Travel to UK

[tone]

Hi everyone I'm just trying to figure out Rinas travel money.
She has no credit cards of her own, for the travel to uk via Amsterdam how much money should she have and what currency?

I'm now planning to pick her up from BHX on Friday night assuming I can book her ticket Thursday morning when she finishes at CFO.

with regards to documents is there anything else she should travel with?

I'm guessing the following-

Passport with visa
Fees for travel tax 1620 php and 750 terminal fee
Chest X-rays for arrival in the uk.

What else should she travel with on her Fiancee visa?

Thanks

Tone

[alanmf1]

Mate,when Lyn came she had about $300us for emergency use etc.
Tell Rina to have some Pictures of the 2 of you in her Hand Bag.
I also wrote an accompanying letter for UK immigration

Good luck

[stevewool]

make sure she has enough for drinks and food just in case also if you have someones mobile number to give her just in case you are delayed or something too, also take lots of cash for the parking ticket at bhx, the rob dogs

[grahamw48]

Lots of shoes.

It will save you a fortune if she brings them with her.

[stevewool]

Lots of shoes.

It will save you a fortune if she brings them with her.

too right , Emma buys just because they look good never mind if they fit right

[tone]

Hi Maria thanks for the long explanation, just what I needed

Rina already has her chest x-rays so that shouldn't delay her plus she is coming into Birmingham.

Do I need anything for immigration at Manila? Any letters or data, cos it's them I'm more worried about.

Should I have an additional letter for both immigration (Manila & BHX)?

Guys really thank you for the tips, I think her carrying US$ may be a good idea but she has a visa/debit/cash card (forgot to mention that) I gave her to use whilst I was there.

Will her globe sim card work in Netherlands/uk? Just wondering if I will be able to SMS her...

Thanks!!!

Tone

[Maria B]

Hi everyone I'm just trying to figure out Rinas travel money.
She has no credit cards of her own, for the travel to uk via Amsterdam how much money should she have and what currency?

I'm now planning to pick her up from BHX on Friday night assuming I can book her ticket Thursday morning when she finishes at CFO.

with regards to documents is there anything else she should travel with?

I'm guessing the following-

Passport with visa
Fees for travel tax 1620 php and 750 terminal fee
Chest X-rays for arrival in the uk.

What else should she travel with on her Fiancee visa?

Thanks

Tone

Hi tone,

I know the feeling of excitement but just enough drinks will do because long hours flight like 18 hrs???eekkkk ladies doesnt want to eat & just wanted to be with their loved ones right away lols. The flight time easily make the ladies put off to food plus the jet lag we're havin. I don't remember how much money I've got but as far as I remembered, I don't need anything to drink/or eat in my stop overs. That was thru Malaysian Airlines...Cebu to Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia then 1 hr stop over, enough to go to other terminal for check in to Heathrow, London & that's it. In-flingh meals & overflowing drinks made me bloated . (In-flight music & movies will keep her bz) I didn't touch any of my cash only at the Mactan Cebu Int'l. Airport to pay for travel tax + terminal fee. Then when I arrive heathrow, I went straight to UK border immig & was asked to go to this room for chest x-rays w/o fee.

Unforgetable questions are..."are you traveling alone?" & "where is your fiancee/ husband right now?". If rina will say, he's waiting outside for me, they will stamp the visa right away & will send her for chest x-ray within the airport so don't worry if she will be delayed coming out to meet u outside the airport.

Just in case but it's better to be compose all the time rather than unprepared....just have a photo of both of u together, have ur contact details handy w/ her coz they will ask that from her, some cases even phone the fiancee/ hubby, if u are waiting for her at the airport the better, she will be asked your first meeting, more about your relationship being together. Bonus: Pinay understand & speak english so the uk border agency will be happy to assist her.

Relax, Chill. Rina will be fine.
Oh I'm so happy for both of u.
All the best

p.s. (by the way before arrival, flight attendants will distribute an embarkation card for her to sign while in-flight, saving her time to fill in & queuing at the birmingham airport )

[grahamw48]

Good point.

Take a pen to fill out the embarkation card.

I'm always envious of little Filipinas on planes, because they can cuddle up so comfortably in the seat when they want to sleep.

[Maria B]

Good point.

I'm always envious of little Filipinas on planes, because they can cuddle up so comfortably in the seat when they want to sleep.

same problem with my hubby. he hardly stretch his long legs to sleep & envy me

[Arthur Little]

he hardly stretch his long legs to sleep ...

... that's always been MY problem on looo~ng-haul flights!!

