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I've recently been refused entry at Heathrow Airport and was detained for 6 hours with some interviews before they decided to put me on the next immediate direct flight back home. I wrote that I was going to stay for 5 months and that I did not have a return ticket. At the same time, I lost all my money & card in Germany just days before I flew over so I didn't have much money on with me at the border. (A replacement card was on its way to where I was going to stay, with a friend) In my passport it just shows a Heathrow stamp with a straight cross over it. I was told that I wasn't banned or anything, its just that my circumstances this time round was not right for entry. This disrupted my 1 year Europe travel plan, I was already 3 months into it in western Europe before this shit happened. Btw I was actually there in the UK for a week when I started my travel. They didn't ask me to pay for the flight back home or anything, they just handed my a boarding pass and got an officer to escort me to the gate.

My question is, I would like to go back to UK asap and continue my backpacking trip (this time round a friend will travel with me in UK). Will they have any reason to refuse me if I get an onwards ticket out after 2 weeks, proof of bank statement & hostel's reservation with me this time round? My passport doesn't need a visa and I know while its good to apply for a tourist visa this time round, ultimately the decision still lies with the immigration officer so I don't see a point in applying for a visa.

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    Back in 1998 I was kinda kicked out of the UK due to problems in my school, let's call it a "soft deporting", then I visited UK again in 2004 and I had no problem whats so ever... Mar 11, 2014 at 22:06
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    Definitely, ask the consulate, explain what happened back then and your situation right now. Despite the visa waiver program, you might need to apply for a visa. Mar 11, 2014 at 22:36
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    See also travel.stackexchange.com/questions/50059/…
    – Gayot Fow
    Aug 16, 2015 at 22:49
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    @QuoraFeans: WARNING! I once went to "ask the consulate" of the US in Canada to clarify details after voluntary removal from the US. The consulate personnel took my passport and added black marks to a page at the back and told me I was trying to sneak back in to the US. They did not listen to what my actual question was but worsened my immigration record. Do not just wander into a consulate for a friendly chat about such matters - you risk nasty negative consequences that cannot be foreseen. Get SOLID advice FIRST. Aug 17, 2015 at 6:19
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    @hippietrail: yes, getting legal advise is always a good idea for any important legal issue. However, I would not warn in general to contact consulates relating such matters. He could also ask per email what it means. And I can only repeat myself about applying for a visa for the next time, even if people like him are exempt of visa. Aug 17, 2015 at 16:06

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You have summarized the situation quite well in your last sentence.

If you have been denied entry to the UK, the UK authorities recommend that you apply for a tourist visa in advance, even if you usually don't need a visa to visit the UK as a tourist. However, even if a tourist visa is issued, the final decision if you are let into the country lies with the UKBA entry clearance officer.

The canceled entry stamp in your passport is likely to cause the clearance officer to check you more thoroughly than other passengers. Getting a new passport (without any canceled stamps) probably won't solve the problem, as the UK Border Agency anyway has your denied entry on file. No matter what documentation your bring (financial support, lodging reservations and onward/return tickets), the officer still may make a very subjective decision and claim that his impression is that you are intending to violate the visa conditions. You have no right to object this decision on-site.

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