NationStates Jolt Archive

For people who are from overseas, and not citizens or legal residents?

Here in the US, we now have the US Visit program, which a lot of people say is a pain in the ass, or overly intrusive.

Yes, we look at your passport, and run a computer background check.

The usual questions (that I've seen in every country I've visited).

And the new thing - we log your entry in a computer, along with your fingerprint.

And, we have a copy of your photo in the database, if you came in on a visa.

When I went to the UK, I was surprised that there is no computer check at all. At the arrivals area, there are little booths (the one I went to had no computer - the man had a clipboard and a pen) where you're asked the standard questions, and the guy stamps your passport (I required no entry visa, and merely told him I would be working for three months in the UK). Done.

Apparently the British don't check anyone at all.

The head of Interpol, Ronald Noble, accused the authorities of failing to check visitors to Britain against their database of 11,000 suspected terrorists.

Well, how is the guy at the booth going to check anything without a computer?

Do they check these things in your home country?

I don't know. I've never come here as a citizen of another country, or as someone born elsewhere.

However, most countries I've travelled to (outside the EU) required you to fill in a wee form on the plane. It was checked in Immigration/arrivals, your passport ID page was scanned, they stamped it, and on you went.

That applied for Romania, Brazil, Argentina, USA, and Canada.

All that I really remember about Germany was having MP5's pointed at me on the way in and on the way out.

I don't know. I've never come here as a citizen of another country, or as someone born elsewhere.

However, most countries I've travelled to (outside the EU) required you to fill in a wee form on the plane. It was checked in Immigration/arrivals, your passport ID page was scanned, they stamped it, and on you went.

That applied for Romania, Brazil, Argentina, USA, and Canada.

They didn't scan shit at Heathrow when I went there. There was a wee form where I put my home address by hand, and that's about it.

They didn't scan shit at Heathrow when I went there. There was a wee form where I put my home address by hand, and that's about it.

Well, like I said, I don't know about the UK...

I also don't know about any other EU country, I always go through the "EU Citizens" doorway, a quick glance at your passport (sometimes, and even then just to make sure you are an EU citizen...no scanning, no details taken, nothing like that) and on you go.

Well, like I said, I don't know about the UK...

I also don't know about any other EU country, I always go through the "EU Citizens" doorway, a quick glance at your passport (sometimes, and even then just to make sure you are an EU citizen...no scanning, no details taken, nothing like that) and on you go.Yeah, if you've been aboard a plane they just assume that you're alright since you've been checked at the other end. I can't remember actually having to ever show my passport upon arrival, only when entering the boarding area. In Denmark we've got airport police waiting at the arrival area ready to check on people that seem suspicious, though I doubt any caucasian looking person will have to go through any more than you had to in the UK. The police just want to prevent prostitutes from coming to Denmark....

<snip>You have an American passport and you've just come a off a plane that's come from the States. That makes things a LOT easier at passport control.

If you'd flown in from Armenia with an Uzbek passport then things would have been a bit more exhaustive.

edit: and of course you didn't require a visa. The UK and the USA have a two-way treaty to cover this.

We run a reciprocal policy. This basically means that if your country makes us go through the Spanish inquisition to be able to enter then we do the same to your citizens visiting us.

Surprising how much the US citizens objected to having their fingerprints taken and being made to stand in queues while we triple checked their details - watching the Brits just flow past without the slightest problem.

We run a reciprocal policy. This basically means that if your country makes us go through the Spanish inquisition to be able to enter then we do the same to your citizens visiting us.

Surprising how much the US citizens objected to having their fingerprints taken and being made to stand in queues while we triple checked their details - watching the Brits just flow past without the slightest problem.
I remember a news article about that, US citizens were more than just a bit upset and yet seemed to not care that visitors to the US were subjected to the same.

For Japan: You arrive at Narita, you proceed to melt or freeze in immigration because no one has thought to either cool or heat that room. You hand your passport to the unsmiling person in his booth along with the entry card you filled out on the plane. He scans the barcode through the computer, asks you your name, and stamps in the landing permission.

It's pretty quick.

Japan is thinking of doing fingerprinting, but there's an uproar right now about that so the government is backing off.

Oh, an Remote Observer, EVERYONE coming into the US, visa or no, is photographed (Excepting some Canadians and those on Diplomatic/NATO visas). The only people who are not are greencard holders and US citizens.

I don't know. Going to Spain and England it was:
Get off plane
Show passport
Collect baggage
Leave airport

But I never actually organised any of those holidays, so if there was something more to be done before entering the country I'm unaware of it.

well in the UK we don't really care about terrorism :)

I remember visiting the US in 2003-ish they had those queue border things where its goes like a maze, stood there for about an hour waiting to get round:mad:

The police just want to prevent prostitutes from coming to Denmark....

How do they tell?

:eek:

Yeah, if you've been aboard a plane they just assume that you're alright since you've been checked at the other end.

As a US Citiizen, I made quite a few trips to Israel before and after 9/11. I remember vividly the security procedures at Tel Aviv for departure. Each individual was assigned to a security officer who went through a detailed dialogue about your time in Israel, who you saw, where you went, and especially anything you purchased. Most times, the security officer would have you wait while they left the interview and consulted with various other security specialists elsewhere in the terminals. It was not unusual to have any and all purchases I was taking back be rigorously examined both physically and with remote sensing equipment. It was intrusive, but it's been my only experience where I felt security procedures were actually being done for saftey instead of just window dressing for the masses. And, to my recollection, there were no changes before or after 9/11. I remember thinking that none were necessary. For the Israeli's, security is an inherant part of the culture, not some artifical procedure to be followed.

