I am a US citizen and I have two sits scheduled in England totaling one month. The more I read the more nervous I am becoming about getting through immigration. Do I tell immigration I’m pet sitting through THS? I am on the verge of canceling at this point.
(edited by Forum team to meet Community Guidelines)
Welcome to the Forum 
You might find the following threads helpful, it’s worth having a read if you have time!
Issues with customs and immigration
How do international sitters deal with border control
You can also take a look at our blog about preparing for an international sit.
I’m sure our members will be happy to give their experiences and general opinions - but it may be best reaching out to Membership Services directly if you need specific advice.
Jenny
Noooooo you don’t! Please read the links @Jenny has helpfully attached. No need to worry if you follow the guidance given
If asked the reason for your visit, which is extremely unlikely, reply “tourism”. The probability of being asked to provide any sort of proof, or further details is tiny and almost non-existent. Your risk in entering for the purpose of sitting is almost immeasurable. Go ahead, don’t cancel and enjoy England. P.S. tipping is not necessary, or expected.
Tipping in cafes and restaurants in the UK is nice and usually expected. It is often added to the bill so best check before adding another tip
My many restaurant experiences in the UK as an Englishman are very different to yours then, it is almost always discretionary and certainly not expected. If a service charge is added to the bill a customer is within their rights to ask for it to be removed if they feel it is undeserved.
US citizens can use e-gates so unless they would be diverting people to border agents for any reason-- or your passport would get flagged specifically–you will not be speaking with anyone.
This actually did happen to me when I flew into Glasgow from the US in November 2024–it is a very small airport and I think they were having people go to the agents for faster processing because the lines at the e-gates were pretty long and there was virtually no one waiting in those lines. She naturally asked us a few questions but she did not seem to be looking for a lot of detail.
All the reports of people having issues with this all had one very common thread–the person volunteerrd this information immediately. It never seemed to be the result of being subjected to some unexpected, deep interrogation of their travel plans. You are there for touristic purposes so there is never any need to mention house sitting specifically.
@Theresala519, if you’re concerned about legal risks of international housesits then you should consider cancelling. Housesitting is a voluntary pursuit. Whether a housesit is worth taking legal risk is a matter of personal risk appetite. THS Forum members cannot make that determination for you. As you’re taking the risk and reward.
On upside, there are presumably bountiful numbers of active listings in US. Enjoy.
When we entered the UK at Heathrow last year to visit friends, we were processed entirely automatically and didn’t speak to a single person.
Just say you are a tourist. Or visiting friends. People just travel to travel, don’t they.
But whatever you do, do NOT forget to do your ETA (electronic tourism authorization) in advance! We were caught by surprise traveling from Paris to Edinburgh and scrambled last minute literally standing at the gate to get it done. Sweating bullets the whole time. Not sure how we missed that memo but we did. And really don’t get why the agent who checked us in didn’t ask us if we had it or not…they did not ask until we were boarding!!