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Topic: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?  (Read 3771 times)

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Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« on: February 03, 2009, 09:07:43 PM »
Based on people's experiences how long does it usually take to get through immigration at the Manchester airport? I will be arriving in terminal 2 if that makes a difference.  I noticed that two flights from the US are arriving at the same time to the same terminal so I suspect I might have a bit of a wait. 
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 10:17:57 PM by goods »








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Re: Customs at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2009, 10:13:57 PM »
Do you mean immigration rather than customs (they are two completely separate, unrelated things)?

Customs has nothing to do with immigration or with visas - you go through immigration when you get off the plane, then once you have been let into the country, you collect your luggage from baggage claim and then you go through customs (which is concerned with what items you have brought into the country and whether or not you should have brought them or paid duty tax on them).

Unfortunately, I can't answer your question as I have never flown into Manchester and also I'm a Brit so don't have to worry about immigration, but I just wanted to clarify because I know that often 'immigration' and 'customs' are used interchangeably to mean just immigration, which can sometimes cause confusion :P.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 10:28:30 PM by ksand24 »


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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2009, 10:19:04 PM »
Thanks for the clarification   :)  The post has been changed








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Re: Customs at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2009, 10:19:49 PM »
I flew in there once on a BMI flight from Chicago.  There were about 10 of us non EU type people and they had 2 agents.  The EU line was much longer but went quickly, the rest of us took a really long time.  I think I was second to last and they added a 3rd agent.  I'm not sure if the one agent for our line was picky or had complicated checks to do.  I know they person in front of me was staying for 5 months so he made her get her money and return ticket out.  It might have been just complicated situations like that for everyone.  Anyway, just my one experience.


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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2009, 10:22:36 PM »
Last time I went through the non-EU queue at Manchester Airport in October coming back from the US (Terminal 2 for me as well) it took almost an hour to get through immigration.  The line was very slow due to having two or three flights arriving from the same time (and one of the flights was from the United Arab Emirates, so the vast majority of people on that flight joined the non-EU queue.)  
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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2009, 10:48:57 PM »
My dad came through Manchester in November. They only had 1 immigration officer working for the non-EU line, so it took FOREVER.
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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2009, 11:50:01 PM »
Eck, that is what I was fearing, this is my first time through that airport and having two US flights landing at the same time spells trouble.  Has anyone who was non-EU have a short wait?

Thanks for the responses! 









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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2009, 12:23:50 AM »
Both times I went through Manchester, it was crowded.

First took me a half hour. Second took me an hour, because I was pulled aside and asked questions, since I was staying for four months after visiting for two months before. I had to show pictures, a return ticket home, bank statements and ties to the US to prove I was going back home.

The lady I had was really nice about it though, and we sat at a coffee shop table, since it was 5 am. :)


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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2009, 01:27:37 AM »
my experience through manchester last year was quick, mine was the only US flight to land at that time though, and i found the immigration officials (or mine in particular) to be friendly.


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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2009, 08:35:40 AM »
I flew in in the morning to Manc in August and it was super quick.  Perhaps a 20 minutes wait at most?  We were also the only plane to land at that point if I remember correctly...
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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2009, 09:36:00 AM »
I flew into Manchester in October.  I'd guess that 75% of the passengers were EU and 25% were not.  There were three officers and they processed all of the EU group pretty quickly.  They kept us waiting in line, for every 10 or 20 EU passengers they would call up one of us.  A supervisor told the officer at our end to start getting us through but she ignored him.  They weren't rude or anything, they just saved us for last.   :)
There was a couple with a 4 year old little girl who needed to potty, the mother told her (pointing to the officer) "Tell her, or maybe go sit on her lap."   ;)  


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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2009, 09:54:46 AM »
If anyone flies through manchester airport regularly, sign up for IRIS- you'll save yourself lots of time!
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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2009, 10:26:02 AM »
I live in Manchester so I fly in all the time, I find Immigration to be super quick! We usually get through in minutes, however our flights usually come in at about 7 in the morning. Its the baggage claim that can take a long time. We come in through Terminal 2 all the time, as we travel as a family, we just go through whichever line is shortest, so we usually get through immigration really quickly.

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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2009, 10:00:07 AM »
I went through Manchester a few years ago and didn't think it was all that bad. My flight arrived at the same time as another international flight, so it was busy. I still think I got through faster than 90% of the times I've flown in at Heathrow.
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Re: Immigration at Manchester Airport, fast or slow?
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2009, 03:00:48 PM »
Thank you everyone, in the end the lines went very fast though our plane was only half full so I think that helped.









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