Getting through customs as a single man

My experience a single white male has been entirely different. I've never had any trouble with customs or border control in Europe or Turkey.

I guess I can not speak to your experience before, except to say that over the years, I have had more questions and delays from UK border agents with a close second being Canadian border control.

I am basically the classic middle-aged (well, getting on a bit more) white guy, but for the UK, you do need to fill out the address of where you will be staying and give a bit more detail as to your purpose. Any hesitation in providing details can lead to a deeper look at you.

All that said, entering virtually any other European Country has been a non-event. Do have though a copy of your itinerary and something showing your return ticket, that should cover everything

We (at the time middle aged white non-Jewish couple) had a British immigration person be upset with us because we couldn't tell her where we were going to be staying in London. We hadn't reserved a hotel yet, figuring we'd find something once we got there. The agent was not pleased with us, questioned us a while, then scolded us a bit before she let us through.

We've never had any trouble in any other Western European country. Any minor hassles we had in Eastern Europe were decades ago, before the westernization and breakup of the Soviet bloc.

I'd say, don't worry about Italy. We've always just been waved through immigration. Sometimes they'll ask if you're there for business or pleasure, or what towns you plan to visit. We've never been asked for an address of where we'll be staying.

Not being able to show your itinerary would probably not get you kept in holding. Being Jewish is also not the reason.

It was probably the way you acted. Did they ask to see your itinerary or just ask you about your trip? I've been asked many times my plans and I tell them in general. No one has asked me about specific dates or hotels except for my arrival address in the UK. They will also be interested on when you are going home. That you should know off the top of your head. If you don't, they'll find that suspicious.

The UK has the most thorough immigration process than any other Western European country I''ve visited. (I now have Registered Traveler so I no longer have to deal with it.) Everywhere else has been a breeze. In fact most have been very nice.

I usually just walk up, hand them my passport and say "hello" in the local language. A smile and a nod of the head in recognition shows them I'm not nervous and have nothing to hide. They can sense if you are nervous.

It sounds like this was your first international trip. (They look at the other stamps in your passport). I've been through Heathrow 3 times The first time about 15 years ago they asked me to show proof that I had a ticket showing that I was leaving. After that they stopped.
Heathrow can be strict and the British are none to have the most cameras in the world monitoring behavior of people passing through. That said just chalk it up as learning experience try to relax and be organized with the information that they ask you in English when u get to the customs. I have been to Italy two times over the last year once solo and the customs looked and just stamped my passport.

We usually use London as our gateway city and spend an extra day or two seeing friends and recovering from jet lag. In 2016 I was surprised at how much longer it took to go through immigration- the agent was far more thorough with her questions than ever before. That didn't happen in other countries.

The only places I have ever seen or heard of Jews being openly discriminated against by government officials is Russia and most any Muslim country in the Middle East. But no one is going to assume you are a Jewish unless you market it. I was held in Tel Aviv for a few hours and at JFK for a few hours because my name rang some bells. I got cleared by Mosad and got Global Entry and haven't had trouble since. I think your experience falls in the stuff happens category.

It's not easy being a white male.

I do not think this has anything to do with you being Jewish or single young man. This is, for example, exactly how US immigration treats people who cannot confidently explain their purpose of visiting the US and provide proof of hotel reservations or onward travel - they are held in cells and questioned for hours.

You really need to read travel forums in other languages to get a balanced view how immigration works and do not assume you can nonchalantly breeze in and out of any country on your say so, without any paperwork to support your claims. Next time have your itinerary and reservations ready for inspection.

At LHR I've never shown Border Control my itinerary, have been asked which hotel I would be staying at. Lucky for them I had made a reservation for the first night's stay. I travel alone as a solo male. I told them the name of the hotel located in Kings Cross but I didn't know the street address exactly, just know where it's located once I get there. In August 1987 I arrived in England , also solo, at Harwich on the ferry that left Hamburg, went through Border Control at Harwich but wasn't asked where I was staying since I didn't make reservations in those days, was going to just show up at a YHA hostel or a B&B. If "they" had asked where I would be staying, I would have had no definite answer, no firm address.

