How long can my husband and I, who are Americans, stay with my daughter and her husband in England?

The safe source for information of matters like this is a website maintained by the government of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate the information you need on such a website. I did find this.

The answer appears to be, basically, six months, but I'm unclear as to whether you must or should do something prior to arrival, rather than just landing in the UK with passport in hand. If you intend to stay for a lengthy period, eyebrows may go up, and it's best to know ahead of time if you need to carry some extra documentation to smooth the way. Immigration officials can be touchy about long family visits, since relatives are thought to be potential over-stayers of their visas (not that a visa is required in your case).

I suggest some persistent Googling.

Assuming you are U.S. citizens you can visit the U.K. for up to 180 days (or as long as the newlyweds are willing to have you, whichever is shorter).

No , you dont need a visa ( yet , who knows considering how screwy the world is getting ) to visit the for up to 6 months.

You could stay even longer if you apply for a lomg term visitors visa , up to two years .

With regard to acraven's comment, the immigration officer will likely ask you a number of question to ensure that you are just a visitor. I have been asked to show my return ticket (to prove I intended to depart).

For the official U.K. government website, you can check here:
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

I wonder if that was just whimsical to have to show the return ticket. The last time I flew SFO to Heathrow was in 2012, have yet to be asked to show the return ticket. The question always asked is how long I intend to stay each time I enter since I backtrack all the way back to London for the return flight.

Fred, I suspect it was because of my travel patterns / profile.

I was asked once when I was backpacking in my early 20s. I guess I looked like a poor student. I was traveling on a special youth ticket that could only be purchased 3 days before departure so I didn't have a ticket. When I explained this, I was asked how I would pay for the ticket. When I said, "credit card", I was asked to show the officer my credit card. That was sufficient for him.

The other time was sometime between 2002 and 2005 when I was traveling with a passport that had my expired U.K. work/residence visa in it. I was traveling for vacation and only staying a couple of days, but got lots of questions about my plans while in the U.K. as well as the request about my departure details. I think I had to show him a copy of my eticket.

During the year that I lived in the U.K. I traveled frequently for business and got a series of questions everytime I re-entered the U.K., even though I had the proper visa in my passport. During that time, I got a lot of questions about whether I was still working for the same employer, had the terms of my employment changed, etc.

I haven't been asked to show a ticket in the last 10 years and I have visited the U.K. at least once a year. I do get a couple of routine questions every time I enter.

The OP doesn't say anything about wanting to stay for as long as they are allowed, she just wants to know how long is possible without a visa. Perhaps they were worried that the time period might be short. On the other hand, I wouldn't want my parents visiting me for months and months, either. :)

@ Laura/Virginia....Well, going back to travel history, that was my experience in Sept 1971 as a backpacker too crossing into Holland from Duisburg, Germany on the night train that had started from Vienna, ie Vienna to Amsterdam. This was the only time I was ever asked in Europe, ie, by the 2 Dutch border guys if I had a return ticket back home to Calif. Luckily, I had it on me to show them since this "border check" took place in the train aisle away from my compartment. I was mainly going to Amsterdam for a couple of days and to catch the return charter flight back to Oakland.

Sue,

Hopefully the newlyweds won't mind the in-laws parking on the doorstep for an extended time. Were you planning to travel throughout the U.K. during that time?

Here's some information that may answer your questions. First from the U.K. government website.....

• https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/family-visas

And this from the U.S. State Department website (Entry, Exit & Visa Requirements)....

• https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/united-kingdom.html

AFAIK, the Common Travel Area rules allow visitors to stay for up to six months without a Visa. For long term stays, you may have to prove that you have sufficient financial resources for the duration of the stay, and also proof of health insurance.

The nearest U.K. Embassy should be able to provide the precise information you need.

As long as you can convince Border Force you are not there to work or overstay your welcome, the standard visa (passport stamp) allows you six months of stay in the U.K.

As others have said,don't rely on info from a forum.

Contact the appropriate government agencies for the up to date information.

You can rely on answers on this forum for answers to general travel questions. The length of stay in GB is 6 months for US citizens. In over a dozen entries to GB we almost always have been asked purpose of our visit. Our response is always, "On holiday." A nod, a stamp and we are on our way. Couple of times have been asked where we are staying. Just named the hotel. Never asked for a return ticket because of our age. Another time our son was asked for a return ticket so I guessing there is some profiling of young travelers who might be backpacking on a shoe string. Our experience does not prove that you will not be asked additional questions but our experience would suggest that your probability is very low. Also, our experience over the years is not to be chatty with the immigration officer. Answer the questions with a direct and SHORT response.

