Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov. Children do require their own passports when visiting London.

Visas

Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa require a passport to enter the United Kingdom, but not a visa. Irish citizens and citizens of European Union countries need only an identity card. The maximum stay for non-European Union visitors is 6 months. Some Customs officials request proof that you have the means to leave the country (usually a round-trip ticket) and, if you don't have a return ticket, means of support while you're in Britain (someone in the U.K. will have to vouch that they are supporting you, or you may be asked to show documents that indicate that you have an income). If you're planning to fly on from the United Kingdom to a country that requires a visa, it's wise to secure the visa before you leave home.

Customs

What You Can Bring into London --
Non-E.U. Nationals 18 and Older: You can bring in, duty-free, 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco. The amount allowed for each of these goods is doubled if you live outside Europe.

You can also bring in 2 liters of wine and either 1 liter of alcohol over 22% or 2 liters of wine under 22%. In addition, you can bring in 2 ounces of perfume and a quarter liter of eau de toilette. Visitors 15 and over may also bring in other goods totaling £145 ($276); the allowance for those 14 and under is £73 ($139). (Customs officials tend to be lenient about general merchandise, realizing the limits are unrealistically low.)

You can't bring your pet straight to England. Six months' quarantine is required before it is allowed in. An illegally imported animal may be destroyed.

E.U. Citizens: Visitors from fellow European Union countries can bring into Britain any amount of goods, as long as the goods are intended for their personal use -- not for resale.

The current policy for bringing pets into the U.K. from the E.U. is under review. Right now, animals or pets of any kind are forbidden from entering without a long quarantine period.

What You Can Bring Home from London --
U.S. Citizens: For specifics on what you can bring back and the corresponding fees, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," and then click on "Know Before You Go.") Or contact U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) and request the pamphlet.

Canadian Citizens: For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens: For information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

Australian Citizens: A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

New Zealand Citizens: Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).