia, since biometric data is not collected for this visa in Russia)

Electronic visas and electronic residence permits are not accepted for consideration and are not a reason for allowing visa-free transit.

Although it is still possible to make a connection without a transit visa in the UK, whether you will actually be allowed to do so is always at the discretion of the immigration officer at the airport. If a visa is required at the airport, the cost will be £30, and you will need to have a passport, tickets and visa for the destination country, as well as an immigration form.

How to apply for a transit visa to the UK

A UK transit visa gives you the right to stay in the country for 48 hours. Applying for a visa takes place in several stages:

  • filling out an online form,
  • payment of the cost of the visa (92 US dollars according to the official website),
  • registration on the website of visa centers and entering all the details of your application,
  • interview.

At the interview you will need a printed and completed application form, tickets to the third destination country within 48 hours of arrival in the UK, a third country visa (if applicable), and 2 color photographs.

Applying for a transit visa to the UK may take some time, so it is better to do this in advance (no earlier than 3 months before the trip).

Now you know how to apply for a transit visa to the UK and planning next trip, you can include, for example, London in your route. You can also read about how to apply for other categories of visas to the country of the Beatles and Sherlock Holmes on our website. Aviasales is always ready to help you find cheap tickets.

Have a nice trip!

A transit visa to the UK is needed if, when traveling to any other state, you are forced to make a transfer on the territory of the Kingdom. This used to be a recommendation. Now - from December 1, 2014 - this is necessary.

The rules have changed

The fact is that previously the immigration service made concessions for transit travelers if they presented tickets indicating the need for transit and if their stay in Britain was no more than a day.

With 24 hours to spare, a tourist without an English visa could visit London while passing through. True, the decision on visa-free transit was made on the spot directly by immigration officers, and it was not always positive.

To reduce the number of illegal immigrants flooding the Kingdom, British immigration officials introduced new rules last October requiring a transit visa to England for the vast majority of travelers from Russia and Ukraine. In December 2014, the innovations came into effect.

UK visas: Video

The essence of the changes

Now, in order to check in or receive luggage, move to another terminal, spend the night in a hotel or move to another airport, you need a transit visa to the UK.

Exceptions are made for passengers who meet each of these requirements:

In addition, the passenger must meet at least one condition from the following list:

  • Destination country is Canada, USA, New Zealand, or Australia, and you have a visa for that country;
  • If you arrived from one of the above-mentioned countries, and you stayed in it for no more than six months and you have a visa for this country;
  • If you have a residence permit in one of the above-mentioned countries, in Switzerland or in any of the states included in the European Economic Area;
  • If you have a national valid visa for a period of more than 3 months (category D), issued by any of the states of the European Economic Area or Switzerland;
  • If you are flying from Ireland and your last entry into Ireland was within three months, or you are flying into Ireland and have a valid biometric visa.

UK visa types: Video

Is visa concession possible now?

Do I need a visa when transiting through London if the time between flights is less than 24 hours? You can answer the question if you know at which airport you will be transferring.

The rules state that the conditions for visa-free air transit (that is, a transfer during which the passenger does not leave the transit area) have not changed.

If you stay within the airport transit area and show immigration officers your purchased tickets, visa, or hotel reservations in another country, you may be eligible for a visa concession.

There are transit terminals only at Gatwick and Heathrow airports. That is, if you are in one of them, departure in less than 24 hours and you have permission to enter the country where you are flying, then you can count on a visa concession. If your flight is later than 23 hours 59 minutes, then to wait inside transit terminal you will need to arrange transit.

overdue loans non-repayment.rf

Yes, the prospect of sitting endlessly at the airport, waiting for the next flight, is somehow not happy...

Do I need a visa if my transfer in London will take place at an airport that does not have a transit terminal? If you land at an airport that does not have a transit area, such as Stansted or Luton, you will definitely need to make transit arrangements in advance.

Start preparing your documents in advance

Whether you need a visa when transiting through London, decide for yourself. If you do not meet the new UK Immigration criteria, you have two options.

You can select a route in such a way that the transfer is made at an airport where there is a transit zone, and the time between flights is no more than 24 hours in order to take advantage of the right of visa concession. Although immigration officers have the right to refuse you.

