England tourist requirements?

Do you have a US passport? If so, it shouldn't be an issue especially if you have a return ticket. If you were arriving from a third-world country the immigration officer would be more interested.

That's it, really. You just need a valid U.S. passport and a roundtrip ticket. You can't stay longer than six months, and I don't believe the U.K. has any rules on having your passport valid for a certain number of months past your travel dates like many other countries do.

You are only likely to be asked about money if there is a suspicion that you are intending to work illegally.

At passport control they may ask if you have any friends in England. Be ready with the address of your "good friend." Now that I have passed the 75-yr mark, I seem to get extra grilling at passport control. I think (guess) they don't want me becoming a burden on their healthcare system. They do ask me if I have friends in England. I provide them with my hotel name and my plans to visit England plus France and Italy or whatever. Maybe someone on this helpline understands the purpose of these questions. I'm curious. When going through passport control for England when taking the Eurostar in Paris, I am asked where I will be staying in England. So far, I haven't been asked about finances, or whether I have insurance or a return ticket to the States.

Honestly never been asked about finances in many trips, only about where I am staying and a couple of times what I plan to do. No problems at all.

The question has never been asked in many visits to the UK.

No problems going to the UK here. As others have said, you may be asked where you are staying and the purpose of your trip, but I don't think that should be too hard to answer. Honestly, the worst grillings I ever get are at the Canadian border. :-)

Same here...have never been asked about finances anyplace I have ever entered. The routine I've experienced is always the same...where will you be visiting, purpose of visit, and how long is your visit? I may have been asked for a hotel address once or twice...can't really recall, but even that has not been the norm for me personally. Coming back into the U.S. is a different story...anything from nice immigration guy asking just the standard where were you, what did you do there, etc. to complete a-hole doing a mini interrogation for no reason whatsoever. And while I did get one of these mini interrogations at ATL once, most of them have occurred driving back across the border in NY and MI (and not when flying home). 9 times out of 10, I get an interrogation driving home...it's quite remarkable and totally unnecessary...and they're flat out flippin' rude as hell for no reason. Their Canadian counterparts are 180 degrees opposite. At MSP in September, the immigration officer was nice as could be and was quite professional...maybe it's just because he was from Minnesota...who knows...folks up there are pretty decent for sure. I did get hung up at the border going into BC from Seattle a few years back, but it was a work related deal and was our own fault. That's been my experience on this issue for what it's worth.

Michael, I need to know where YOU cross into Canada. :-) Most of my experiences crossing the border have been that the Canadian officials are polite but a bit cold; whereas the American ones like to mess with you (but in a good way). Must be my shifty eyes. :-) Even my husband (who is a Canuck) gets less of a hassle coming back into the US than going home.

When entering England, I have been questioned more than when entering continental European countries, but much less then when entering Canada or even the US. Do be prepared to say the purpose of your visit, how long you'll be staying, what places you plan to visit, and to have the address and phone number of your friend handy. (I've been asked these many times at various borders). I agree that you're unlikely to be questioned about money coming in with a US passport. (Well, it's never happened to me, at least, and I've never read about it happening to anyone else. I know that's not definitive).

If you've got a US passport, then they won't ask you how much money you have. But they are likely to ask why you've come to the UK, who you are staying with, and how long you are going to stay. Be prepared to answer those questions!

Not so sure where all this question expertise is coming from. With maybe a hundred UK entries, I've been asked every question mentioned, plus more......and none.

If you've got a US passport, then they won't ask you how much money you have. That is not necessarily true. I've been asked by U.K. immigration to "show them the money". It was a long time ago ... I was in my 20s and traveling with a backpack. When I showed them my credit card along with the cash I had, that was all they needed to see. I've certainly seen UK immigration ask this question to other travelers. They are basically just looking to make sure that you can support yourself during your trip. You probably won't be ask this question, but if you are, an honest answer about how you will support yourself while there (e.g. show them your ATM card or your credit card) should be sufficient. Since you are staying with friends, you might also be asked to show your return ticket. Your e-ticket receipt that shows you have a flight leaving the UK is sufficient. Again, they are mainly trying to verify that you are only visiting and not attempting to move to the UK. Like Ed said ... Entering the UK, I've been asked few questions on some occasions and on other occasions I have been asked lots of questions. I've probably gone through UK immigration about 40 to 50 times. Don't be stressed if they ask you questions. It is not unusual.

Maybe everybody just need to wear nicer clothes that make you look like you have money. When I hit any country, it's always without any money. I'm looking for that first ATM, however. My problem is leaving the EU or UK without any money. I'm always budgeting my last day or two so I'll be out of their currency.