Can I use the Blue "Arrivals from EU" queue on arrival in the UK, if I entered another EU country on a layover?
As explained in the Heathrow Customs - “Arrivals from the EU” exit question, the UK is somewhat unusual in having 3 customs exits from the baggage hall. There's a Red one for something to declare, a Green one for nothing to declare, and a Blue one for Arrivals from the EU
On an upcoming trip, I'm flying into Europe from outside the EU, and have a fairly long layover in Amsterdam before continuing on to the UK. During this layover, I will probably leave my bags checked through, but I'll enter the Netherlands through immigration + customs and spend some time there. Later I'll return to the airport, go through the Schengen exit immigration (+security), and take my flight to the UK.
In this situation, I as a person will be arriving from another EU country, having cleared customs and immigration there with my hand luggage. However, my checked luggage will not have entered the EU yet.
When I arrive in Heathrow, I'll then have an odd mix. Myself and my hand luggage are an EU arrival, checked luggage is not.
What queue should I use at Heathrow customs in this situation?
Best Answer
Answers in the other question you linked say "Baggage tags from EU airports are marked with green stripes." So if your bags have green-striped tags on them, go through the blue exit. If not, use the green exit. Yes, the colors don't match--this is an aptitude test as well!
I suspect you would be allowed to use the blue lane, but your bags probably won't have the green tags so you'll use the green lane. This doesn't seem detrimental in any way unless you're trying to bring in something that would only be allowed from the EU...but nothing you've said indicates that would be the case. Easier to just do what your bag tags seem to indicate, rather than having a philosophical debate with the customs officers.
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