At London Heathrow Airport: a quick arrival guide

Passport control: who can use the e-gates

The automatic gates (e-Passport gates) are open to British citizens, EU citizens and a group of other countries including United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein: a biometric passport is all you need to skip the manual control queue. From summer 2026 the minimum age to use them has dropped to 8 years (previously 10), provided the child is over 120 cm tall and travels with an adult.

Heathrow Express or Elizabeth line: speed versus price

The Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in 15 minutes (21 from Terminal 5): it is the fastest connection but also the most expensive, with fares around 25 pounds for a ticket bought at the station on the day itself (online and with plenty of advance notice, you can find discounted prices, even under 15 pounds). The Elizabeth line is the most balanced alternative: it takes about 30–35 minutes to Paddington at a much lower cost, and continues also to Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road without changes.

Piccadilly line: the most economical choice

The underground (Piccadilly line) connects all terminals to central London in about 50 minutes to Piccadilly Circus: it is the slowest solution but also the most economical, with the standard Tube network fare payable by contactless card or Oyster, with no need for paper tickets.

Changing terminals without leaving the controlled area

If you have a connecting flight, the free internal trains that follow the signs 'Flight Connections' move between terminals while staying in the sterile area: leaving by mistake from the control zone means having to repeat security and, in some cases, also passport control. If the time between your two flights is already tight, it is worth knowing what to do immediately if you risk missing your connection.

If you arrive at Terminal 5, remember that the Heathrow Express takes 21 minutes and not 15, and book your ticket online even just a day in advance: the price drops from around 25 pounds to figures close to 15–20 pounds compared to buying at the station on the same day.