If you aren't certain yet where you will be staying, just go online and do a dummy booking for any hotel and print it out. Make sure that you can cancel it after you pass through Immigration.

This is when one fondly remembers the days of actual physical airline tickets, which offered proof of your onward/return travel. When documentation is entirely electronic it must be easily accessible, and still it may be difficult for officers to authenticate.

While I was waiting in the initial (airline) queue to leave Barcelona last August, I was approached by someone who wanted to see documentation showing when I had arrived. He didn't specify whether he meant in Europe, in the Schengen zone, or in Spain but I had spent all but about 10 hours in Spain, so it didn't really matter.

I was returning on a one-way frequent-flier ticket and had discarded the paper copy of my flight confirmation into Spain, which was also a frequent-flier ticket. There was no electronic confirmation of the IAD-MAD flight on my phone since I had used my desktop computer to make the arrangements, and I had no European SIM in my phone to access something online. Finally one of us thought about photos, so I showed the agent some photos from early in my trip. Whew.

I am a 65-year-old female of Anglo-Saxon background. I guess I just won the lottery that day, or else having been in Spain for 89 days triggered something.

This is just further confirmation that one should keep documentation of ones arrival in Europe and have it accessible at the departure airport.

I'm not pointing fingers at the Europeans here. Shortly after 9/11 when traveling on a ticket purchased with credit card points (as opposed to miles), I was singled out for very serious attention on all four legs of a domestic RT flight. Among other things, agents opened my change purse and ran their fingers through the coins. Looking for detonators?? I have no clue. I decided later that their software must be treating points-based tickets as cash purchases, which at that time were major red flags.

My wife and I spent quite a bit of time in a separate holding area in Athens on our way home for only having one carry on as our baggage. As soon as the first person asked where our other luggage was and we answered we had none, we got tagged with a red sticker on the backpack and spent the next 3 hours separate, and having someone pull everything out of our packs. It was strange. Late 40's white Canadians. Who knows what triggers things. Last few years, everytime I land in the states coming from Mexico, I get extra attention. Must have the look.

Warren

I have flown into the UK probably 45 - 50 times over the past 30 years (I went there for my employer about 4 or 5 times per year for 7 or 8 years) - all as a single (at least travelling alone), white male and I have never had a problem at Heathrow, Gatwick or Standstead. I will say, however, that of all the European countries I've flown into, British immigration is the most likely to hassle someone. On a worldwide scale, it is probably a toss-up between them and the USA, especially if you return home through JFK, Atlanta or Chicago ...

mike,

I've travelled solo to Europe for many years and so far have never experienced any delays at Passport control, either in the U.K. or Europe. There are always the usual "what is the purpose of your visit questions" and then the Passport is stamped and that's the end of it.

FWIW, I'm a stickler for detail and I always carry very detailed documents in my carry-on, including Itinerary and airline information. If they ever ask for it, I'll be able to produce the documents right away.

I'm white and Jewish (Eastern European heritage) and received the most thorough questioning at Gatwick's border control when I flew there from Hamburg in October 2015. The border agent asked me how long I'd be in the UK, when I was leaving, if I had been there before, when and for how long, etc. I compare that to my arrival in Amsterdam at the start of that trip: the border agent could hardly be bothered to stop talking to another agent in the booth long enough to ask how long I'd be in the Netherlands and to stamp my passport.

It is obvious that circumstances changed as a result of 9/11. With that one's experiences upon arrival on a transatlantic flight from the North America might well have changed too, a little or more drastically. Prior to 9/11 I made eleven trips, from 1971 to 2001, always between early to late summer, always flying from Calif., from SFO, once from OAK and once from LAX, landing at Gatwick, Paris CDG, Orly, and FRA. Seven out of the eleventrips I landed solo armed with an US Passport from Calif. At FRA and Paris Orly or CDG no Immigration staff person ever even questioned me. You just appeared in front of the guy, handed him the passport, he looks at it, looks at you, gives it back. At FRA there were times I asked for a stamp in the passport, was ignored, ie no words were exchanged at FRA or at Orly and CDG.

