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I was in Northern Ireland for about 3 months. I went home for 2 weeks for the holiday but now I’d like to return for another 4 months. I’m originally from USA. I do not have a visa or anything just traveling as a tourist. I’m flying into Scotland. Should I have any issues?

Traveler011
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    No one here can tell you your chances of success, but it seems that you will face some additional scrutiny at the border, since "normal" tourists do not travel for 7 months almost without interruption and spend more time in their destination country than at home. Make sure to have a return ticket and a "reason" to go back to the US (such as a job, studies, ...). – mdd Jan 02 '19 at 21:27
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    @Traveler011 As a US passport holder, you can be admitted to the UK without a visa for up to six months for tourism. But you've just been in Northern Ireland (part of the UK) for three months, and seeking to enter for another 4 months. That's more than six months within a year's time, which looks like you're endeavoring to live in the UK on repeated tourist entries. Thus, I think you won't get the additional four months, and it's possible or likely that without a UK visa you won't be admitted at all. – DavidRecallsMonica Jan 02 '19 at 21:28
  • Welcome to TSE. Please note that Stack Exchange is designed to produce answers that are verifiable, and "how strict" is impossible to know in the general— we can't say "the UK rates at 135.4 standard strictness units." What constitutes leniency is subjective, and no one has complete information about the situation you will face, like what the official checking your documents is picky about, or what his or her superiors have instructed them to step up enforcement on. As others have noted, though, 7 months as an overseas tourist seems suspicious. – choster Jan 03 '19 at 17:14

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As I understand it:

The UK allows "Non-visa nationals" (including US passport holders) to be admitted for up to 6 months at a time for visitor purposes without a Visa. There is no formal rule explicitly limiting the number of visits or their cumulative length.

However there is a rule that visitors must not attempt to live in the UK through frequent or successive visits. There are also the general rules about not working illegally and having enough resources to support yourself and return home. The more time you spend in the UK the more suspicious the border guards are likely to be.

The general legal principle is that visitors entering the country is a privilege not a right. If the border guard suspects you are living in the UK, that you will work illegally, that you have insufficient resources to support yourself, or that you will violate the terms of your admission in some other way they can refuse to admit you.

I don't think anyone will be able to give you a quantitative figure for your chances of success. The statistics on admissions to the UK are simply not granular enough. Yes we know what proportion of US nationals arriving at the border are admitted but we don't know what proportion of US nationals trying to spend a lot of time in the UK and of a given economic status are admitted.

I would be especially wary if you are planning to travel to the same place as last time and/or if you have things that may tie you to the UK (for example a girlfriend there)

If you do decide to attempt this then you should gather as much evidence as possible that you are a legitimate visitor who can afford to make the trip without working in the UK and that you have ties to your home country that are strong enough to bring you back and yet flexible enough that you can afford to make long trips abroad.

Peter Green
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  • I guess when I really think about it, traveling for 7 months out of 12 in the same place is a bit alarming. But there isn’t a concrete law against it, no? I have a return ticket for April. Should I try to book an earlier flight? – Traveler011 Jan 02 '19 at 22:30
  • @Traveler011 limiting your second visit to three months might help, but another significant factor is what you told the border officer when you entered the first time. How long did you say you were planning to visit? – phoog Jan 02 '19 at 22:36
  • You should only book an earlier flight if you actually intend to shorten your trip. Lying or misleading border gaurds is generally not considered a good idea even if it may work in the short term. If they think you are a liar it will be very difficult to get into the UK in future. – Peter Green Jan 02 '19 at 22:36
  • When I entered the first time. I actually entered through Dublin (then got on a bus/air coach to Northern Ireland). This time I am flying to Belfast – Traveler011 Jan 02 '19 at 23:01
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    "But there isn’t a concrete law against it, no?" - there doesn't have to be a law for border control to refuse entry. – AakashM Jan 03 '19 at 10:12
  • @Traveler011, you said in your OP that you're flying to Scotland. But in your comment you said Belfast. Are you entering the UK in Glasgow/Edinburgh, then flying to Belfast? – CSM Jan 03 '19 at 11:47
  • @CSM maybe the connection is in Belfast? Either way UK and Ireland share immigration data and Ireland also issues a huge stamp in your passport on entry. As long as you have enough money for your trip and can convince the IO you are a genuine visitor and will go back home you'll be fine. My partner was in the UK for a few months, went to mainland Europe for a break, got a bit of a grilling from IO back in UK but was given another 6 month stamp. – BritishSam Jan 03 '19 at 12:02