ABC for visiting France - Advice please.

[Wandering Star]

The last time I sailed to France was pre-Brexit. I’m afraid since then Ive lost track of what’s now required for an uncomplicated entry to the country. Whilst there’s lots of advice in various threads on the forum, most deteriorate into conflicting advice, use of mnemonics or simply go off piste altogether!

I’d like to float across to Cherbourg with my son and grandson at end of July. What (if anything) do I need to ensure I’ve done before I depart, ditto on arrival and departure in Cherbourg and ditto on arrival back in UK?

Boat is SSR registered, UK VAT paid with original invoice. & insured. Crew are all UK citizens although I also hold an Irish passport if that helps? Flag requirements?

If there’s a link to everything I need to know - that would be very helpful.

TIA.

 

[Sandy]

1. Have an up to date passport
   
   
2. Check out of the UK using Tell Border Force and HMRC you are sailing to or from the UK in a pleasure craft
   
   
3. Cast off lines
   
   
4. Arrive at a port of entry in France
   
   
5. Present your passport and get it stamped in
   
   
6. Enjoy your stay
   
   
7. Depart at a port of entry in France
   
   
8. Present your passport and get it stamped out
   
   
9. Advise Border Force you are returning to the UK using Tell Border Force and HMRC you are sailing to or from the UK in a pleasure craft
   
   
10. Cast off line
    

Enjoy your trip and the decent coffee.

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks Sandy - I was under the impression it was lot more onerous than that!

 

[lustyd]

Also remove red diesel from Jerry cans and have receipts for any in the main tank.

 

[Gustywinds]

Have an up to date passport

Have a passport that:

• It must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter the EU/Schengen Zone
• It must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

Soooo many people being caught out be the first one as UK passports can be valid for more than 10 years

If you use your Irish passport, make sure you also leave on it and not your UK one

 

[lustyd]

• It must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you enter the EU/Schengen Zone
• It must be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave

Technically it must have been issued 9 years 9 month before the trip because you need 3 months left and they don’t consider passports valid after 10 years regardless of the expiry date. That’s not just EU that’s pretty much global and now includes UK who stopped extending the expiry quite a while ago.

 

[st599]

It's not onerous as you're heading to an official port of entry.
The return leg checks your passports against the UK immigration list, so do it before you leave, just in case it says your grandson has to be off loaded.

 

[Barton Seagoon]

The last time I sailed to France was pre-Brexit. I’m afraid since then Ive lost track of what’s now required for an uncomplicated entry to the country. Whilst there’s lots of advice in various threads on the forum, most deteriorate into conflicting advice, use of mnemonics or simply go off piste altogether!

I’d like to float across to Cherbourg with my son and grandson at end of July. What (if anything) do I need to ensure I’ve done before I depart, ditto on arrival and departure in Cherbourg and ditto on arrival back in UK?

Boat is SSR registered, UK VAT paid with original invoice. & insured. Crew are all UK citizens although I also hold an Irish passport if that helps? Flag requirements?

If there’s a link to everything I need to know - that would be very helpful.

TIA.

We were there a couple of weeks ago. For Cherbourg, there is a very helpful guide on their web site at Votre escale à Port Chantereyne

That web site is in French, but you can use Google Translate to provide a version in English. It includes a link to the immigration form you will need to complete for the French Police aux Frontieres (PAF). This form is at
https://www.portchantereyne.fr/file.../Formulaire_PAF_plaisanciers_britanniques.pdf

You fill in the form and then present a printed copy along with your passports to the PAF officer who attends the marina office at certain times of day. He then stamps all the papers and your passports. There was a long queue a couple of weeks ago when we were there because the officer was running late, but they whiz through all the papers pretty quickly.

Edit - there is also a PAF office in Cherbourg that you can visit to complete the paperwork, but we found it easier to wait for the officer to come to the marina.

 

[LittleSister]

For entry to France (as opposed to departure from UK) things have got easier than last year. Many additional effective points of entry, but you are required to email in advance your arrival using a specific form abtainable from that port (or group of ports).

The following are extracts from a recent news article, which in turn came from the Cruising Association press release.

Note that further ports could be added later than May 31st 2024. (Curiously, Boulogne is absent from the list but appears to be indicated on the map as an official PFF point of entry.)

French officials have announced a new ‘protocol’ for small boats to enter France from outside of the EU.

List of Ports
This list details all the ports which are included in the new protocol (as at 31 May 2024). Some of these are also existing PPFs:


'The Cruising Association (CA) has welcomed the easier check in/out protocol for cruising to France.

Previously, boats would have to arrive at and depart from a port of entry (PPF), although last year [i.e. 2023] there were a few ports with a special derogation, which allowed entry for a limited period.

The new protocol applies from 1 June 2024 and grants 53 marinas (which are not PPFs) the right to handle boats arriving from or departing to outside of the EU/Schengen area. Below is the list of PPFs and other marinas/ports for Channel France.

Skippers of these boats will need to email a specific completed form to the relevant port in advance of arrival or departure. These forms will then be processed by local officials.The CA anticipates that the stamped papers may be picked up on arrival or emailed in the case of departure.'

 

[Zing]

Do Brits on private boats have to do anything if arriving in France from another Schengen country? As I understand it if you travel by land you don’t need to show your passport again, but maybe there are rules I don’t know about?

 

[Lucky Duck]

Post #2 makes no mention of needing to advise the French authorities of ones intended arrival which seems to be contradicted by the following contributions?

