UK Entry Stamp - different from a visa?
I've seen similar questions like this on the site before, but was wondering if anyone was able to point me to an official site that says that, as an American citizen traveling to the UK, the stamp put on my passport at the airport is an entry stamp and does NOT count as a visa. Or, alternatively, a site that says the opposite. Or has any real information about this, to be honest, I'm getting a bit desperate!
I know as an American citizen I do not need a visa to get into the UK as a tourist, but I need to know if the entry stamp counts as a visa given at the airport. Basically, if you enter the UK for a short-term visit (just to see the country), are you given a visa at the airport?
Best Answer
A Visa is permission to enter a country. An Entry Stamp is documentation that you did enter the country and on which date. And conversely, an Exit Stamp is documentation that you left said country and on which date.
In general all foreign nationals get Entry Stamps, irregardless of whether a visa is required or not.
A Visa on Arrival is nothing more than a last minute opportunity to get a visa when your nationality requires it. Once in your passport, you will still get an entry stamp acknowledging the date of entry.
So NO an entry stamp for a US citizen entering the UK is not a "visa".
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Is UK entry clearance different from visa?
A visa is an official document which grants you permission to come to the UK for a stated purpose (e.g. work, study, visiting). As such, a visa is a type of entry clearance, as is a family permit. Entry clearance is the process of checking a person meets the immigration rules before allowing them entry to the UK.Is visa the same as a stamp?
What is a Visa? A visa, or visa stamp, is a physical stamp or sticker in your passport that is issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate outside of the U.S. It indicates that you are eligible to apply for entry to the U.S. in a specific immigration category such as F-1 or J-1 student.Does UK immigration stamp passport on entry?
If you use the e-gates to enter the UK, your passport will not be stamped. This means that you will not have an official record of the date that you entered the UK. You should therefore keep evidence of your date of entry to the UK (for example your flight ticket), because may need this later on.Is visa a document or stamp?
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport.UK Nationals Travelling to the EU Post Brexit: Passport Stamps at EU Borders
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Answer 2
One thing is certain: This entry stamp is much easier to obtain than a Schengen or US visa. You don't need to apply weeks in advance, attend an interview in some distant consulate, provide biometrics or pay tens of euros/dollars in fees.
Also, many people do need to go through a similar procedure to get what's called an “entry clearance” for the UK, which US citizens do not generally require.
In light of all this and by analogy, I would think that an entry stamp does not really “count” as a visa. But of course, things like the US ESTA and visa-on-arrival schemes kind of blur the distinction and if you don't tell us what you mean by “visa” and why it matters to you, it's impossible to give a meaningful answer.
Answer 3
The entry stamp is not a visa and although it is given a 6 month expiry date it actually expires the day you leave the UK so you can't return on this stamp. This is very important for people entering the UK as an EEE family resident, the Surindar Singh method of entry.
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