The British were different, I was asked the usual perfunctory questions at Gatwick and Harwich (as mentioned above) then got the stamp. Had the FRA or Paris staff asked me for an itinerary or a list of addresses showing accommodations, etc, there was none. It certainly was not the way I traveled in the 1970s, '80s and 1990s having everything all printed out, reservations made, etc. No one asked anyway, only the Dutch border staff asked in 1971 if I had a return air ticket home to Calif on the train crossing the Ger/Dutch border after Duisburg. No other country's border control I encountered ever asked, not the commie Czechs, or likewise the East Germans prior to the fall of the wall, Swedes, Austrians, Germans, Belgians, or the Poles, Hungarians.

After 9/11 I have made eleven more trips, on eight of them I was solo upon landing. Nothing really different, except that flying into Schengen from the US, I know I'll get a stamp, all the more so, if you ask for it, and most importantly, your passport is swiped. Still no words exchanged at CDG or FRA, only at Heathrow since 2009 I fly there more often, I can expect the routine perfunctory questions eg, having to provide the name and location of the hotel that first night. If I had none, then my credibility would be called into question, since given my age, no one would travel like that. As I will be landing at LHR solo from SFO in mid-May of this year, I know what to expect at Border Control.

When you book your flights, you get an email with your itinerary. Print it out and keep it with your passport until you're out of the airport. When you book your Florence hotel you'll get an email. Print out a copy of the reservation and keep it with your passport too. You may need to have the hotel info when you get to Florence just to get directions to the hotel. You may need to show it if for some odd reason the hotel can't find your reservation in their system. And you'll need to give them your passport at check-in anyway. I often find it's easier to use a neck pouch than a money belt for passports and these print-outs when I'm flying because it's easy to access. You do have to remove it to go through airport security.

Border officials are concerned about people who come in without a return ticket or a place to stay (especially young single men). My limited experience is that Heathrow staff are particularly nit-picky compared to European countries. But U.S. staff are at least as bad.

On the flip side, single women are more likely to be stopped for extra security scrutiny. The thinking is that they may have been enchanted by local men with terrorist motives and are innocently and unknowingly carrying potential dangerous substances that were given them . . . "here's a present for you, don't open it until you're on the plane" . . . "please mail this gift to my nephew after you get home" . . . you get the idea.

mike,

One other thought that comes to mind is that it's also a good idea to list the name and address of your first hotel on the Arrival / Landing card that you'll be given on the flight. The U.K. cards have a space for that information as I recall. Be sure you have all the necessary information at hand in your carry-on luggage.

Unrelated to your situation mikeleric525, on a recent international trip, I was more thoroughly checked by security when departing the foreign country for home. Upon entering the U.S., I had to undergo a very thorough scan then two pat downs and everything pulled from my bag and examined. This despite being enrolled in the Global Entry program. Makes you wonder, yes?

Thanks for your replies.

Is there any reason to worry about being sent right back home if you forget to bring a printed copy of your itinerary and you don't have or can't find or deleted your e-mail confirmations of your airplane tickets, or if they don't let you in for some other reason? If so does any travel insurance cover the cost of flying to a country but not being allowed in?

Nowadays, since 9/11, I carry a print out of my ticket, r/t. and the passport. Sometimes, not even that, only the flight confirmation number written on a piece of scratch paper just for my own reference. Other than having to show it so as to expedite things at check-in, I have never had to show any official (TSA, etc) that number once I'm done at check-in. At the TSA security I show only the passport and the boarding pass, nothing else, ask for a pat down instead of going through that machine, which they have always obliged me. I don't mention anything regarding the itinerary or hotel reservations printed out. Those I'm paying with a credit card I print out, those with cash in Germany there is no print out since I reserved by calling up the Pension or small hotel itself.