[Maria B]

anytime.
if u think those papers are needed & makes u happy, go for it. the more papers u have the better as they will ask some papers from time to time. I even got a folder but they didn't ask anything but yours is different coz it's a fiancee case.If it makes u comfortable that she had your debit card/ etc. it's up to you. But I guess a cuppa will do for her if she waits long hrs in her stop over.

She may ask the globelines staff if it works. I was using smart sim card before but was not working. Try to buy her a simpack like ex. vodafone/ 02 sim that works to a tri-band phone or iphone or black berry. Send the sim to her if it works so that u may phone her from time to time. or buy lyca sim one for u & one for her. text will do free. http://www.lycamobile.co.uk/index.aspx?lang=en think she can get lyca in the phils too. there's no harm in trying & enquiring from the telecom staff about this matter. there might be high tech nowadays that we didnt know

[scott&ligaya]

Wow this Friday.... thats quick.... I assume you are very familiar with Birmingham airport but just in case.. Steve is right the pick up parking area is limited to 15 minutes at £1 then shoots up to £5 for one minute over, so best to use carpark 1 short stay, but even then if you can check up to date arrival times on your blackberry then do not drive on the airport grounds until just about arrival time.. oh and if it happens to be raining take a brolly as unlike most airports short stay one is not connected by a walk way and is good 300 yards to arrivals.

I bet you are still on cloud nine right now...

[tone]

Hi Scott
Ive been waiting 3 months now (I know its not long compared to some) and its felt like 3 years. Yes been to BHX quite a few times but thanks for the efforts to help me there. There's no time to lose!
Ive chosen BHX as its smaller and quicker to get out - but immigration queues can be a bit of a nightmare!


Quick question - if I was to write a letter for Rina to carry for UK Immigration - what should it say?

I was thinking of stating I am her Fiance and I am at BHX arrivals and provide my mobile number should they have any questions?
Is that enough something short and sweet?

I cant believe she is nearly here - yes cloud 9 is the experience but it will be 10 when I get her to myself again

I've just called up to register the marriage - earliest I can "give notice" is Oct 24th!!!
So we wont be married until November - then off to do the FLR (m). That will no doubt yield a bunch of questions!

Cheers

Tone

[scott&ligaya]

well good luck for Friday, even BHX has two arrivals now though so just check which one LOL. So many service pick up drivers now with names on A4 pads etc, BRING A BIG ONE WITH HER NAME hehehehehe and have the camera ready. Your simple letter sounds just right to me.

[grahamw48]

I've landed early hours at Leeds airport before now. Place deserted and not even a customs person in sight.

I was sick as a parrot.

[Arthur Little]

And ... although I managed to get a great seat - on the upper deck - for my second trip with Singapore Airlines (world's best, in my opinion) I still couldn't ...

... but I DID, at least, manage to get up and down to without disturbing anyone!

[tone]

I dont think much sleep will be had when we get home either so she better sleep on the flight eheheheheh..

[scott&ligaya]

ah yes of course because she will have jet lag and you will be giving her a loving gentle neck massage

[tone]

ah yes of course because she will have jet lag and you will be giving her a loving gentle neck massage

Haha yes mate iiiin 1!

Ok serious question then...

Her visa is not valid until Tuesday so I'm in a meeting all day in central London so now I'm gonna get her to LHR. The issue is still this damn CFO crap! I really want to get her here Tuesday night because I've managed to Wednesday off work but I have phone line being installed so I need to be at home all day.. So she has to arrive Tuesday night

1.At the PRISM seminar today she was told that now she has the gss certain she can get the CFO stamp straight away. I'm hoping this is true because then she can get the 10.55 KLM flight out.
How long does it take to get this registration and stamp?

2. They told her she should carry money through immigration because sometimes the Manila immigration officer may ask if they have money.
What is that money for? Has anyone else on settlement visa been asked for it?

3. She needs enough money for the travel tax...Apparently the better airlines passengers have to pay more money for travel tax?? Is she being told a porkie... I thought they pay 1620php tax and I pay tax on the flight ticket as part of the ticket price.
confused please help.

Thanks

Tone

[Maria B]

Hi Tone,

CFO seminar will only take a couple of hrs 1-2hrs. Upon payment at CFO she should give them advise that she got a flight ticket so that she will be then prioritise. She will then be given instructions where to go to have her passport stamp (sticker) w/ her CFO certificate on the same day. She will be asked for your contact details address, tel & email add.

Hope it's the same at the Cebu airport & hope somebody from Manila on settlement visa will post about bringing extra money???? I only spent for travel tax & php 500 for airport int'l travel pass & nothing else. No extra money asked.
She may checked from the Manila airport for the updated dep fees.

