If you're arriving on an international flight you will go through immigration and passport control when you arrive at the airport.
This part of the terminal is controlled by UK Border Force and they take all decisions around passport control, immigration, and procedures within the hall.
While airport staff will be there to provide support where it is needed, we do not manage the process and it is ultimately the responsibility of staff employed by the UK Government.
Please note, as of July 2024 fastTrack passport control has been withdrawn following changes brought in by UK Border Force.
Find out more about the arrivals process on the UK Government website.
Make sure you've got your passport and any other relevant documents ready to be inspected.
More information on the different types of documentation can be found on the UK Government website.
The immigration hall is split into three different areas. These are:
European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals. This includes all EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Non-EEA (all other nationalities). Make sure to fill out a landing card before you go to one of the passport desks. You can get these either on board your flight or from a member of staff in the immigration hall.
EEA and Swiss nationals with chipped passports. Good news – anyone with an electronic chip in their passport can use the electronic passport gates for a faster journey through immigration.
The UK Government has introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) - essentially a digital permission to travel - for some nationalities. This is required for entry to the UK.
For information on who can apply for an ETA visit the UK Government website.
Do I need to...
International to UK flights.
| Go through immigration? | Yes |
| Collect and re-check my hold luggage? | Yes (unless checked through by airline) |
UK to International flights:
| Go through immigration? | No |
| Collect and re-check my hold luggage? | Yes (unless checked through by airline) |
We don’t have anywhere to sleep inside the terminal, but there are airport hotels just outside. If you leave the airport when stopping over you’ll need to go through passport control.
After passport control you can go straight to baggage reclaim.
You normally need to collect bags and check them in again if you are connecting to another flight, but check with your airline.
Need more info on customs? Check out the UK government’s advice.
Passengers arriving on domestic flights can go straight to baggage reclaim.
Airlines and their appointed handling agents are responsible for the processing, transporting, and delivering bags.
Find out which handling agents work with which airlines here.