I don't understand why Mrs EB is bringing up the boarding pass. That only shows which flight you arrive on.

At immigration, when you enter a country from the U.S. on a U.S. passport, if they care at all, it's about the future - do you have a plane ticket and a place to stay, or are you trying to freeload indefinitely.

Mike...you really need to chill out. Being all nervous and worried about being sent back will show when you get to the immigration officer.

You will be asked questions. Just look the guy in the eye and answer the question. You don't have to give dates unless they ask for specific dates. When asked the reason for your visit just say you are on vacation. When asked where you are going next just tell them. Just answer the question. No need to go into details. Know your basic itinerary and know the exact date you are flying home. Make sure you fill out any landing cards correctly.

I've crossed more borders than I can remember and I have never had a problem. Sometimes they are friendly, sometimes they are not. Sometimes I've been asked questions, sometimes the immigration officer doesn't say a word. They are looking at you as much as your passport. Nervous people have something to hide.

On another note, have you ever had a problem with law enforcement or belong to any organizations that might be of interest to law enforcement?

As for the problems at Global Entry, you must have done something to get them upset. Usually, they just want to let you go so they can focus on others. Did you ask them why they were doing all that?

In London, I did ask why they were doing everything they did.

I already felt like I was doing something wrong just by traveling far from home because my mother told me not go travel, but another part of my brain wanted the experience of seeing another country anyway, another part of my brain thought I was getting the treatment I "deserved" for doing something I was not supposed to do, but I know my thinking is or was irrational.

Mike,

Your apprehension is somewhat understandable. However, in my opinion, you're getting your knickers in a wad needlessly. Yes, occasionally someone has a problem with immigration / customs somewhere. But consider all the people who cross borders everyday without a problem. Restricting yourself only to organized tours isn't an option because most of the time you will be arriving / departing on your own anyway.

In his most recent post Frank II made some very good points that bear repeating.

"...will be asked questions. ...look the guy in the eye and answer....don't have to give dates unless they ask...just say you are on vacation."

"When asked where you are going...just tell them. ...No need to go into details. Know...basic itinerary...exact date...flying home."

"...fill out any landing cards correctly.

"Sometimes...friendly, sometimes...not. Sometimes...asked questions, sometimes the immigration officer doesn't say a word."

I have also crossed more borders than I remember and have never had a problem. In all of life, the problems we actually encounter are rarely as bad as those we anticipate in our mind. So, Mike, unless you have some sort of criminal background, have a glass of wine, relax and look forward to the trip.

@Frank II. Apologies if I misquoted / misinterpreted your post.

TC--you nailed it.

But I think the problem here goes way beyond the scope of travel and this board.

Whenever I arrive in front of the Border Control officer at LHR, I have the entry form passed out on the plane filled out and the passport in my hand, and nothing else, hand them over, usually without saying anything, not even hello. I wait until s/he addresses me first, which I know will happen...then no problems. Sometimes, I'm more social, other times, much more perfunctory, just spitting out the answers.

From an American perspective the U.K. Border Control officers are the most thorough and take the longest even prior to 9/11. The Italians not so much, just a cursory check so you should be fine.

As already mentioned do keep hard copies of travel and hotel confirmations handy to fill out paperwork and to show if needed.

As TC wrote some officials are friendlier than others. I take my cue from them. If they're all business then so am I. On my last entry at LHR the agent saw that I was from California and asked if I had packed some sunshine and warm temperatures in my luggage. I smiled and said unfortunately not but would the next time I came through.

If you are entering Schengen in Italy and have an American passport, they'll barely look at it. They will just open it and stamp it (and maybe check if the photo vaguely resembles you).

They will look annoyed because before the Schengen treaty, Italian agents wouldn't even bother to open American passports. Sometimes they wouldn't even take them from your hands. Maybe they would count from the distance if the number of US passports they could see from a distance matched the number of people going through their booths.

