Policing and Crime Act 2009

98 General information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the UK

(1) After section 157 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (c. 2) (general powers: bonds and security) insert—

“157A General information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the United Kingdom

(1) The proper officer of Revenue and Customs may require any person entering or leaving the United Kingdom—

(a) to produce the person’s passport or travel documents for examination, or

(b) to answer any questions put by the proper officer of Revenue and Customs about the person’s journey.

(2) In subsection (1) “passport” means—

(a) a United Kingdom passport (within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971),

(b) a passport issued by or on behalf of the authorities of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, or by or on behalf of an international organisation, or

(c) a document that can be used (in some or all circumstances) instead of a passport.

(3) Subsections (1) and (2) apply in relation to a transit air passenger arriving at the passenger’s final destination in the United Kingdom as they apply in relation to a person entering the United Kingdom.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3) a transit air passenger is a person—

(a) who has arrived by air in the United Kingdom; and

(b) whose journey is continued or resumed by air to a destination in the United Kingdom which is not the place where the person is regarded for the purposes of this section as entering the United Kingdom;

and the passenger’s final destination is the destination of the continued or resumed journey.”

(2) In section 4(3) of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 (c. 48) (non-application of enforcement powers in the Act of 1979 to certain movements between member States), after paragraph (g), insert—

“(ga) section 157A (general information powers in relation to persons entering or leaving the United Kingdom)”.