Do I need a visa to stay at a hotel close to Heathrow before connecting to a flight to Vancouver, Canada? [duplicate]

My daughter and I are travelling to Vancouver, Canada through Heathrow but staying all night to get connected. I have a valid multi-entry visa to the UK that I obtained for previous travel, but my daughter does not because her destination is Canada. Do we need a visa to spend the night at a hotel close to Heathrow? We both have Ethiopian passports.

visas uk layovers lhr

Best Answer

If you stay at a hotel near the airport, then you need to exit the airport. That means that you must ensure that you can legally pass border control.

From the link for the Gov.UK website @Karlson provided,

You’ll need a visa to pass through the UK in transit

You should apply for a Visitor in Transit visa if you arrive on a flight and will pass through immigration control before you leave the UK.

Transiting without a visa You might be eligible for the ‘transit without visa concession’ if:

you arrive and depart by air

have a confirmed onward flight which leaves within 24 hours

have the right documents for your destination (eg a visa for that country)

One of the following must also apply:

you’re travelling to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country

As you might expect the transit with visa concessions is entirely up to the Immigration official, so if you want to be absolutely sure, get a Land side transit visa.

The ‘transit without visa concession’ is decided by the immigration officer at the border. You won’t be allowed to transit if they decide you need a visa, so you might want to apply for a transit visa before you travel.

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Does LHR need transit visa?

You're going through UK border controlApply for a Visitor in Transit visa if you'll be going through UK border control but leaving the UK within 48 hours. You'll need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa if: you need to stay longer in the UK. you can prove you need to frequently pass through the UK over a longer ...

Do I need a visa if I stay in the airport?

Most countries that normally require that you have a visa, do not require the visa if you are a transit passenger, someone who is only transiting through the airport. As you don't go through immigration, and you don't enter the country, hence no visa is needed.

Does British Airways need transit visa?

Depending on your nationality and the purpose of your journey, you may need a visa or an equivalent form of authorisation for every country you enter as part of your journey \u2014 even if you are only connecting from one flight to another. This is in addition to a valid passport.

Who can use eGates at Heathrow?

Use the eGates for quicker entry

a British citizen.
a national of an EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA.
a member of the Registered Traveller Service.

Heathrow Terminal 4 Transit to Terminal 2 - 2020

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