Uk residency card inadmissible passenger forced to pay for hotel qurantine

zonnard

I write on behalf of my friend. bit long but I hope someone can help, hope is all we have.

Currently, she is forced to take 10 days quarantine inside the hotel in Heathrow starting today, despite having 2 covid vaccines. With her 2 children, 1 of which is under 5.

She is married to an EEA family member and received a while ago her permanent EU settlement status for the UK. she has a UK residency card, her native passport(non-EU), and has access to the EU settlement digital portal that she  can use to prove her status. from gov. the UK


what happened:
She went from Stansted -to Istanbul transit then should go -to Ankara final stop.  When she arrived in Istanbul the Turkish border police refusing her to continue the journey. and marked her as INAD inadmissible passenger, cancelled Ankara flight booked a ticket back to the UK for the next morning and end of the holiday. 

She has been refused entry in turkey because her UK residency card with a chip was showing as 2020 exp. 
In the UK Stansted airport, all they did, was to scan the residency card(with 2020 exp), check the passport, scan, and it worked fine, in turkey, they don't ?????

She tried to explain to him that the card is linked with her EU settlement which she has already been approved for as mentioned if they scan the card it should confirm it. Border police replied by saying ...your residency card is expired, it shows 2020, you should go back to the embassy and ask for a new visa, I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU that the UK will take you back with this residency card. that's what he told her......(which is what she had already done, duh? the e-visa she has right now, she got it with her residency card that's showing 2020 and passport that is valid, like what does he mean???? redo what she did?

Completly devastated, the UK immigration officer came on the plane to get her, checked the papers, and said literally, they SHOULD HAVE NOT sent you back, you had the right to be there, your documents are good in the system, sorry all you went through.


The plan was to come back when turkey is on the Green list to avoid any isolation in hotels, but because of the false INAD she incurs a lot more cost to pay, she refused to pay and said she wants to sue
She also has the double vaccine, like what's the point of vaccines if you isolate always????

I should add that the airline refunded 1/4  of the cost of the travel.


She wants to seek compensation, pegasus rejected the blame saying it has to do with the border police, the Turkish embassy provided a contact number to deal with such problems. But really what's her chance to get some sort of compensation, after-all she managed to go back inside the  UK without any issues having the same paperwork.

Westin

Your friend - or your wife? You mention both.

What passport does the friend/wife actually hold and she tried to enter Turkey on?  Did she check that travel on that passport was currently permitted by the Turkish authorities?

zonnard

yes, my friend -cough cough-  has a non-EEA passport (African), it's permitted to enter turkey and has over 6 months validity date, there is no issue with the passport.
 
they said her residency card had an expiry date of 2020. Which doesn't matter, she holds a biometric uk residency permit that they  can scan and check i read and been told its linked to her online status to enter the uk

A Biometric Residence Permit includes various items of information, such as:

• Personal details including name, date of birth and place of birth
• Biometric information including fingerprints and photograph
• Immigration status and any conditions/restrictions of stay 

sheramber

travel after Brexit is different to travel before Brexit.

new rules apply.


from  https://www.gov.uk/uk-residence-card

Your UK residence card is no longer valid to show your right to live in the UK.

If you have settled or pre-settled status

You can continue to use your residence card until it expires. You do not need to apply for a new one.

Until it expires, you can use it to:

• help you re-enter the country more quickly and easily if you travel abroad
• show employers you’re allowed to work in the UK
• help prove you qualify for certain benefits and services

It doesn't say you can use it for entry to another country.


It would be silly for her to travel again until she sorts out what documents she needs to enter Turkey.

From what I have read she needs a new biometric card which is valid for 10 years. She should receive it in 5-10 days 

 What UK Border Force accept is not  relevant to what Turkey's Border Force accept.

Neruda

1. I doubt whether Turkish immigration officials are able to scan a UK residency card: they would not have access to the relevant computer systems.

2. Since she did not actually enter Turkey one can argue that hotel quarantine is not required.

3. I am astonished that Pegasus refunded her air fare: the airline had done nothing wrong.

alanrowell

Neruda said:

1. I doubt whether Turkish immigration officials are able to scan a UK residency card: they would not have access to the relevant computer systems.

2. Since she did not actually enter Turkey one can argue that hotel quarantine is not required.

3. I am astonished that Pegasus refunded her air fare: the airline had done nothing wrong.

She was on a flight from Turkey, with people from Turkey, therefore she has to quarantine

Westin

I am not sure how her U.K. residency card is relevant for her entry into Turkey.

