I am travelling to India from Chicago and have a 16 hours wait in London. I have applied for a visitor-in-transit visa since it is less than 48 hours.
My question is, will I be allowed to go out of the airport with this type of a visa? I would assume yes! Since its 16 hours
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
If you are an American citizen, it shouldn't be a problem. If you are a citizen of another country, you should probably check with UK immigration either before you go or after you land. With that many hours layover, surely you would be allowed to find someplace to sleep. Wherever you applied for your visa should be able to help you with question.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
I have to say I haven't heard of this kind of visa. I flew from Chicago to London, changed airports, then flew to Spain in May. On the way back, I flew into Stansted, took the bus to Heathrow, and had a 15 hour layover there until flying back to Chicago. I didn't have any trouble leaving the airports and no one said anything about a visa. In any event, I didn't apply for anything in advance.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5847 posts
I'm guessing that you are not a U.S. citizen since U.S. citizens don't need a visa for such a visit.
I believe there are different types of in-transit visas. Some do not permit you to leave the transit area of the airport, while others allow you to leave for a short period. I think that you need to check with the U.K. Embassy and make sure that you apply for the type that allows you to leave the airport if that is what you want to do.
Posted by
OP
chicago, il, usa
188 posts
Hi all --
this is true i am not a us citizen i am an indian citizen and i have applied for a visitor in transit which is different from airside transit..but i was just curious if anyone who has flown through uk with this type of visa had an issue if they wanted to leave the airport for the duration of their transit
Posted by
Nottingham, UK
658 posts
Visa regulations are often based on reciprocal agreements between countries. Currently the Indian government is quite rigid with Visa terms for UK passport holders ( we suspect that this is because they see many of us who regularly travel to India because of the booming 'Indian Call Centre' trade as an easy form of additional revenue ). What this means in practical terms is that holders of Indian passports in transit through the UK will not find a lot of flexibility with their Visa restrictions. To leave the airport you will need an entry Visa. As well as this you must also consider the tax situation. While in transit and airside in the UK you will be exempt from UK departure taxes. If, however, you leave the airport, on return to check-in you will be liable for UK departure tax to India ( if this has not already been paid ). Currently this stands at about USD80.00 for economy passengers or USD160.00 for Premium Economy, Business or First Class passengers.