UK: Flying on emergency travel papers because passport stolen

[cb140]

I apologise that this isn't specifically related to cruising, but there are so many experienced air travellers here that I hoped someone might be able to answer.

 

My son is flying into London Heathrow T5 tomorrow morning on emergency travel papers issued by the British Embassy in Berlin because his British passport (and all his money, credit cards and lap top ....urgh) was stolen in Berlin during his backpacking trip. He has a police report (although that will be in German) and of course the emergency travel papers.

 

What I want to know (because we are going to be picking him up) is whether he is likely to have any aggravation/delay with passport control (being questioned, etc) or whether they are usually happy to let emergency papers through without question. Parking at Heathrow is really expensive, so I don't want to be parked waiting for him if there's likely to be a delay.

 

(He's 18, BTW)

[Globaliser]

My son is flying into London Heathrow T5 tomorrow morning on emergency travel papers issued by the British Embassy in Berlin because his British passport (and all his money, credit cards and lap top ....urgh) was stolen in Berlin during his backpacking trip. He has a police report (although that will be in German) and of course the emergency travel papers.

 

What I want to know (because we are going to be picking him up) is whether he is likely to have any aggravation/delay with passport control (being questioned, etc) or whether they are usually happy to let emergency papers through without question.

This is based on only a little practical experience, but I think that he will probably encounter little trouble. He's got the emergency document, which verifies that he has been through an official process in Berlin. I suspect that he would have more trouble if he had arrived without any papers at all, but that is not his case.

 

A few years ago, a friend had her passport stolen in Germany, and wasn't able to get to an embassy or consulate for a replacement or for any other documents. But arrangements were made for her to fly back to Heathrow without papers, and within 4 hours of landing at Heathrow she already had a new passport in her hand.

[cb140]

Thank you very much! Interesting that your friend was able to travel without papers (albeit with a delay). We had a scan of our son's passport that we were able to email to him straightaway (thank goodness he still had his phone) and I think that helped at the Embassy. It wasn't cheap though - €144 for temporary travel papers (and he will then have to get a new passport).

[Globaliser]

Thank you very much! Interesting that your friend was able to travel without papers (albeit with a delay).

Sorry, I wasn't clear about that. Arrangements had been made for her to travel without papers, so there was no delay at either airport. She went straight through immigration at Heathrow, got on the Tube to the Passport Office at Victoria to get a new passport, and had the new passport in her hand within a couple of hours, so that she had it before she made her way back home to the Midlands.

 

Hope all goes smoothly for your son in the morning.

[skf]

Hope all goes smoothly for your son in the morning.

I agree with that sentiment.

We here in USA had our passports stolen in Venice airport. Had to train to Milano on a Saturday, wait for the US Consulate to open on Monday, train back to Venice & fly out Tuesday. When we got to Boston the Immigration Officer was a real jerk about the temporary passports. As if someone would go through all that trouble to sneak into the country!

[SadieN]

Hope all goes smoothly for your son in the morning.

 

I agree with that sentiment.

 

We here in USA had our passports stolen in Venice airport. Had to train to Milano on a Saturday, wait for the US Consulate to open on Monday, train back to Venice & fly out Tuesday. When we got to Boston the Immigration Officer was a real jerk about the temporary passports. As if someone would go through all that trouble to sneak into the country!

 

 

They do.

 

FIL got pulled into CBP Long Beach after a cruise. Someone had reported his passport number stolen in London. He's never been to London.

[4774Papa]

We lived in Bavaria from 1987-1991 and have traveled to nearly all the countries in Europe. Generally, we found that pickpocketing and theft are high risk in the Mediterranean countries and low risk north of the Alps.

We have traveled to northern Europe recently as well as Britain and not found a huge problem there.

 

Has this changed?

[Globaliser]

Has this changed?

Big cities are big cities, with big city problems. They always have been and they always will be. Wherever there are crowds, there will be pickpockets. I think that generalising about north and south of the Alps would never have been helpful; the only places that my companion and I have (or have almost) fallen victim to crime of this genre were Paris and Amsterdam (in 1991) respectively.

[Bowie MeMe]

After a river cruise, Easter Sunday in Antwerp Belgium with maybe 15 from our ship and 10 others standing on the platform waiting for train to Paris 2 of our party of 5 had a carryon bag stolen. From the tape in train station security learned how these thieves had managed to steal 27 bags in the past week. More than one thief. Comes off the local train ( all Americans turn and watch passengers coming off the train--looky loos! ) one thief asks the American standing there where the tourist office is. she points and most of the Americans are looking at where their fellow passenger is pointing. Thief 2 cuts around the back of the loose group and grabs the handle of a carry on 21 inch bag(with electronics jewels maybe paperwork -- important stuff!) and runs off the other exit ( rather big show of it) meanwhile thief 1 and the additional thieves 3 &4 lurking on the edges crowd up against the people who are now talking or watching police activity and excitement. They merely grab a bag and pass over to the local train which is ready to depart. They jump on the train and out the door on other side of track or up the stairs or a multitude of other ways. They hide by blending in-- men and women and even young teens dressed all different ways. And by stealing the whole bag (here an odd colored bag is a small deterrent) nobody can by sight say it is that person there. The police were very frustrated by this new version but it really is nothing more than the distraction and grab routine. It is not just Europe. It happens here in DC more often than the tourist bureau will admit. Keep an actual hand on all your bags. Leave at home anything valuable can do without. Keep passport and money/ credit cards on body under clothes. And hope you are lucky. Victim Feeling at ease is one of the thieves best aides. From that same tape, the police pointed to the man standing to my right -- known thief but I luckily was leaning over my bag watching the show so I was not the victim that time. Time of whole scene was less than 3 minutes and they got 6 bags.