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My wife was thinking of travelling through LTN on her way until we found out that there's apparently no airside transit area in LTN and you need to pass through border control, so even if you catch another flight without ever leaving the airport, you need a transit visa (if you're not a EU citizen or some other exception).

It made me wonder - if the airport has no transit area, what will they do with you if you show up without a transit visa? Has anyone had that happen to them? From what I understand about the airport, they'll anyway have to bring you from arrivals to departure if they want to send you away again.

Or is there an airside transit and you just need to exit if you need to check in to your next flight (which these days you can do online if you have no luggage) ?

Tom
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2 Answers2

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Without the right credentials to enter the UK, the airline will not permit your wife to board the flight. She'll not even fly to Luton, but will instead be turned away at the airline counter in the departure airport.

Airlines are very careful to examine traveler's documents before a boarding pass is issued. That's because airlines are required to return passengers to their point of departure at the airline's expense if the passenger is refused entry into the destination country because they lack the required passport nationality, or visa or visa waiver.

DavidRecallsMonica
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There is no transit area at Luton airport. That said, she doesn't need a visa.

Per the current rules, 48 hours before the scheduled flight arrival, she is to register HERE and print the form to present at the border if requested.

Other than that, she only needs her passport, Austrian residence permit and connecting boarding pass. She'll be admitted to the UK until 23:59 the next day.

Crazydre
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