Make sure you carry a letter from him with his address. if it were me i would make a hotel reservation. it all depends on your age. if you are over 35 i doubt you will be hassled. If you are in your 20s I guarantee you will be hassled.
if this is an internet friend you can forget about it.
if you have a job to return to, they look at that too.
edited to add: you were denied entry a few months ago because you didn't have a return ticket? this means you are on the watch list, and in their computers. you will also need 2000 in cash to visit. and they will ask to see it.
here is an article to read
Unprepared international travelers may be sent back
12:26 PM CDT on Saturday, July 11, 2009
By JESSICA MEYERS / The Dallas Morning News
jmeyers@dallasnews.com
Travelers seeking adventure abroad now face hindrances greater than overstuffed backpacks and booked hostels.
In a world marked by economic uncertainty and terrorism concerns, gaining admittance to a foreign country when a visa isn't required is no longer about just having a U.S. passport and a credit card.
COURTNEY PERRY/DMN
Mary Birk hoped to spend two months traveling in Europe, but a border agent in London's Heathrow Airport turned her away.
Three Plano men learned that lesson this month when they were turned away by officials in Ireland. And they have company. Other Americans have found themselves at the discretion of suspicious border agents and their own faulty planning.
"If you're going to go to Europe, you better have an out," said Tom Parsons, the founder of discount travel Web site BestFares.com, who has spent three decades traveling the world. "Have a place to stay. Make a reservation even if you don't mean to stay."
Other precautions, such as buying a round-trip ticket, are essential as unemployment in European countries creeps up and post-Sept. 11 security measures remain intact, he said.
Also Online
Link: U.S. State Department tips on international travel
Link: Startbackpacking.com: Information on visas
And these days, it's also about strategy – a lesson Mary Birk just learned.
Birk quit her job at a hedge fund in Los Angeles and bought a one-way ticket to England last month. The Mansfield native left her belongings in Austin and booked five nights in a London hotel, a jumping-off point for two months in Spain and Italy.
Then she got to Heathrow Airport.
"I thought the whole thing was a joke," said Birk, a 37-year-old certified public accountant who was sent back because she did not have a return ticket or "any definite plans for what you wish to see and do in the United Kingdom," according to a notice handed to her by the U.K. Border Agency.
The border agent also wrote that Birk is "currently unemployed ... and I therefore cannot be satisfied that you have sufficient incentive to return to the United States."
She said the guard refused to look at a bank statement online, a response the Plano men also reported.
"This is the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened to me," said Birk, who said she had traveled through London before and had money in the bank.
U.K. Border Agency officials stood by their decision, pointing out regulations that say visitors must prove they can meet the cost of a return or onward journey. Irish authorities also require that a visitor show "earning capacity and other financial resources" if the immigration officer deems it necessary.
A spokesman for the U.K. agency said the most important criterion is to "satisfy the immigration officer."
The border agent ultimately determines your fate, said Mark Hoyer, an American Express travel consultant based in Houston who has spent 20 years focusing on around-the-world travel.
"I tell people, 'Be sweet, kissy, kissy, kissy. Butter them up,' " he said. "Don't bribe, but be nice as pie."
He considers it too risky to carry a bank statement and recommends dressy clothes and sweet-talking instead.
Volunteer barred
Rachel Rogerson, a 24-year-old from Dallas, thought that she was being polite when she informed the U.K. border guard three weeks ago that she intended to "volunteer and then travel" in Scotland.
She was barred from entry because officials said she needed a visa to do such work. The First Minister later apologized, gave her a private tour of his home and invited her to hobnob with Prince Charles at an upcoming ceremony.
Both cases highlight the fuzzy line between the information travelers are obligated to give and details border guards need to know. It often comes down to semantics.
"If you're an out-of-work dentist, your profession is still dentistry; you don't have to say the part about being unemployed." said Robert Reid, the U.S. travel editor for the Lonely Planet travel guidebooks.
The same goes for the address form, he said, where a half-answer or a possible hotel choice is less eye-attracting than writing nothing.
The process of obtaining a visa can reduce uncertainty at the border.
Applications often require travelers to spell out their plans and financial information in advance. Then there are places such as Cuba and Burma, where actual dishonesty may be the only way to gain entry because of embargos or banned occupations, Reid said.
U.S. is tougher
Visitor refusals may be growing, though they're still quite rare, Reid said.
"You're more likely to be attacked by gophers than be turned back from the U.K.," he said. Still, he advised checking with consulates about new requirements and sticking with an onward or round-trip ticket.
American travelers have it easier than non-natives entering the United States. Foreign travelers who are not required to obtain visas must have a ticket that proves they will leave the country within 90 days.
For Americans such as Birk who have black rejection crosses on their passports, the potential for international travel is less clear.
U.K. officials said a notation of a previous refused entry would not bar her from returning. Spanish Embassy officials said it might raise a few questions but would not interfere with admittance to Spain.
Birk isn't so sure. "I could try this and get grilled and refused again," she said, recalling the previous four-hour session.
She doesn't plan to go back to the U.K., but she also refuses to give up traveling.
This time she's planning a binder of printed documents – and a round-trip ticket.
Tips for travelers
Americans can travel to many foreign countries without a visa, but they are not guaranteed admission. Experts say there are plenty of things travelers can do to avoid problems at the border.
Have a ticket out. One-way plane tickets, in particular, get noticed at immigration. To avoid hassles, consider purchasing a round-trip or onward ticket even if you have to change the reservation later. Printouts showing bus or train tickets out of the country also help.
Know where you're staying. If you don't know yet, keep a possible hotel choice (or even just a city) in mind for immigration forms. Writing something down is better than nothing at all.
Carry extra documents. Especially if your plans are open-ended, it may be a good idea to have documentation such as hotel reservations and a printed bank statement offering proof of funds.
Check your passport. Make sure your passport is valid for another six months. If in doubt about documents, consider asking a consulate for more information.
Clean up. Scraggly travelers are more likely to rouse suspicion.
Be polite. The immigration officer at the point of entry ultimately decides your fate, so proper etiquette is important regardless of how the officer acts. Follow directions and answer questions as plainly as possible. For example: "I am a tourist on holiday."
Theodore Kim and Jessica Meyers
SOURCES: U.S. State Department; Lonely Planet; Bestfares.com; Startbackpacking.com
Answered By: diamondcollector - 10/18/2009 |