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  • FAQ

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    I live in the UK and am trying to travel home. The airline is refusing to allow me to board my flight. What can I do?

    In the immediate term:

     

    • Firstly, make sure that the passport or national identity card you are presenting to the carrier is linked to your eVisa. See our FAQ “I’ve renewed my passport. Do I really need to keep my UKVI account / eVisa updated? What happens if I don’t link a new passport or national identity document to my digital status?”  If you had forgotten to do it before, do it now, while you are at the airport. The change should take effect really quickly (unless you have changed details such as your name).

      Note, we have been made aware of some cases where status holders had correctly linked their document, but nevertheless the carrier could not see their eVisa from the document, due to Home Office data-synchronisation issues. If this happens to you, we encourage you to submit a report or complaint to the Home Office, asking for an “ex-gratia payment” if you suffered loss. Please also report to us. It would be useful if the Home Office provided a simple tool to check if the carrier will be able to see someone’s eVisa, similar to the ETA checking tool.
       
    • Ask the carrier to contact the UK’s Carrier Support Hub. Point them to this website www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-visa-requirements-list-for-carriers which mentions the “UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub”, stating: “Carriers and operators can seek advice about a passenger’s permission to travel by calling the UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub. Carrier Support Hub lines are for use by carriers and operators only.”
       
    • If you have a share code (make sure you generate a share code for 'something else' rather than right to work or right to rent), try to persuade them to log into this website https://www.gov.uk/check-immigration-status to see your immigration status.
       
    • If the carrier won’t engage with a share code, offer to log in to View & Prove yourself (if you are able to get online) to show them your status.

     

    Other things to consider:

     

    • Firstly, make sure you keep a careful record of what happened, and keep receipts of all your expenses (replacement flights, extra food, accommodation costs etc) in case you can later make a claim for compensation.
       
    • Try to travel using a different carrier, because another carrier might be more willing to contact the UKVI’s Carrier Support Hub or engage with your share code (if you have one).
       
    • Use your airline’s complaints process, requesting compensation. Escalate to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) if necessary).  See this denied boarding guidance from the CAA for more information.
       
    • However, you need to be aware that there is an important difference between ‘denial of boarding’ and ‘refusal to transport’. 
      • Denial of boarding is when the airline accepts you have the right to travel but they deny you boarding for overbooking reasons for example. There are passenger regulations in place that determine compensation and reimbursement of replacement flights etc.
      • Refusal to transport on the other hand is where the airline rejects you have a right to travel. This can be for safety, security, health reasons, but also if they think you have invalid travel documents. If you are refused boarding when you have a valid eVisa, correctly linked to your passport (or national identity card), and the carrier refuses to let you board because they say they can’t see your eVisa, then they will try to deny you any of the compensation that goes with denial of boarding because they will say that you did not have valid travel documents.  When complaining therefore, you need to emphasise that you were wrongly refused transport, because you did have valid travel documents.

        It is worth searching online for the airline's "Tariff" document, this contains the airline's detailed Terms & Conditions, including a section about Refusal To Transport. 
    • Submit a complaint to the Home Office by using the website Complain about UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) - GOV.UK - make sure you ask for an ex-gratia payment in respect of any loss and distress caused.
       
    • Write to your MP to tell them about what happened to you. It is essential that MPs find out how the eVisa system is affecting their constituents. Remember that MPs represent everyone who lives in their constituency, whether they have the right to vote or not.
       
    • If your immigration status is not under the EUSS:
    • If your status is under the EUSS:

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