Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) for South African [duplicate]

I will be travelling from Switzerland (Geneva) via the UK (Heathrow) to South Africa with British Airways on January 7 2017.

I will be landing and departing from Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport.

I have a valid Swiss living and working permit. My husband is an EU citizen (Portugal). I have a South African passport. My air ticket shows South Africa as my final destination.

On the 29 January 2017, I will fly back to Switzerland via UK (Heathrow) using Terminal 5 for landing and departing once again. I will use my Swiss permit to enter Switzerland.

Do I need Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV)? Will I need to go through immigration/border control at Heathrow? Does landing with British Airways at Heathrow mean I'll stay on the airside and only need to go through security with hand luggage?

uk south-african-citizens datv

Best Answer

If your journey is in a single booking, you will not need to clear immigration. If it's two separate bookings, you will need to clear immigration.

Regardless, however, as a holder of a Swiss residence permit, you do not Need a UK DATV to change planes. If you do clear immigration, you must leave (i.e. the next flight must depart) no later than 23:59 the next day.

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How long does Datv visa take?

It's currently taking 6 weeks on average to get a decision on transit visas.

What is Datv visa?

A UK transit visa is a visa that allows you to pass through the UK during transit. There are two types of transit visa. These are: Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) which is limits you to 24 hours in the UK - during which you must remain 'airside' (you cannot pass through immigration) - and a.

Does a South African need a transit visa for the UK?

There are exemptions to some of these cases, where South African can qualify to Travel Without a Visa. Emphasis on these Transit applications is placed on the applicants' intent to pass through the UK border or not. Transit visas are for South Africans who are not going to stay in the UK for longer than 48 hours.

What is airside transit visa?

Direct Airside Transit visa Direct Airside Transit visas last for up to 24 hours, meaning the onward flight must be within 24 hours of your arrival in the UK. You cannot apply for this visa if you need to go through UK border control, for example to check in your luggage on to a connecting flight or to change airports.

Direct Airside Transit VIsa UK (DATV)

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Uriel Mont, Pixabay, Andrea Piacquadio, Nataliya Vaitkevich