Travel to UK - British Citizen

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Hi

I'm a British citizen who holds a B permit in Switzerland. My UK passport is with the Indian Embassy in Bern getting a visa for India, unfortunately i need to travel to the UK next week.

Can i use my UK driving licence to travel ZRH-BHX airport and return?

Thanks

Kam

2
I do not think you can pass the passport control with a driver's licence.

You might want to risk car travel (use the tunnel) and there the British border police might be easy on u but then u have to travel back to Switzerland rite?? So u might get into Britain but not back to France

3
I don't see any way that you could get through customs without a passport. It would probably need to be treated as if it was lost. See details here

4
Within the Schengen zone you could probably get away with it. I know a friend who lost his British passport and flew from Germany to Spain on his British driving licence. From my own experience flying to another schengen country from Switzerland, I only needed to show photo graphic ID at the gate--none entering the country.

Anyway UK is not part of the Schengen agreement so I really don't know how you'd get away with it as they certainly check for ID entering the country. I would start with contacting the British Embassy in Bern. Otherwise you may have to wait.

Your B permit. Is it one of the new ID cards or the older style paper things? The ID cards look very much like what the UK is about to introduce for for non-Europeans: http://idsmart.direct.gov.uk/about-t...#types-of-card -- maybe more credible entering the country with one of those.

5
From Germany I did manage to return one time with just a photocopy of passport and drivers license.

However the next week german passport control said they would let me out but not to bother coming back from uk without a passport.

I think there are emergency travel documents the embassy can issue for single journeys, maybe worth a try.

6
You need a passport to travel to the UK. No carrier will allow you onto a flight without one.

Depending on how long ago you submitted your passport to the Indian embassy and when you need to travel, you may have it back in time to go. I've typically had my passport back within 3-4 days of submitting it to the Indian embassy for visas, including transit time.

7
No you can't. You need a passport or ID card to enter the UK!

8
Forget the tunnel, ferries or flying - they will all check your passport. Try asking the British Embassy here, or the Passport Agency in the UK. It is possible to move from one country to another without a passport, but it requires official cooperation.

( I saw one of those documentaries about airports, where some British lass had left her passport at home, and the airline managed to get her from the UK to Paris. But there was a sob story behind it ).