Help needed - traveling to the UK

[Rowan Rue]

So next Tuesday I'm traveling back to the UK for my mothers funeral.
Unfortunately, due to the unexpected nature of this event, I do not have up to date passports (I'm a British/American dual national).  Both my passports show some guy with a beard, also my UK passport has expired, so I'll be arriving on my US passport.
Has anyone traveled to the UK on a passport with a photo that looks nothing like them?  Any tips or advice?
At this point I have no choice but to travel with the documents I have, but it would be nice to know how much hassle I should expect.
Thanks!

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

My Uk based friend gives the following advice "You DEFINITELY need to get in touch with the UK border authorities in advance and explain the dilemma. I'm sorry to say it, but in the current climate, border control has been stepped up to the point of paranoia, and anyone dodgy doesn't just get hassle, they get forcibly put on the next flight out. I suspect that it is as simple as this - you wont get in at all if you haven't pre-cleared the WHOLE STORY and instead you will have a wasted trip. So please don't even think about thinking about travel without contacting them first because I think it is very likely that if you do it will be completely pointless and make a traumatic situation even worse."

[Rowan Rue]

Any Idea on who I'm meant to contact?  I can't find any way to speak to a real person at UK border control!

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

"The thing to do is to phone the nearest British Embassy to you and ask their advice. As a dual nationality British Citizen you are entitled to their help... they will have direct dial numbers which are not accessible to you and they will probably take it upon themselves to clear the way for you - as long as your details check out."

Oh - and be prepared to have to explain everything and to go back and forward a few times - they probably wont have encounter this situation before - so there will probably be a load of clarification needed - and they will almost certainly need to ask advice from the UK authorities...

[Rowan Rue]

yeah, I spent most of this morning trying to reach someone as the UK consul in SF and COULD NOT reach a real human.  It was totally useless.

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Personally, I would go to them, and see a living being.

[Mollie]

I would hate you to get turned back at border control but I have traveled frequently between the UK and the USA and have never been stopped despite looking nothing like my passport photograph and please trust me I do not man up. I guess my retina/iris and fingerprints are considered better ID than my face.

[Rowan Rue]

Looks like "fingers crossed and smile" is the way I'll be rolling.  No way I can take a trip down to SF between now and my flight on Tuesday just for an in person convo..

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Try to contact the Consulate in Seattle, or Portland.  Surely they can help.

[Rowan Rue]

Seattle doesn't have one, I might be able to make t t portland, but it's highly unlikely...

[Keaira]

I'm a Brit stuck in the US. I dont have any passport now. lol. But I became a US Citizen due to a government screw-up. I've been here for almost 13 years.

Now Rowan, be careful. my Sister-in-law had some issues when she tried to get into the UK to see her boyfriend. they didnt like some of the answers she had so they sent her back to the US. it was stupid. that was 2 or 3 years ago. But, since you are a dual citizen, I doubt that you'll have much troubles.

But, I do wish you the best of luck and I hope you get there without too much hassle.

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

British Consulate

900 Fourth Ave, Suite 3100
Seattle. WA 98164
Phone:   (1)(206)622 9255