Now they have to actually do some work also with Americans because the Schengen treaty requires them to stamp the entry seal in the passport also to American passports, and that probably is bothersome to them, because it takes time away from their cappuccino breaks. It has became tough to be a customs agent nowadays, really hard work, opening all passports, finding a blank page where to stamp, pressing hard it so that the ink shows. I can feel their pain when they get home exhausted.

I'm not sure a boarding pass would help you coming into another country. That only gives you permission to get on the plane at your departure airport. What immigration usually wants to see is your itinerary/ongoing travel/return ticket. On my most recent trip to Heathrow, I was asked how long I would be in the UK. When I told the agent I would be there only long enough to get to Stansted for an ongoing flight, he asked to see my next boarding pass or an itinerary. That was it. On other trips I have been asked for return ticket information (not every trip). That is all I have ever needed.

HAhaha, Roberto! Poor immigration people, having to do work.

The immigration agent at Fiumicino showed so little interest in me (May 2015) that I was relieved and a bit surprised when I later checked and confirmed that I did have an entry stamp in my passport.

@MrsEB: I was returning from Mexico and landed at SeaTac where enhanced searching of person and belongings took place. Maybe I'll shave my mustache to avoid the bad hombre designation in the future.

Wow. Bruce, I have to ask: from what country did you arrive and which US airport was your entry into the country?

Everyone should be aware that "they are watching" - and keeping track of where you have been before, and details of how you got there. This can cause unexpected (and surprising) extra scrutiny. Lots of examples out there of people who flew to Istanbul (especially on a one-way ticket) who subsequently were subjected to lots of extra security questions/searches for months afterwards every time they fly (including domestically).

Unless you actually are a "bad hombre", it's just an annoyance you will have to put up with for a while (and another good reason to allow extra time to get through security at the airport).

Bottom line, and to address the OPs questions: life goes better when you are organized and have your act together. Being able to, and being comfortable answering simple questions, having quick access to really basic facts about your trip, keeping your cool and not freaking out, will all help you on your journeys. Not acting like a criminal usually helps, too (whether you are one or are not).

Last time I flew to Italy arriving in Milan, the border guards were telling dirty jokes to each other and paid little or no attention to who was going through as they stamped passports with little or no questioning. Fastest passport check ever!

I have been to the UK on multiple trips. I have been asked a variety of questions, sometimes more detailed mainly not, but have never been asked to provide any printed information nor been pulled aside for further questioning. I can't believe that after planning a trip like this being unable to tell the border agent enough details from memory to satisfy them. I have seen people sent for the more detailed examination (there is even a TV show bout the UK border service at Heathrow [funny stuff there]). But there has to be a reason. Not being able to clearly answer the questions asked of you is probably one reason. Being a single male (regardless of ethnicity or religion) is not a reason for them to detain you provided your passport is current and you are not on any government watch list.

Since we're now swapping stories, I was delayed once entering Canada in 2005. I (single, older woman U.S. citizen and then resident) was driving my own car (with cat) from Glacier National Park in Montana to Waterton NP in Alberta. The only thing at the border is the border stop itself truly in the middle of nowhere. The Canadian border officials were stopping every other car, had to park (and abandon the cat) and sit in their office for an hour before they gave me back my passport and let me enter. There were several other people waiting along with me. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. The car ahead of me was also a US vehicle with 4 people in it. They weren't stopped. While we were patiently waiting (no interrogation) we figured they were just bored and flexing their petty authority . . . much like they do at Heathrow - except that, the Canadians were pleasant and polite, of course.

Interstingly, that same border checkpoint on the U.S. side was run, in the early 1990's, by one nasty border guard. I would bring tours through and the only person he gave a hard time to was me. The driver and I were the only U.S. citizens. Never said a word to the driver but demanded to see my passport. And these were the days when you didn't need a passport to go to Canada but I always carried mine with me.

Never had problems bringing groups into Canada. They were always great and actually humorous.