Also note that if you are thinking longer term there is no longer a immigration category for retired people of independent means - this was closed to new entrants in 2008.

For future reference, as others have mentioned, the upper limit is six months with no Visa required. Unlike the Schengen entry, there is no hard restriction on how many days you must then wait until you return (Schengen is 90 days in any 180 days), that is the good news, the bad is that entry is then at the discretion of the border agent. It would be difficult for a retired couple to go afoul of the rules by entering a couple or few times a year, unless after a lengthy stay you try to re-enter right away. If your plan is for multiple visits in a year, you might want to talk to the UK Embassy nearest you and get a clearer idea of what might be allowed, or at least what might get you in trouble. If you only intend to go and stay a few months, and not likely return for several months, then no issues.

Hi,

This has been my experience in recent years. In 2009 I flew SFO to Heathrow, got questioned, the usual perfunctory stuff, got my stamp. After a few days I left on the Eurostar to Paris, got stamped out. About 65 days later, ( can't remember exactly without looking at the calendar notes), after backtracking from Germany by train, I took the EuroStar at Paris Nord to London for the flight LHR to SFO. Before boarding the EuroStar, I went through Border Control again, was asked a few questions, nothing out of the ordinary, also how long was I staying? Two nights, then flying out.

Likewise in 2010 and 2012 but the over-all trip was shorter, 4 or 5 weeks. Bottom line, each time I reentered the UK by EuroStar, Border Control only had some perfunctory questions.

Thank you all for the great tips, I have some googling to do to find out the best way to go. Other daughter daughter will be going to work for the govt. in Vienna, with my first grandchild. My only two children and my first grandchild will be thousands of miles away. If we visit the UK for a while hopefully I'll get to see my daughter and grandson in Vienna.
Thanks again all of you.

I have entered the UK eight times this year. I guess they are not worried about me because I just got "Registered Traveler." That means I no longer have to fill out a landing card and can use the e-gates to enter. That takes less time than Global Entry.

As has been stated, if you are entering a few times and have no plans to work or stay forever--and if you are "older"--you shouldn't have a problem. They are more concerned with people entering who wish to do harm while here or work without the proper papers, Not grandma and grandpa coming to visit the grandkids.

Great link, Laura.

Sue, how exciting for your family! If you're planning on staying 6 months or less, then you're good; just follow the link that Laura provided. Granted it's now a long way to travel to see your children, but FWIW once you get there you'll be closer to both of them than I am to my family - and we're only 1/2 of the USA apart!

And for heaven's sake stay waaaay longer than 3 days, but I would suggest that everyone is in agreement on your plans ahead of time - whether they think you'll be staying too long or not long enough ;-) Ain't nobody got time for misunderstandings!

Have a fabulous time with your family!

Sue L., My daughter, too, was married in England (married a Brit). They did decide to move back here after about 5 years (with the election results this now might change). Anyway, I did research this at the time for my old age...which my neck indicates is clearly approaching (sorry, I digress). I could be in Britain for six months per year with no visa and no issues, and the questions at Immigration diminished the more times I passed through the border. I researched for down the line and they could (pre Cameron and May) petition to allow me to live there in my 'dotage' if they were your main support system, and I don't believe this necessarily meant financial support. With Vienna involved, you could stay in Britain 6 months and Vienna 3 months altogether per year. What a lovely amount of time to have with your children! I found my visits were wonderful because when I was there, I had more of their attention (their wish) than if they lived nearby in the US. (When did immediate family become guests? Not in our family.) You will get used to his new system of seeing your family, and as I said, it does have its benefits. Have fun! Wray

Hi,
I cleaned up a side "discussion" on this thread. There are two takeaways here. It is an issue that some members in our forum engage in side commentary which can sometimes come across as being insulting. We do our best to manage that, but please be sure to use the Report feature so that we can work on it behind the scenes without it sidetracking public discussions. This leads into the second takeaway... please follow the forum's number one guideline... stay on topic. Thanks!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled forum thread.

The rule of thumb on visitor entry category is not more than 6 months in any 12. This isn't hard and fast, but if you are around that figure you may well be questioned.