How long do UK border officers check the computer for non-EU/EFTA visa-free passports?

How long do UK border officers check the computer for non-EU/EFTA visa-free passports? - Serious ethnic young woman using laptop at home

Assuming an American, Aussie or Kiwi (etc.) presents themselves at the UK border, the landing interview goes perfectly and there's nothing funny about them, about how much time will the officer usually spend checking stuff on the computer?

In other words, how long is it on average from the officer scanning the passport to issuing the entry stamp?

Does it vary between airports (e.g. Heathrow) and seaports (e.g. Calais)?



Best Answer

Unless this is a trick question, the answer is:

  • From about 30 seconds to about two minutes.

If any longer than that, there is some problem or other.




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