Following the second, safer path, apply for a transit visa to England. According to it, you can stay in England for up to 48 hours. It is issued for six months. The list of documents is almost the same as when receiving a guest pass, only instead of an invitation you will need to attach tickets and permission to enter the country of destination.

Considering the processing time for visa cases, as well as the time needed to collect all the certificates, start filling out the documents in advance to avoid annoying misunderstandings during the trip.

Top 5 European countries for Russians to travel without a visa in 2019: Video

And finally, the most interesting thing is the restriction of travel abroad for debtors. It is the status of the debtor that is easiest to “forget” when getting ready for your next vacation abroad. The reason may be overdue loans, unpaid housing and communal services receipts, alimony or fines from the traffic police. Any of these debts may threaten to restrict travel abroad in 2019; we recommend finding out information about the presence of debt using the proven service nevylet.rf

When planning a trip via air travel to other countries, it is important to think through the details of the flight route, possible transfers and a plan of action between flights. In order not to find yourself in an unpleasant situation during transit and transfers and not be forced to incur additional costs, you should carefully study the features of transit and transfers. For example, you should find out in advance whether you need a visa if you are flying in transit through Europe.

Transit is traveling through the territory of a country and staying on its territory within the permissible time frame for making a transfer to the next flight.

It does not give the right to stay in the state longer than the specified time and often limits tourists to their location in the country. However, it is a convenient way to travel on indirect flights with the chance to fly at a better price. Transit rules are generally similar in all countries, but there are differences in the time of stay and the necessary manipulations in different countries. As a rule, airport staff, using specialized programs and existing knowledge, will explain to you the key points of transit, but it is much more convenient and reliable to find out on your own about all the necessary conditions and chances of transit without a visa or the features of obtaining one. This way you can fully enjoy the trip, and it will not bring you any unpleasant surprises.

Transit is carried out in two ways: without leaving the airport and transit zone and with the possibility of exiting into the city.

Quite often, when flying in transit, a transit visa may be required. For example, if a passenger needs to move to another airport to continue travel or change the terminal in the airport building itself, or there is a need to make more than one transfer in the Schengen area, in such cases it may be necessary to obtain a transit visa. Usually it allows you to stay within the state for up to 72 hours.

A visa will be required when connecting to Berlin, except for those passengers traveling with airlines Air Berlin. You cannot visit the USA, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia without a visa. Let's take a closer look at the most popular transit routes.

Transit through the UK

And if you plan to transit through London, do you need a visa? In some cases, yes. In the UK there are two transit options: airside and landside transits. The first implies being within the airport transit zone, the second makes it possible to travel outside the airport. Airside transit is available at Manchester, Heathrow, London and Gatwick airports.

The list of documents required for transit is standard - documents confirming the right to enter the country and, if necessary, to enter the next stopping point.

The passenger must depart from England before 23:59 on the day following the day of arrival. You cannot arrange this type of transit when flying to Ireland. When transferring to another terminal, a visa will not be required at Gatwick and Heathrow airports due to the design of the terminal buildings. Landside transit quite often implies the issuance of a visa. But there are exceptions. You will not need a visa if:

  1. The flight is carried out to Canada, New Zealand, USA, Australia. It is mandatory to have permission to enter these states.
  2. The passenger is flying from the above countries, while the visa is either still valid, or no more than six months have passed since arrival in these countries.
  3. The tourist has a residence permit in these countries, as well as Switzerland. The residence permit does not have to be electronic.
  4. If you have a long-term visa category D in Switzerland and the European Union.
  5. The passenger flies to or from Ireland no later than six months after arrival in the country. A biometric visa is required.

You are guaranteed to be denied a visa if you have violations of the law, non-compliance visa regime, or you have already been refused entry into the UK once.

remember, that immigration officer, despite compliance with all the above conditions, has the right to refuse any person to obtain a transit visa. He also has the right to ask questions about how you plan to get to the hotel and where it is located. Transit is not an opportunity for a city tour; it is intended to help tourists make a transfer and continue further along the travel route. We have explained in detail whether a transit visa is needed when making a transfer in London, and now we will look at other cases.

Transit through China

If you want to transit in China, whether you need a visa depends on the time you spend in the country and the airport through which you fly. China has three alternatives for visa-free transit, lasting 24, 72 and 144 hours.

