UK Border Agency

**DannyB** · 02-12-13, 14:39

When I'm on the boat I have all the boats papers, but I don't carry my passport, never thought about it. But I'm taking some colleagues from work out for a sail and none of them are UK nationals. If I get boarded by the Borders Agency, am I going to have a problem if I don't have my passport and everybody else on board is obviously foreign?

**maby** · 02-12-13, 14:56

There's no requirement to carry ID, but the UKBA are a bit of a law unto themselves. I guess they use a risk based approach and you need to consider how it will look to an officer inspecting your boat - if they stop a boat full of French and Germans off the coast of Scotland, I guess they will asses the risk of people trafficking as very small, if they stop a boat full of thread-bare Somalis off the south coast, they are likely to spend a lot of time checking on who you all are...

**snowleopard** · 02-12-13, 15:02

I'm guessing you'll have your wallet on you with a photo driving licence. That would be enough.

**maby** · 02-12-13, 15:06

Originally Posted by snowleopard

I'm guessing you'll have your wallet on you with a photo driving licence. That would be enough.

It's his passengers that may be the problem. You can be a perfectly legal British resident but still be trafficking illegals into the country.

**Sandy** · 02-12-13, 15:13

Originally Posted by snowleopard

I'm guessing you'll have your wallet on you with a photo driving licence. That would be enough.

But I still have the old style driving licence!

**maby** · 02-12-13, 15:14

Originally Posted by Camelia

But I still have the old style driving licence!

So do I. Seldom carry it either.

**Talulah** · 02-12-13, 15:19

There is an offence of failing to show your passport when requested to do so by an immigration officer where you have the document in your possession.
There is no offence where the document is not in your possession as we are not legally required to carry ID as per Maby's post above.

**maby** · 02-12-13, 15:41

Originally Posted by Talulah

There is an offence of failing to show your passport when requested to do so by an immigration officer where you have the document in your possession.
There is no offence where the document is not in your possession as we are not legally required to carry ID as per Maby's post above.

I don't think that the existence of an offence is the significant thing here - it's inconvenience. The UKBA patrols may not be ultimately able to charge you with anything for not having ID, but they can reasonably spend a lot of time verifying your identity - do you really want your day out sailing disrupted like that?

**Thistle** · 02-12-13, 15:54

Only, I'd guess, if your colleagues are singularly disreputable-looking (or their host is

)

**DannyB** · 02-12-13, 16:05

For instance, a Russian, a Nigerian, and a French woman and myself a UK national, the only thing I carry is my bus pass, should my passengers have their passports ?