jadelyntate: (castle)
jadelyntate ([personal profile] jadelyntate) wrote2011-02-05 10:55 pm

Anyone travelled out of the US before?

I will be going to England for Spring Break, as most of you probably already know.

Well, I have my passport but now I'm trying to get a straight answer on if I need anything else when I get to Heathrow but so far, I haven't gotten a concrete answer from anyone. I will be a tourist, on vacation, nothing more, nothing less. At the rate I'm going, in addition to my passport, I will be taking with me:

- Bank records
- letters from my boss and the Dean of Student Affairs saying I'm a student who is doing the tourist thing and have been given time off to travel.
- My shot records
- A full on Itinerary of my trip (was making that anyway, so, you know, not too hard there)
- My trip itinerary from my airline.

If Anyone knows a concrete list of things they ask for, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
tptigger: (Default)

[personal profile] tptigger 2011-02-06 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been twice now, and all they've ever asked me for was my passport. Airline itinerary's probably a good idea. So are international phone numbers for your card companies in your luggage just in case you need to cancel them.

Usually they ask you why you're there, when you're going, and how long you're staying. If you're an American staying less than six months, they don't seem to mind much so long as you don't try to work.

Be sure you bring your student ID though. Much like the states, some people have student discounts.

[identity profile] kiirotsubasa.livejournal.com 2011-02-06 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm English, but have done the return journey from the States to Heathrow a few times and the Americans I've travelled with only ever seem to need their passports.

On the plane, you should be given a landing card where you fill out your basic details and contact details while in the UK (usually a cell phone number and/or the address that you're staying at for the first night of your trip) and a customs card to state that you're not bringing anything forbidden into the country.

I've been asked for my itinerary from the airline to enter the USA, so it's a good idea to have that on you. But it seems to me some of the people you've spoken to have been a bit over-cautious.

The website for the UK Border Agency (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/travellingtotheuk/Enteringtheuk/arrivingatukborder/noteeaorswiss/) might be useful for you.
estirose: Ankh looking out on the water from Kamen Rider OOO 2 (Ankh Seawards - KR OOO)

[personal profile] estirose 2011-02-06 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
I've gone through Heathrow a lot, and I've always only needed my passport.

Itinerary might help, but that's only if they doubt that you're going home at the end of your trip. And in all my years of traveling, I've only had that problem once, and not at Heathrow.

Most of that stuff you'll need if you're trying to immigrate, or if you think that someone will think you're trying to stay in the country past your visa.