144 hours can be spent traveling through Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing airports. The following airports offer 72-hour transit options:

  • Dalian;
  • Beijing;
  • Guangzhou;
  • Guilin;
  • Xi'an;
  • Xiamen;
  • Kunming;
  • Harbin.
  • Chengdu;
  • Chongqing;
  • Shenyang.

Other airports settlements have the possibility of a day of transit, except for Fuzhou and Yanji, where there is no transit possibility at all. In Urumqi, transit lasts up to two hours.

When booking a 144 or 72 hour transit, the passenger must provide his/her current passport, travel documents for the previous and subsequent flights, and a visa to the next stopover, if required. The passport will be stamped indicating the time of arrival and duration of transit. Boarding passes must be printed in English upon presentation.

The starting point for the 72-hour transit is the arrival time at the airports in Chengdu, Dalian, Shenyang, Guilin, Xiamen, Kunming and Harbin. From 00.01 the next day is considered in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Xi'an.

The start of a 144-hour transit at the respective airports is taken to be 0.01 days after arrival. In the case of daily transit, it is possible to move to another city. It can be done when flying on flights of the same airline or different companies with a common reservation on a single form. It may also be dictated by the need to make a technical stop at one of the airports.

To obtain the right to transit for a period of 24 hours, in addition to a passport and travel documents, you must present a migration form filled out by the passenger. The passport is also stamped with a stamp indicating the time spent in China.

Transit to the USA

Tourists often ask whether they need a visa when transiting to the United States. The USA is on the list of countries where obtaining a transit visa is mandatory in any case. There are two types of visas: C-1 and B-2. The first presupposes a constant presence in the transit zone, the second provides the opportunity to go beyond its limits.

For a C-1 visa, you must provide an air ticket, enough money to stay in the United States, and documents confirming the right to enter the next country.

The B-2 visa will require the presentation of an electronic application, a passport valid for six months longer than the intended stay in the United States, a 5*5 cm photo and a letter inviting an interview. Applications for both types of visas are quickly accepted and processed. B-2 visas are durable and multiple-entry, so they are considered a better option for those who would like to walk the streets of the city or those who frequently fly through the States.

Transit through the UAE

Now let’s figure out if you have a layover in Dubai and whether you need a visa. If you plan to stay in the Emirates for no more than 24 hours and do not plan to leave the transit zone, you will not need a visa. Otherwise, you can apply for a visa from UAE airlines or the UAE Citizenship and Migration Office. The application can be either electronic or paper through the office. It must be submitted no later than three days before your expected arrival. The list of documents is as follows:

  1. A copy of the international passport in color format;
  2. Photo of the passenger on a light background;
  3. Air ticket.
  4. Additional documents (select one at will).
  5. Completed questionnaire.

Transfer in Singapore

When transiting through Singapore, visa-free stay in the country can last up to 96 hours.

In this case, it is necessary to provide tickets and documents for entry to the next destination on the route, confirmation of booking a room in a hotel or hostel for the duration of transit and cash in stock, sufficient for living in the country at the specified time. It is not recommended to use a scheme in which you leave Singapore by sea or land. There are cases when tourists manage to perform such maneuvers, but if the deception is discovered, you may be prohibited from entering the country.

Transit in Doha

When making a transfer in Doha, you can use the airline's popular service Qatar Airways, consisting of providing accommodation, food and assistance in obtaining a visa if the transit time is from 8 to 24 hours.

This airline has exclusive rights to provide services of this kind. However, she is not responsible for a possible refusal of a visa based on the decision of the migration officers. Therefore, the risk that a tourist, after being denied a visa, will lose the money paid for booking a hotel room and other manipulations, falls entirely on the shoulders of the passenger himself.

This is all you need to know for a successful flight between countries of the world with transfers. Please remember that the conditions and time of stay in different countries may differ significantly. If you find yourself in a country where you should have taken care of obtaining a visa in advance, you will incur significant costs to correct the situation on the spot.

You should also know in advance what type of transit is allowed in a particular state in order to take care of housing and overnight accommodations in advance or be prepared for the fact that you will spend all the time in the territory of the transit operations zone. Be sure to take care of the possibility of getting outside the state within the established time frame and prepare Required documents to stay in this country. Compliance with all these rules and requirements will allow you to save not only money and time, but also nerves. Travel comfortably and with pleasure.