Entry would surely be down to the acceptance of the (African?) passport and current conditions of entry for her nationality - plus the Turkish Immigration officer being satisfied with the reason of her visit and validity of stay 

sheramber

Neruda said:

1. I doubt whether Turkish immigration officials are able to scan a UK residency card: they would not have access to the relevant computer systems.

2. Since she did not actually enter Turkey one can argue that hotel quarantine is not required.

3. I am astonished that Pegasus refunded her air fare: the airline had done nothing wrong.

 1 Why should  they have to  scan anything. the residency card showed as out of date. I don't think it is up to Turkish officials to pursue it further. 

 2 Probably because they are required to make sure a traveler has the correct paperwork for entry to a country.

Sandtree

The story doesn't hang together, her status in the UK has nothing to do with their ability to enter Turkey. Similarly a UK immigration officer is going to have no training by the turkish government on knowing their immigration laws or practices.

Whatever the real reason for them refusing her entry she has come back to the UK from a Red country and so has to stay in the hotel. These are the risks of travelling in the days of covid and against FCO advice.

eDicky

Are you trying to obtain compensation from Pegasus, Turkish border authorities, or elsewhere..?

On what basis did Pegasus refund 'travel costs'..? Was it for mistakenly allowing her to board the outward flight without valid documentation to enter Turkey..?

There are too many inconsistencies in your story, and you haven't clarified any, to comment in a meaningful way.

zonnard

Neruda said:

1. I doubt whether Turkish immigration officials are able to scan a UK residency card: they would not have access to the relevant computer systems.

2. Since she did not actually enter Turkey one can argue that hotel quarantine is not required.

3. I am astonished that Pegasus refunded her air fare: the airline had done nothing wrong.

 Quick update, pegasus have refused the complete refund, they will refund about 1/4 of the full price, but I want to ask for a refund of the return ticket at least as it's not due yet until september.

Westin said:

I am not sure how her U.K. residency card is relevant for her entry into Turkey.

Entry would surely be down to the acceptance of the (African?) passport and current conditions of entry for her nationality - plus the Turkish Immigration officer being satisfied with the reason of her visit and validity of stay 

Exactly, the passport was in order, valid ..and she had an E-Visa on her phone but did not print it out. residency card is just for UK reentry.

sheramber said:

Neruda said:

1. I doubt whether Turkish immigration officials are able to scan a UK residency card: they would not have access to the relevant computer systems.

2. Since she did not actually enter Turkey one can argue that hotel quarantine is not required.

3. I am astonished that Pegasus refunded her air fare: the airline had done nothing wrong.

 1 Why should  they have to  scan anything. the residency card showed as out of date. I don't think it is up to Turkish officials to pursue it further. 

 2 Probably because they are required to make sure a traveler has the correct paperwork for entry to a country.

Didn't think of that tbh, I just thought that it's a biometric RDC , and hers is still on the way, not sure why her's takes so long to come through the post.

 
Im trying to figure out if they can access it or not. They have their own biometric passport, so i doubt that they don't have the right technology. 

"the residency card showed as out of date. I don't think it is up to Turkish officials to pursue it further. "

correct but she told them that it stores all information digitally, and explained that she only needs her passport and e-visa, she can prove her status if you scan it. 
He then refused to scan and issued a ban. 

Sandtree said:

The story doesn't hang together, her status in the UK has nothing to do with their ability to enter Turkey. Similarly a UK immigration officer is going to have no training by the turkish government on knowing their immigration laws or practices.

Whatever the real reason for them refusing her entry she has come back to the UK from a Red country and so has to stay in the hotel. These are the risks of travelling in the days of covid and against FCO advice.

Well it's not a story it's a bad experience. 
I understand but her e-visa stipulates that we have to have a valid residency permit I double-checked yesterday.

found this
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/turkey-tourist-visa-electronic-print-rules-boarding-deny-a8885646.html
 
the border officer refused to look at her phone e-visa too thats why i post it

eDicky said:

Are you trying to obtain compensation from Pegasus, Turkish border authorities, or elsewhere..?

On what basis did Pegasus refund 'travel costs'..? Was it for mistakenly allowing her to board the outward flight without valid documentation to enter Turkey..?

There are too many inconsistencies in your story, and you haven't clarified any, to comment in a meaningful way.

trying to obtain compensation or same amount as the ticket cost from Turkish border authorities and chargeback for hotel cost, and trying to get return ticket refunded as a minimum by the airline.

The airline is not at fault I think. They let her in because the papers were all fine, passport and e-visa . Its bcs of the border authorities that all this went sideways refusing to check digital, online form

what other inconsitency?