If you are planning a trip to the United Kingdom for the first time, there are number of tasks you have to prepare for in advance.
RocketRoute is here to help you with our Trip Planning Team and with all the details if you prefer to Do It Yourself.
Overview
There are 7 basic tasks to prepare for in advance before flying to the United Kingdom:
1. Select Airport of Entry (AOE)
2. Check passport and visa requirements
3. Check Overflights and Landing permission requirements
4. Consider if PPRs are needed for your AOE
1) Airport of Entry (AOE)
An airport of entry (AOE) is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. These services allow the airport to serve as an initial port of entry for foreign visitors arriving in a country.
Listed below are some of the main airports that are AOE in the UK.
City Name of the Airport IATA Code
To see the full list of the Airports of Entry visit the online Wikipedia page. Click on the "Visit" below:
2) Passports and Visas Requirements:
Your passport or identity card will be checked when you arrive at a UK airport to make sure you’re allowed to enter the country. It must be valid for the whole duration of your stay.
You may also need a visa to come into or travel through the UK, depending on your nationality.
| Passport required | Visa required | |
| Australian | Yes | No |
| British | N/A | N/A |
| Canadian | Yes | No |
| Other EU | Yes | No |
| USA | Yes | No |
Passports:
To enter the United Kingdom, a passport valid for the duration of stay is required by all nationals referred to in the chart above, except EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
EU nationals are only required to produce evidence of their EU nationality and identity in order to be admitted to any EU member state. This evidence can take the form of a valid national passport or national identity card. Either is acceptable. Possession of a return ticket, any length of validity on their document, or sufficient funds for the length of their proposed visit should not be imposed.
A passport is not required for travel between Great Britain and Ireland (an official form of identification, such as a driver's licence, is required), Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Passengers transiting the UK destined for the Republic of Ireland are advised to hold return tickets to avoid delay and interrogation.
Visas:
Visas for the United Kingdom are not required by nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to six months.
Nationals not requiring visas are advised to be in possession of either a return ticket or, if arriving on a one-way ticket, proof of sufficient funds to accommodate and support themselves for the duration of stay.
Nationals not referred to in the chart are advised to contact the embassy/high commission to check visa requirements for the United Kingdom.
Types and cost:
General visitor visa: £85; long-term visit visa: £324 (one or two years); £588 (five years); £737 (up to 10 years). Please check with the Embassy for the up-to-date prices.
Validity:
The validity of visas can vary depending on the type of visa obtained below are some examples.
General visitors visa: six months; long-term visit visa: one, two, five or 10 years, with a maximum stay of six months per visit.
To read more about visa and passport requirements, visit the link below
3) Overflights and Landing Permits:
With the exception of operators on experimental certificates, there are no permit requirements for overflight of the UK. Private non-revenue do not require overflight permits.
While landing permits are not needed for private non-revenue flights, they are required for all non-European Union (EU) charter flights to/from the UK.
4) PPRs:
A PPR or Prior Permission Required is required for operation to military airfields in the UK, and request procedures differ depending on the airport. For airports such as RAF Northolt (EGWU) mandates a PPR. The request should be submitted at least 24 hours in advance notice and is made via the ground handler. At other UK military airports, PPR requests are submitted via the military, with lead time of no less than 48 hours. At some UK airbases – such as RAF Leuchars (EGQL) – PPRs are only issued to General Aviation (GA) during large sports events such as Golf. Farnborough (EGLF) also issues PPRs but this is not a military airfield as this is a dedicated general aviation airport owned by TAG Farnborough.
In all cases, you’ll need to provide a full request usually by way of a handling request. They will require full crew/passenger passport information and insurance valid for the European Union. At military airports, it’s important that authorities are advised of all crew/passengers coming in and going out. Be aware that the military perform full security checks. If they don’t have accurate crew/passenger information in advance, you may face long delays or your request being rejected. Any passenger changes must be advised at first instance to the handling agent and a new manifest must be sent to the airfield.
Validity of a PPR is normally for your scheduled arrival and departure. PPR revisions may be requested, but approval of short-notice requests is on a case-by-case basis. If a revision is requested outside normal operating hours, it will not be processed. A PPR confirmation number is always given, but this is not a field 18 requirement of the flight plan.
To read more about PPRs, click below
5) Airport Passenger Duty (APD)
UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a self-assessed and self-declared tax levied on the carriage of chargeable passengers on any chargeable aircraft taking off from a UK airport. The amount of APD due is based on the number of chargeable passengers that boarded the aircraft, their destination, and the class of travel.
You can visit the HMRC website to get the applicable fees for your operation.
6) Airport Slots:
Airport slots are needed for most airports near the London area. These airports are London Stansted (EGSS), London Luton (EGGW), London Heathrow (EGLL), London City (EGLC) and London Gatwick (EGKK).
Outside of this region, airport slot requirements are not normally required. Slot requirements are in place to manage airport traffic flow and airport ground capacity as the airports above look after commercial and business aviation aircraft and can be very busy at peak periods.
7) General Aviation Report Form (GAR)
General Aviation pilots, operators and owners of aircraft making Common Travel Area2 and international journeys in some circumstances are required to report their expected journey to the Police and/or the Border Force command of the Home Office. Border Force and the Police request that the report is made using a GAR. The GAR helps Border Force and the Police in securing the UK border and preventing crime and terrorism.
Filing a GAR “General Aviation Report” is mandatory when flying into the United Kingdom and sometimes when departing the United Kingdom. The GAR Form must be sent a number of hours prior to flight in order to inform the relevant authorities.
Note:
Arriving in the UK from:
- Outside the EU (24 hrs)
- Inside the EU except Ireland (4 hrs)
- Ireland (12 hrs)
- Northern Ireland or Isle of Man (12 hrs)
- Channel Islands (12 hrs)
Departing from the UK to
- Outside the EU (24 hrs)
- Inside the EU GAR Form NOT required.
You can find the full details on the requirements for using a UK Customs GAR form on the UK Government website:
Closing Points:
- As with all trips please ensure you have all valid aircraft documents on board in case of any Inspections;
- Ensure all passengers and crew have correct documentation to enter the UK;
- Ensure you have valid airport slots for slot coordinated UK airports and if you are late you should update the slots with your handling agent;
- Ensure a GAR form has been submitted to the relevant authorities;
- If you are planning trips in peak season you should submit parking and slots requests as soon as possible.
Let Us Help You
If you are travelling to the UK and have questions regarding trip planning, call RocketRoute's operations support team 24/7:
N. America: +1 321 473 7423
UK: +44 1273 782130
DE: +49 4161 2063 86
FR: +33 970 448 557
AT: +43 720 883 147
If you are not a RocketRoute User and wish to enjoy benefits of RocketRoute membership, please contact our Sales Team:
We wish you a safe and pleasant trip!