Britain is all about good old-fashioned honesty - if you're a terrorist and you're entering the country, it's good form to tell the immigration officer otherwise you're a low-down dastardly weasel.

I think it used to be the same for the US - there was a question on the immigration form asking if you were intent on causing acts of terrorism on American soil or somesuch.

Ah for the days when you could leave the doors of your country unlocked while you popped out for a pint of milk.

Apparently the British don't check anyone at all.

Well, how is the guy at the booth going to check anything without a computer?

Do they check these things in your home country?


Not quite. The British don't check people against this particular watchlist. According to the interview I heard on the BBC this morning neither does the USA.

How do they tell?

:eek:Well, they go over to every women and tries to hire her for sex. Any woman that says ok will be send back.:p

Nah, they just look for foreign looking women. Mostly of african descent, then they ask them what they're doing in Denmark. Pretty easy to tell if someone is just making up a story to get away from the police. Might seem a bit racist, but the fact is that alot of women are forced into prositution in Denmark, and alot of them are from Africa. Guess they ask the eastern european looking women as well, they're just a bit harder to distinquish from the rest than african women.

:confused:
I hear the number of "suspect" entries into the US has risen to 3.5 million recently. Ridiculous!

Here in HK, if you're a visitor you have to line up in a massive queue that stretches almost to China, hand your passport over to an unsmiling official behind the counter who slowly checks and rechecks your details and the wee form you had to fill in on the plane (if you haven't filled it in before you get to the counter they send you to the back of the queue). Takes about as long to get through as your average lifespan of a blue giant star.
If you're a resident here, you go to one of up to 5 counters reserved for residents (they open more if there's a queue of 4 or more forming), show them your passport and HKID and are through in about a minute. They now have smart terminals where, if you've had your fingerprint already scanned, walk through those with no need to get your passport stamped.

In NZ, it's the usual story of lining up and getting the once over by the official. The biggest difference is that they're cheerful and smiling the whole time. They happily chat away to you about where you've come from and what your plans are in NZ.
Last time we went, my g/f (who's German) was stopped because she didn't have proof of a return ticket (we'd bought them online so had nothing more than the ticket number). They took us aside while they checked with the airline. After ten minutes waiting they came over and said it was fine - and this was amazing (for anyone who's gone thru Customs anywhere) apologised for holding us (ie for doing their job) and gave us some candy as way of apology.

Where else would that happen?

I don't know. Going to Spain and England it was:
Get off plane
Show passport
Collect baggage
Leave airport

But I never actually organised any of those holidays, so if there was something more to be done before entering the country I'm unaware of it.

Yeah, but you were going from Ireland to those countries as an EU citizen, no?

I've had an easy time when going to EU countries. When I've gone through France, Spain or Germany it was a quick look at my US passport, a stamp and off I went.

Of course, going to Canada I just show my Michigan driver's license and say I'm going to the mall or something like that. The real bitch is coming back to the US because the border guards seem to think that going to Canada could turn you into a terrorist or something, when all I really wanted was to have some poutine for lunch and get back to class.

For people who are from overseas, and not citizens or legal residents?

Here in the US, we now have the US Visit program, which a lot of people say is a pain in the ass, or overly intrusive.

Yes, we look at your passport, and run a computer background check.

The usual questions (that I've seen in every country I've visited).

And the new thing - we log your entry in a computer, along with your fingerprint.

And, we have a copy of your photo in the database, if you came in on a visa.

When I went to the UK, I was surprised that there is no computer check at all. At the arrivals area, there are little booths (the one I went to had no computer - the man had a clipboard and a pen) where you're asked the standard questions, and the guy stamps your passport (I required no entry visa, and merely told him I would be working for three months in the UK). Done.

Apparently the British don't check anyone at all.



Well, how is the guy at the booth going to check anything without a computer?

Do they check these things in your home country?

Well only a few countries do check against Interpol, fewer than 20

Er we have been dealing with various terrorists in the UK for about 40 years, the vast majority have / had British citizenship.

If you flew from Belfast to London in 1975 you would have seem more security.

As for visible security measures

Australia - a few questions and being told off for not staying long enough!
Germany - long, long stare from the security guard, he seemed to think it odd that a woman may colour her hair.
Germany the second time - not much security at the airport but i had to carry my passport and pass at all times in my accommodation - I was staying on an RAF base - but also got access to US airbase
London - Manchester - photograph taken
Argentina to Uruguay - the Uruguay security was actually in Argentina, the two security people shared a desk and stamped your passport one after the other.
Ecuador - stopped for 5 mins because the lady on security couldn't find Inglesi / UK / England etc on her computer - eventually we established it was renas uni - or something
Mauritius - piece of paper
Argentina to Chile - searched all hand luggage and confiscated liquid - but that was August last year.
Indonesia - a piece of paper
Singapore - 'how long do you want to stay?' then they stamped my passport for a year


One thing to ponder - i pass through airports in a wheelchair. And I still have to go through the metal detector, which obviously goes off. And then they do a pat down.

I don't object to this, but I do wonder why they insist on the walk through / wheel through metal detector? I'm sitting in a metal chair of course it's going to beep.:headbang: