Airside Transit (where available):
Airside transit passengers are those who do not need to change airports and do not need to
pass through the UK border. Passengers cannot transit AIRSIDE to the Republic of Ireland
or anywhere within the common travel area.
Transit without visa (TWOV)
ALL visa nationals seeking to transit the United Kingdom AIRSIDE without a visa must:
(i) arrive and depart by air; and
(ii) have a confirmed onward flight departing the same day from the same airport; and
(iii) hold the correct documents for their destination (e.g. a visa for that country if required)
Nationals of the countries shown in RED (underlined) above need a visa to transit
AIRSIDE unless they hold one of the following:
(i) a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA (whether or not
the holder is travelling to or from these countries); or
(ii) a visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA as part of a
reasonable journey FROM the country in respect of which the visa is held and it is
less than 6 months since the holder last entered that country with a valid entry visa.
(iii) a valid permanent residence permit issued by:
(a) Australia
(b) Canada, issued after 28 June 2002
(c) New Zealand
(d) USA issued after 21 April 1998; or a valid US Immigrant visa endorsed with a
US arrival stamp (a wet-ink/ADIT stamp version will NOT be accepted by UK
border control); or an expired I-551 Permanent Residence card provided it is
accompanied by a valid I-797 letter authorising extension; or a standalone US
Immigration Form 155A/155B (attached to a sealed brown envelope); or
(iv) a valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA state or Switzerland; or
(v) a valid common format category D visa for entry to an EEA state or Switzerland; or
(vi) a valid Irish biometric visa endorsed BC or BC BIVS (in order to transit to a
destination other than the Republic of Ireland or the Common Travel Area); or
(vii) a valid Schengen Approved Destination Scheme (ADS) group tourism visa where
the holder is travelling TO the country that issued it; or
(viii) a valid airline ticket FROM the Schengen area; provided the holder can demonstrate
they entered there no more than 30 days previously on the basis of a valid Schengen
ADS visa
NB: E-visas or e-residence permits are not acceptable unless the airline is able to verify it
with the issuing country
Landside Transit:
Landside transit passengers are those who need or wish to pass through the UK border and
enter the UK (e.g. to change airport, to collect baggage or arrive at airports where no airside
transfer is possible)
Transit without visa (TWOV)
ALL visa nationals seeking to transit the United Kingdom LANDSIDE without a visa must:
(iv) arrive and depart by air; and
(v) have a confirmed onward flight that departs before 23:59hrs the following day; and
(vi) hold the correct documents for their destination (e.g. a visa for that country if required)
Nationals of ALL countries (RED [underlined] and BLACK above) need a visa to
transit LANDSIDE unless they hold one of the following:
(i) a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and a valid
airline ticket via the UK as part of a reasonable journey TO that country; or
(ii) a valid visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and a valid
airline ticket via the UK as part of a reasonable journey FROM that country; or
(iii) a visa for entry to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA as part of a
reasonable journey FROM the country in respect of which the visa is held and it is
less than 6 months since the holder last entered that country with a valid entry visa;
or
(iv) a valid permanent residence permit issued by:
(a) Australia
(b) Canada, issued after 28 June 2002
(c) New Zealand
(d) USA issued after 21 April 1998; or a valid US Immigrant visa endorsed with a
US arrival stamp (a wet-ink/ADIT stamp version will NOT be accepted by UK
border control); or an expired I-551 Permanent Residence card provided it is
accompanied by a valid I-797 letter authorising extension; or a standalone US
Immigration Form 155A/155B (attached to a sealed brown envelope); or
(v) a valid common format residence permit issued by an EEA state or Switzerland; or
(vi) a valid common format category D visa for entry to an EEA state or Switzerland; or
(vii) a valid Irish biometric visa endorsed BC or BC BIVS and travelling TO the Republic
of Ireland; or
(viii) an Irish biometric visa endorsed BC or BC BIVS and travelling FROM the Republic
of Ireland provided it is less than 3 months since the holder last entered there
NB: E-visas or e-residence permits are NOT acceptable for landside transit
UK permanent residents
If a visa national is permanently resident in the UK they do not need a visa, as long as they return to the UK within two years of their last departure.
Passengers with the right of abode in the UK
If a visa national has a ‘certificate of entitlement to the right of abode’ label in their valid passport they do not need a visa.
Holders of non-national and refugee travel documents
If the passenger holds a refugee travel document issued by the UK they do not need a visa. If the passenger holds any other non-national or refugee travel document they need a visa to
enter the UK. Whether holders of non-national and refugee travel documents require a direct airside transit visa (DATV) depends on their original nationality, and whether they qualify for one of the
exemptions listed above. Persons recognised as stateless under the 1954 UN Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons are not required to hold a DATV and may transit airside without
a visa.
Seafarer
A seafarer travelling on duty, who is a visa national (including those in transit through the UK) does not need a visa if they hold a valid seafarer’s book issued by one of these countries which also
contains a statement that it is issued under ILO108 (or convention of 1958) or ILO185, having previously ratified ILO108 (or convention of 2003): Algeria, Anguilla, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Isles, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Ghana,
Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova
(Republic of), Montserrat, Morocco, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St Vincent and the
Grenadines, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom (including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar), Uruguay. The seafarer does not need to be a national of the
country that issued the document