 

[lustyd]

Post #2 makes no mention of needing to advise the French authorities of ones intended arrival which seems to be contradicted by the following contributions?

As with a lot of this stuff the guidance and the reality differ a little. You should fill in the form and send it but it's not mandatory. If you don't, you will absolutely still get processed if you have the correct paperwork and information, which is pretty minimal these days. It may take a little longer. In my experience, emailing the form didn't help since the PAF didn't have the email anyway, he just took and stamped passports. We don't have a printer on board so obviously can't have a printed copy of the form when we arrive. They understand this and don't expect it at all.

They have rules they have to follow and guidelines they like the sound of. If you meet the rules you're fine, if you meet the guidelines it might be easier. Either way, they are friendly people who may not speak English but always act professionally and try to help you in and out of the country. Smile, use a translator app on your phone, be humble. If all else fails, offer (French!) wine

 

[LittleSister]

Post #2 makes no mention of needing to advise the French authorities of ones intended arrival which seems to be contradicted by the following contributions?

The OP mentions arriving via Cherbourg, which is an official port of entry (PFF), though the relevant office is not at the Marina (as is typical in other PFFs, some are a long way from the marina and difficult to find, limited opening etc.).

Post #7 does say 'Arrive at a port of entry'.

Post #8 talks about experience of the practical details of arrival at Cherbourg marina (though doesn't mention the expectation of sending the email in advance off arrival/departure). [p.s. now addressed by post #12]

Post #9 explains that a range of PFFs and non-PFF ports now have arrangements similar to that at Cherbourg. All seemingly a lot less ad-hoc and more convenient than previously.

 

[Barton Seagoon]

Post #2 makes no mention of needing to advise the French authorities of ones intended arrival which seems to be contradicted by the following contributions?

It depends on where you arrive. In Cherbourg you just arrive and then present your paperwork to the PAF, either at their office or when they visit the marina. If you don't have a printer, you can email your form to the marina who will print it for you if you go and ask them (they were very helpful to us). In smaller ports (e.g. Granville or Dielette), which are part of the newer system, you send the form by email, 24 hours prior to arriving.

 

[lustyd]

and the decent coffee.

In France? Where?! Italy does coffee and pizza, France does cheese and wine. French coffee is almost always burnt and overly strong and their most sophisticated offering is Cafe au lait or "white coffee" in English. I don't think they'd mind me saying that coffee isn't something the French ever tried to refine. It's a drink that gets in the way of the wine, something they spent a great deal of time refining.

 

[Sandy]

In France? Where?! Italy does coffee and pizza, France does cheese and wine. French coffee is almost always burnt and overly strong and their most sophisticated offering is Cafe au lait or "white coffee" in English. I don't think they'd mind me saying that coffee isn't something the French ever tried to refine. It's a drink that gets in the way of the wine, something they spent a great deal of time refining.

I last visited Italy, Sicily to be exact, in 1990 and was not impressed.

Are you visiting areas where the water is hard?

The coffee shop muck in the UK is vile.

We usually visit Brittany where cider is more commonly drunk. They also make ‘whisky’, which should be politely declined.

 

[LittleSister]

I last visited Italy, Sicily to be exact, in 1990 and was not impressed.

And what did they think of you?

 

[Sandy]

And what did they think of you?

I have no idea as I divorced my first wife shortly after and never returned

 

[LittleSister]

For entry to France (as opposed to departure from UK) things have got easier than last year. Many additional effective points of entry, but you are required to email in advance your arrival using a specific form abtainable from that port (or group of ports).

The following are extracts from a recent news article, which in turn came from the Cruising Association press release.

Note that further ports could be added later than May 31st 2024. (Curiously, Boulogne is absent from the list but appears to be indicated on the map as an official PFF point of entry.)

French officials have announced a new ‘protocol’ for small boats to enter France from outside of the EU.
View attachment 179307
List of Ports
This list details all the ports which are included in the new protocol (as at 31 May 2024). Some of these are also existing PPFs:
View attachment 179308

'The Cruising Association (CA) has welcomed the easier check in/out protocol for cruising to France.

Previously, boats would have to arrive at and depart from a port of entry (PPF), although last year [i.e. 2023] there were a few ports with a special derogation, which allowed entry for a limited period.

The new protocol applies from 1 June 2024 and grants 53 marinas (which are not PPFs) the right to handle boats arriving from or departing to outside of the EU/Schengen area. Below is the list of PPFs and other marinas/ports for Channel France.

Skippers of these boats will need to email a specific completed form to the relevant port in advance of arrival or departure. These forms will then be processed by local officials.The CA anticipates that the stamped papers may be picked up on arrival or emailed in the case of departure.'

Update to my post above -

Direct links to French Douane info can be found in Pye End's post #5 in this thread about Boulogne (missing from the CA published list but now on the Douane's list. (For some reason I can't copy one of the links to this thread.)

Has Anyone Been Into Boulogne Recently?

https://www.douane.gouv.fr/sites/de.../Annexe-2-Liste-ports-plaisance-eligibles.pdf

 

[KREW2]

I went last week for the first time since Brexit. I filled in the PAF form online and sent it off. When I arrived they said the address on the form was wrong and had not received it. No problem though they were very relaxed about it, just stamped the passports and told me to bring it in when we checked out. I now have several printed off with all the details so I only have to add the dates.
The form Sandy has given a link to is good. Save all your details on your phone app and just send them off when you need to.