[grahamw48]

Travel tax is a fixed amount...1620 I believe at present, paid by locals, plus airport departure tax, which I think is about 750 pesos now. ALL departing passengers pay that (like you and me).

It won't do her any harm to carry some extra cash with her though...but only a thousand or two pesos.

[Maria B]

It won't do her any harm to carry some extra cash with her though...but only a thousand or two pesos.

[tone]

They wouldnt give her a stamp she has to go back on Tuesday 16th when visa is valid. stupid assholes...

which leads me to the story of the flight booking....

I used skyscanner to ID the best flight and for a flight leaving on Tuesday it came up with emirates. £570 which a 3 hr stop in Dubai. Lands LHR at 7am.
So I called up and asked what I need to do to book a flight to the UK for my Fiancee who is listed on the Sywards as a family member. Anyway they gave me a price of £573 gave me a booking ref number but because I wasnt travelling she would have to show the physical credit card! So I asked the guy (as a joke) ok what the best and quickest postal service for me to send my credit card after booking the flight...he wasnt so amused
so he explained because of fraud I need to go to an emirates ticket office in person and book the flight, so I asked him if he would cover the costs of this blah blah blah...I was getting pretty annoyed about their rules, because I already had so much to do.
Anyway I agreed I would nip up to BHX (21 mins on a train) so later yesterday I did that - happy to see no queue and gave the ref number and was asked for £991. So in about 4 hours the price had gone up £400.

I was very upset and said I wont pay that much when I was quoted £400 just 4 hours ago. The woman at Emirates ticket desk was pretty crap actually she told me to call the call centre which I did and got through to someone, I explained the issue and he said I cant book a flight for her because the ticket had to be issued in Phils.
Anyway I asked him a simple question so Emirates cannot be used by anyone wishing to bring someone else into the UK for the first time? he couldnt say no but said I was better off talking to KLM if they were easier to deal with. I've flown with emirates 30+ flights over the last 18 months, and I've never had an issue until now.
My phone decided to cut off but the unhelpful girl said there was something happening on the record and essentially in my mind I was think screw it I'll pay (then my other half of brain said NO!) but whatever argument I presented to the call centre he apparently spoke to his manager and they honoured the original price. PHEW.

Sorry for the drawn out story - I had to share it with you just because it was so absurd! I know the price wasnt fixed when I made the booking, but they wouldnt take any form of payment on the phone. So I had to travel 60 miles round trip to make this booking.
They say by paying in person Rina wont be asked for any proof of payment however the damn E-Ticket shows a credit card was used for payment.. I know there is going to be trouble on Tuesday.

Stressful - all worked out in the end...

Sorry for a drawn out story. I hope someone gets something useful from this episode..

Tone

[Terpe]

I recently had some similar issues.
Finally decided to send money to Phils and have the person buy the ticket themselves.
It turned about she got a better deal overall than I could have done from UK.
That was travel from Davao to Manila, then Manila to UK (via HK) with Cathay Pacific.

Try to stay calm Tone. Nearly there

[scott&ligaya]

Hi Tone, they do not makeit easy do they..... anyway you may wish to photocopy both sides of your card and passport ID page and send it to Rina, just in case. I do hope all goes well from here

Scott

[scott&ligaya]

safe journey for Rina tomorrow, take care and keep the stress levels in check Tone

[tone]

Hi Scott thanks mate!
When I wake up in the morning she will be going to the airport.

Just to clarify they told me I had to buy the ticket in the office its termed as a cash sale so she doesnt need my credit card at checkin.

Heres hoping she has all the data she needs to get through immigration!! You just never know what those immigration officers will actually want

Thanks all for your input and efforts for helping me. My mahal will finally be here 7am on wed yipeeee!

[guyki]

Hi Scott thanks mate!
When I wake up in the morning she will be going to the airport.

Just to clarify they told me I had to buy the ticket in the office its termed as a cash sale so she doesnt need my credit card at checkin.

Heres hoping she has all the data she needs to get through immigration!! You just never know what those immigration officers will actually want

Thanks all for your input and efforts for helping me. My mahal will finally be here 7am on wed yipeeee!

Hey Tone wishing your mahal a safe trip and hopefully we'll all meet at the Brum event in Oct

Take care mate

[tone]

Hi guys
Well Rina has cleared immigration and this time tomorrow she will be in the UK - YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Its been a long hard slog but now finally I can relax a little!!

Boy do I need to get drunk, but I'll wait for my Mahal and we'll get blasted together!

Guyki thanks and yes we will certainly head up on that weekend now!

Cheers

Tone

[Terpe]

Happy 'pick-up' at the airport Tone.
Then have a blast ..