Acceptable border identification?

[Frajohn]

We have had a guest arrive from the UK, who had travelled here via the tunnel. When he got to the tunnel terminal in UK he realised that he had forgotten his passport. He decided to carry on without. He spoke with the UK police in their booth as to whether he could travel and would he have any problem getting back into the U.K. He was told that as he had his driving licence he would have no problem. Equally he had no problem at the French checkpoint, just being waved through. 

 

I have always been under the impression that a driving licence would not be acceptable to UK customs, after searching the internet I can only find that to be true.

 

Any advice or views would be appreciated

 

Regards

 

John

[IanA]

A similar thing happened to our late (and very great) pal Tom Rutherford. He didn't have a driving licence but was waved through on the authority of an Aberdeen bus pass.

[Frajohn]

Well, the simple answer is that it doesn't seem to matter about a passport or an official identity card to enter the UK. The guest checked in as normal at the tunnel and went though the UK border control by using his driving licence without any problem.

[healdav]

The EU law says that you have to be able to prove your identity. It is up to individual countres to decide what that means. Theoretically, it has nothing to do with the Customs (and I always refuse to show them my passport when they ask), that is Immigration. They have always backed off. The argument they try to use is that is a part of your baggage!

I do know someone who travelled on his bus pass, although the ambassador here gave him some temporary card for him to get home.

 

[Ron Clifton]

I once went on a battlefield visit with a car-load of friends. On the way back we passed through British immigration control at Calais without any problems, but after they got home two of my friends discovered that they had each other's passports.

 

The fact that one of them had a generous moustache, and the other was a lady, did not seem to have been noticed by the immigration staff who inspected their passports!

 

Ron

[healdav]

7 minutes ago, Ron Clifton said:

I once went on a battlefield visit with a car-load of friends. On the way back we passed through British immigration control at Calais without any problems, but after they got home two of my friends discovered that they had each other's passports.

 

The fact that one of them had a generous moustache, and the other was a lady, did not seem to have been noticed by the immigration staff who inspected their passports!

 

Ron

Yes, they aren't terribly bright. One told Luxembourg neighbours that Luxembourg isn't in the EU. My sone said he has been told the same thing twice at Heathrow trying to get on a plane.

[charlie2]

18 hours ago, healdav said:

The EU law says that you have to be able to prove your identity. It is up to individual countres to decide what that means. 

 

 

I fell foul, through my own stupid fault, of this last year when I went on holiday to the Isle of Man. My (British) passport ran out 2 days before my planned return journey, I had other documents to prove my identity ie German driving licence and an old British ID card. Border contol did not have a problem with me returning home to Germany using the expired passport etc, but the ferry company, at Hull, said the passport had to be valid on the date I arrived in Rotterdam and would refuse to let me on the ferry. No other form of ID, that I had, was acceptable.  I ended up cutting my holiday short and rebooking the ferry crossing. 

 

Charlie

[healdav]

5 hours ago, charlie2 said:

 

I fell foul, through my own stupid fault, of this last year when I went on holiday to the Isle of Man. My (British) passport ran out 2 days before my planned return journey, I had other documents to prove my identity ie German driving licence and an old British ID card. Border contol did not have a problem with me returning home to Germany using the expired passport etc, but the ferry company, at Hull, said the passport had to be valid on the date I arrived in Rotterdam and would refuse to let me on the ferry. No other form of ID, that I had, was acceptable.  I ended up cutting my holiday short and rebooking the ferry crossing. 

 

Charlie

I can imagine it. Britain has never been able to cope with questions of I.D.

[Steven Broomfield]

On ‎18‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 17:48, IanA said:

A similar thing happened to our late (and very great) pal Tom Rutherford. He didn't have a driving licence but was waved through on the authority of an Aberdeen bus pass.

 

Excuse me. As the driver of that party, I have to say it was not an Aberdonian Bus Pass, but a proper Scottish Government Bus pass, replete with Saltire and a very fetching head and shoulders portrait (he stood on a chair) of the wee mannie.

[IanA]

43 minutes ago, Steven Broomfield said:

 

Excuse me. As the driver of that party, I have to say it was not an Aberdonian Bus Pass, but a proper Scottish Government Bus pass, replete with Saltire and a very fetching head and shoulders portrait (he stood on a chair) of the wee mannie.

A slip of the cerebral cortex. I have a similar bus pass. In my case, the portrait is terrifying rather than fetching.

[Ron Clifton]

1 hour ago, healdav said:

Britain has never been able to cope with questions of I.D.

Perhaps because we have never had to!

 

I have just managed to renew my Cambs County Council bus pass online. My passport expired last year but as I have no plans for further battlefield visits I have not renewed it. My University Library card expires in July and my bank debit card was renewed last year, for three years. I think I am covered for the time being.

 

Ron