Yeah. I have to say that even before I knew that petsitting exchange is an issue for tourist visas, my instinct was to never mention it to border officials. I wonder if home exchange is experiencing the same thing. THS needs some very powerful policy advocates to work on this. Thanks for the advice.
Update! I said I was for turism, Ithwy asked me why 60 days and I told them it was 1 month uk and 1 month italy, I told him places I was going to be, not just London and show him the adresses like airbnbs in my notes apps, with dates and I add them prices to look like more real. He didn’t ask me so much. It was a chill Sunday on the airport.
Thanks for the update.
Enjoy your stay!
Oh, what a letdown. Last year I had a wonderful, unforgettable pet-sitting experience in the UK. I was completely at ease because here on the THS FAQ I read a short clear note saying that pet sitting isn’t considered work and therefore wouldn’t cause any problems. When I landed in London (flying from Europe), I got off the plane and left the airport without talking to anyone: I just swiped my passport through a machine and walked out. Since I was already used to the complicated U.S. border procedures, I thought, “Wow! Is it really that easy here?”. I guess it was easy because I came from Europe. Or just luck, who knows.
Now I’m thinking about going back to pet sitting in the UK again. It is such a very good time in my life to do this, and I love the UK, and THS is perfect (love dogs). But it occurred to me to look up information on topic this again, and now I discovered the issues involved. Wasn’t aware at all. So bad… It’s such a rewarding, beautiful, innocent activity—it’s a shame it’s considered illegal. Hopefully this will change someday and it will be freely allowed…
Hi @jackdaw
Welcome to the Forum!
I thought I’d share our statement on international housesitting and border control in case it’s useful to you or another member reading this!
I also think my post here might be useful for you to have a look at!
Jenny 
You might find this thread interesting and helpful, especially if you’re wondering how U.K. Border Control views unpaid pet sitting through THS. It’s certainly worth a read! 
Thank you very much for the info, @jenny
Just to be clear, what I read prior my first great trip was:
Occasionally, sitters have faced difficulties with border control officials who have mistakenly categorised sits arranged through TrustedHousesitters as work, instead of leisure. #
So I thought, oh, if this is a mistake, then I guess the law is on my side and I just would have to clarify the mistake and go on with my trip. That’s what I naively interpreted. Now I read further and I am more aware.
Thanks again, cheers!
My experience with the UK dates back to 2023. I had 3 separate strings of UK sits - 2 for 6 weeks each and the last for 8 weeks. I knew that I should say I was tourist each time - but never encountered any face-to-face interaction with a person. Automated gates each time. The first sit was in Feb 2023 when the UK was still requiring testing for Covid on arrival. On arrival I went directly from LHR to their home south of London and they had a self test for me to take. And I tested negative. If I’d tested positive, I’d have been confinied to their home for the 10 days or so required. The test on arrival protocol ended the day after I arrived.
I’ve also sat in Australia for 6 weeks and use the automated gates so no questionning. And in South Korea where my port of entry was Jeju and there were no questions.
The only time I’ve been questioned was on my 2nd Canada sit - I entered Canada at Toronto - transiting to Halifax. I was asked if I was traveling to the ?? academic conference in Halifax (guess I look like an academic type). I said no, just visting friends.