In contact with

Visa-free transit to the UK is allowed for 24 hours for residents of Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. At the same time, you can not only sit inside the airport, but also go out into the city. Well, let's try to figure out all the aspects that may arise during such a transit.

Why make visa-free transit?

  1. First of all, to see London or other UK cities without a visa. As you know, a visa to this country is quite difficult to obtain and, moreover, it is expensive (from €100).
  2. It is profitable to fly through London to many cities in Europe and part of America, which has been mentioned more than once in articles about budget flights. For example, by opening the route map of the low-cost airline EasyJet (http://www.easyjet.com/), you can see hundreds of places where flights are made from London.

The cheapest airline in Europe, Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com/), also flies from London. Using the mentioned low-cost airlines, you can purchase tickets from Moscow to Europe and back (via the UK) for only €120.

  1. If you want to use the services of Thomson airline(http://www.thomson.co.uk/) for transit to countries Caribbean Sea, Europe or Africa. Round-trip tickets to the Caribbean with a transfer in London or Manchester can be found for €300.

Conditions for visa-free transit through UK cities

  • entry and exit from the UK only by plane (other transport is not allowed);
  • less than 24 hours between arrival and departure;
  • the flight must be to a third country;
  • a third country visa is required (if it is needed at all);
  • visa-free transit to Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands is prohibited;
  • you are allowed to go out into the city, and it is assumed that London is a purely transit city for you, so do not tell anyone right or left that you have come to see the capital of England itself and its attractions (although no one, of course, will follow you) ;
  • Departure from another airport or from another city is permitted.

Find more information about the UK transit visa at https://www.gov.uk/transit-visa.

How to avoid problems when boarding a flight

Getting through security in the UK is not difficult, the main thing is to get on a flight to England. Some airlines illegally won't board you on a flight if you don't have a visa in your passport. Previously, there were quite a lot of such cases, but now they have become rare. However, this trouble can be avoided. To do this you need:

  1. When boarding, have tickets from the UK in hand. They must be printed.
  2. Fly to London and Manchester with EasyJet. Not only are the tickets cheap, but the carrier’s website also states that a visa is not required for transit.
  3. If you are not flying with EasyJet, be sure to complete the online check-in and print out boarding pass. The presence of the latter means that you have already been allocated a seat on board and you do not have to force yourself to go to the check-in counter.
  4. Have printed transit rules from official sources on hand. So that you don’t have to look for where to get information, download the data from the linkDownload. There are only 3 pages here: one from the official website border service, the second is from Thematics (a professional program for airline employees), the third is the rules from the EasyJet website. If you are not allowed on the flight, and you have shown your transit tickets, then show the above “trump cards” and say that the border guards are violating established standards landings.
  5. If boarding is denied, call the senior manager and stand firm. Most likely, things will not reach this stage.

How to get through passport control in London

This is an absolute formality and usually no unnecessary questions arise here. To quickly pass passport control follow the rules:

  1. Approach one officer together, especially if you are traveling as a family.
  2. Present documents:
  • passport;
  • completed migration card;
  • ticket or boarding pass to a third country.
  1. The officer will either immediately put you in transit for 24 hours, or ask one of the following questions:
  • “Purpose of visit to Great Britain?”, answer: “Transit”;
  • “Where are you going?”, answer: name of the country;
  • “Purpose of visit to a third country?” Answer: “Tourism.”

After this, you are given a stamp allowing you to stay in the country for 24 hours, and you can go to the city.

How to fill out a migration card

You can get a migration card on the plane, the main thing is not to oversleep the moment when it will be issued. Listen carefully when flight attendants offer a landing card. On the card you need to indicate your last name and first name (as in your international passport), gender, date of birth (DD-day, MM - month, YYYY - year). Next, write the city and country of birth, nationality. The “Occupation” field is not a place of work, but a profession, do not be confused. Find out in advance what your type of activity is called in English. If you are a pensioner or a student, then write this. It is not advisable to indicate that you are unemployed. Please provide a contact address in the UK below. Relevant for those who will be staying overnight in a hotel. Next, indicate the passport number and its place of issue (placeofissue). The “LengthofstayintheUK” field is the length of your stay in the UK. Here you need to write not 24 hours, but exactly how many hours until your next flight. The last lines are the city you flew from, the flight number you arrived on, and your signature.