Tier 4 travel: Full legal wording now published, in force from 7am Sunday

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• Kym says:

  23 Dec23 December 17:48

  Can you go abroad to see your child and grandchildren whom you haven’t seen for over 12 months and it is impacting severely on yours and their mental health?

  • Rob says:

    23 Dec23 December 19:40

    No.

    However, you should bear in mind that the fine is only £200 for a first offence. This is a fixed penalty – it is not possible for anything worse to happen.

    • Garet says:

      24 Dec24 December 11:40

      If they fine you for trying to go abroad , can they stop you as well

      • Lol says:

        29 Dec29 December 12:20

        My understanding is that the police can stop you if you are travelling and if they think your reason is not reasonable they can direct you to return home.

    • BEN says:

      30 Dec30 December 20:31

      Is this correct? One of the exemptions is to escape harm or illness, which presumable includes mental illness i.e. depression?

      • Rob says:

        30 Dec30 December 20:51

        The legal document is the legal document. You are free to interpret it your way. A court is free to interpret it in potentially a different way. The court is always correct in these circumstances (pending appeals etc).

• adam says:

  28 Dec28 December 01:43

  so traveling from tier 4 80 miles on a train and bus into another tier 4 for work is totally ok even if you living with mother over 80 high risk

  • Rob says:

    28 Dec28 December 05:38

    It’s legal ….

• Dave says:

  30 Dec30 December 01:42

  So if you are in a tier 4 area, and the reason for international travel is based on work (a job interview over in that country whereby there are no current restrictions of entry there either) would that suffice as a reason valid to be allowed to get on the flight? Or could they tell me to go home because I don’t yet have the work visa in place? BOTTOM LINE QUESTION –> Is there a formal process of requesting permission to fly abroad if you are in a tier 4 area?

  • Rob says:

    30 Dec30 December 05:23

    No formal process. What would happen is that you would get the £200 fine, if caught, and would then appeal it showing proof of why you were travelling (assuming you cannot show it at the time).

    Unlikely anyway as there are no police at Heathrow.

• Angus says:

  30 Dec30 December 18:12

  If you are living in a Tier 3 area (recently tier 3) can you go abroad? If you need to travel through Tier 4 is that also ok?
  Working out whether it’s just advised against or could potentially get a fine.

  • Rob says:

    30 Dec30 December 20:15

    Yes, you can travel if you live in Tier 3 and you are allowed to travel to a Tier 4 airport to do so.

• Adam Courtney says:

  30 Dec30 December 18:17

  At what stage of the airport process could you theoretically be questioned as to a) your reason for travelling and b) whether you live in a tier 4 area?

  Has this actually been happening at all at LHR?

  • Rob says:

    30 Dec30 December 18:49

    No.

    It won’t happen at the airport. Neither BA or the airport care or have any legal liability. Only the police can stop you, and indeed all they can do is issue a £200 fine.

• Ellen says:

  31 Dec31 December 10:20

  Hi I think I know the answer to this, but I have a flight booked to Corfu on 2 Jan to visit my mother (UK national who is resident there). We haven’t seen each other for over 12 months. We have just entered tier 4. Am I permitted to fly under these circumstances? thanks

  • Rob says:

    31 Dec31 December 10:41

    You are permitted to fly, you are not permitted to leave home. You only risk a £200 fine if caught driving to the airport though.

• Kay says:

  31 Dec31 December 11:32

  Hi there. If I’m supposed to be attending a wedding overseas next week, am I permitted to travel? Reading the legal documentation, schedule 3A, part 2, section 6, this seems to suggest that I am permitted to leave home for this reason and this is an allowable exception in tier 4. Have I read this wrong? Thank you.

• Andy Robertson says:

  31 Dec31 December 16:39

  We live in South Africa for part of the year and returned to the UK in December. Our intention was to return to South Africa in January, partly because my wife had a major cancer operation in March and needs to return for a further appointment with the consultant who carried out in the operation. I understand that the offence under Tier 4 is leaving home without good reason. Would returning to South Africa to see the cancer consultant be a reasonable excuse for leaving home?

  • Rob says:

    31 Dec31 December 18:40

    I doubt you give a monkeys about the £200 fine you’d get for being caught in such circumstances.

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