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I am an American citizen planning to visit the UK for two weeks' vacation. I am going to see my boyfriend who is a UK citizen and we thought it would be nice to visit Paris together.

I know I do not need to apply for a UK visa since I am not staying longer than six months. My plan is to go to the UK for a week, visit France for a weekend, then return to the UK for another week. From my understanding, American citizens are not required to have a visa to visit France if the stay in France is less than 90 days. I want to make sure re-entering is easy / possible before booking hotels and rides to France.

Will there be any problems re-entering the UK if I leave the UK to visit France for a weekend (2-3 days)?

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Unless you have other issues which are not readily apparent in your posting, there is no reason to expect any problems upon your return to the UK. Indeed a good number of tourists to the UK have exactly the same itinerary that you describe.

Make sure you travel with the kind of evidence you will require when applying for a visa to both the UK/France and you should be fine.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/549692/Visitor_Supporting_Documents_Guide_-_English_version.pdf

Safe travels.

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  • USA citizens do not need visa for a short visit to either the UK or France, so why the "Make sure you travel with the kind of evidence you will require when applying for a visa to both the UK/France" ?
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Feb 7, 2017 at 21:10
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    Because despite not needing a visa, you can be turned around if you are unable to convince the border immigration officer that your visit is temporary. When it comes to immigration, take nothing for granted. As an immigrant, I have learned to be over prepared. It's just friendly advice.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Commented Feb 7, 2017 at 21:30
  • It seems that USA citizens can get visa, but as it is not needed almost non will do.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Feb 8, 2017 at 17:19
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    @Willeke the evidence needed for a visa application is the same evidence that one would use to justify a visa-free entry if challenged by the immigration officer. In particular, anyone traveling to the UK with a UK-resident romantic partner is going to be more likely to be suspected of immigrant intent. If that happens, evidence of ties to the home country will be useful in overcoming that suspicion.
    – phoog
    Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 12:21
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Afaict the big question is how strong are your ties to the US.

Having a boyfriend in the UK makes you more of an immigration risk. If you have strong ties to the USA then it's unlikely to be a problem but if your situation in the USA is tenuous then they may decide you are an unacceptable risk.

The re-entry from France shouldn't be much different from the initial entry from the USA. In both cases it will be up to you to convince the immigration officer that you are a legitimate visitor who will leave on time and will not be a burden on the British state.

Some people have trouble re-entering after a long stay in the UK and a short trip outside because it looks like they are trying to do a "visa run" but that doesn't apply to your itinerary.

Whatever you do don't lie, if the border guards catch you in a lie then any future travel to the UK is likely to be very difficult.

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