We are getting ready for the trip and DD took out our passports for early check-in.Whenever i see my passport,i will remenber this incident and will have a good laugh.

It was when i was in Singapore,i went there on a business visa and got extention stamp after a month(It was a three month multiple entry visa).

I had given it to our company’s auditor office for stamping,while collecting back,the lady asked me if had been to UK on business visa,i answered her yes,she went on telling me that there was entry stamping in heathrow airport,in and out stamps in chennai airport but no return stamping done @ UK,passport is such an important document and how come i missed this return stamp alone.

I was worried like anything,what happened to my return stamping?? I tried to recollect that day of return,i entered UK in London and left via Glasgow airport,am always good in memory of unwanted things and remembered the day very well,it was raining right from the morning on that Sunday,my cab was 15 mins earlier than i had asked for,it rained all the way to airport,i remebered check in,the lady @ counter tagged my baggage as heavy with a orange tag as it was 27kgs,my fellow colleague had checked in already and he was enjoying some snack in BK,i could recollect those damn costly duty free shops,easter eggs for sale,two brand new cars as gift as part of duty free promotion,a perfume bought @ Boots,those sharp knives,scissors,pins etc removed from others baggage during security screening,two maamis in the`waiting area,but this damn thing of a immigration routine alone was not coming to my mind.

After coming back to office,i asked few,but honestly they had no idea.This was bothering me for some time,i feared as if they would deny my UK visa in future,and stupid enough to search each n every page of passport again and again,had it disappeared in air,had i swallowed tat stamping alone,was the immigration officer my enemy in previous life and felt not to do the stamping,or i missed out the immigration routine itself and was sulking to myself.Sigh,Why it had happened to me??

Few days later,i inquired one friend in UK,who brought me peace,he said there is no such thing called a return stamping in UK,not only UK in few european countries as well.

Oops,how ignorant was i then.I felt ashamed for not knowing the fact and a great relief on the other side,i can travel to UK not fearing this return stamp.

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