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My wife is an Azeri national and we will arrive in Gatwick and have to claim baggage and change terminals. When I booked the flight turkish airlines flew to North terminal but have since changed to South. My connecting flight is with BA from North terminal.

I am a British citizen. We are due to transit Gatwick on Tuesday leaving no time for visa applications. I wasn't aware the Turkish had changed terminals until last Thursday when I flew back to Istanbul from Gatwick.

Is there any way that border control will let us through?

Our connecting flight is 3 hours after arrival at gatwick

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  • If you live in the UK she should consider obtaining an EEA Family permit which, if she had one today, would eliminate the problem.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Apr 13, 2015 at 22:55

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The inter-terminal shuttle at Gatwick is airside, and will take you to the other terminal without clearing border control. The shuttle takes about two minutes and will add nothing significant to your transit time. So the change of terminals makes no difference.

However you say you have to collect bags. I presume from this that you bags are not checked through to your final destination. According to Gatwick this means you will have to clear border control. This means your wife cannot automatically make transit without visa - and this would have been true even if you hadn't had to change terminals (link above). There are circumstances under which she can make a transit without visa, even if she has to clear customs - see this page (Although be aware that the details of the regulations may have changed)

If you do not have to collect your bags and clear border control then you will be fine. If you have to collect bags and clear border control she may need a visa. The change of terminal makes no difference.

Follow the links at this question to find out about visa requirements.

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    Perhaps as a workaround the wife can take the shuttle directly to the other terminal, and the husband can claim the baggage and clear customs? It may also be worth inquiring whether it is possible to check the baggage through - even if your flights are on separate tickets on separate airlines, sometimes airlines have "interlining agreements" which makes this possible.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Apr 13, 2015 at 4:31
  • The main peoplemover between the terminals is definitely landside of everything -- I've used it -- and the linked page does not appear to say there is an additional airside shuttle. (The only mention of a shuttle I can find is under the "International flights connecting to the UK and Ireland" heading, where it is not much of a problem that it is landside).
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Commented Nov 9, 2018 at 14:10
  • here they say shuttle between terminals requires border control clearance. Who is correct from you?
    – Suncatcher
    Commented Jun 8, 2020 at 15:01

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