We are flying American into terminal 3. We are wondering approximately how long it takes after you’re off plane to be done with passport control, baggage claim and customs. And also asking where the tube station is in terminal 3.
Posted by
Chicago
783 posts
Do you have a biometric passport and are one of:
-a British citizen
-a national of an EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA
-a member of the Registered Traveller Service
Then you can use the E-gates for immigration and should be pretty fast depending on the line.
Customs is a non-event, unless the border police decide you look suspicious.
Baggage claim implies you're checking bags.
After you're off the plane, maybe an hour if you can use the E-gates.
The tube station is downstairs between terminals 2 and 3. Note that if you intend to take
the Elizabeth Line, it's a separate station than the Piccadilly Line.
Just to be sure, you know you need to obtain an ETIAS?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
6097 posts
To correct the error by the PP: to enter the UK, if you are exempt from visas, you need to have an ETA. Be sure you are using the official government site.
Posted by
Freedonia
17043 posts
Sometimes it takes longer to walk from your gate to immigration than it actually takes to go through immigration.
Last week, at T3, it took 10 minutes to walk to immigration and about one minute to walk the labyrinth of ropes and actually go through the egates. I don't check bags so I don't know how long it took go get the bags.
But as previously stated, customs is just a walk through.
From T3, follow the signs to the undergournd. First you will come to the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express. Keep walking a bit more and you will come to the entrance to the tube station.
There are moving sidewalks part of the way.
I also did this last week.