Arriving from outside the EU

[The Professional]

Presumably it's likely that once we have fully left the EU the procedures for sailing to the UK from the EU will be similar to the procedures in place now for arriving from outside the EU where we have to phone ahead of arrival for immigration and customs to either clear or meet you.

Could people who are familiar with having sailed to the UK from outside the EU in recent years please share their experiences of this? What exactly happens, do they direct you to a port where they will meet you or do you share your coordinates and they come over for a boarding? Do they process you and your passport in the same way as a regular border crossing, or do they only process non-EU/non-UK passport holders? Or are they really one interested with what you're carrying on board?

Please share experiences.

 

[maby]

If you are in a UK registered boat, who the hell is going to know? We sail out from the Hamble - no AIS transmit - and potter round the Isle of Wight for a few hours before returning to our berth - there are hundreds of other small private yachts doing similar - nobody can keep track of us! If I had been to Cherbourg instead of Cowes, they would be none the wiser!

 

[Blue Sunray]

We sail out from the Hamble - no AIS transmit - and potter round the Isle of Wight for a few hours before returning to our berth - there are hundreds of other small private yachts doing similar - nobody can keep track of us!

Oh really? By the way, there is a considerable and distinct difference between "can't" and "isn't interested in".

ETA: The OP could start by reading this: Has anyone ever been boarded by Border Force?

 

[Biggles Wader]

If you are in a UK registered boat, who the hell is going to know? We sail out from the Hamble - no AIS transmit - and potter round the Isle of Wight for a few hours before returning to our berth - there are hundreds of other small private yachts doing similar - nobody can keep track of us! If I had been to Cherbourg instead of Cowes, they would be none the wiser!

I think they have computers with the ability to keep track of lots of data these days and could deploy them to watch as many boats as they choose as long as they show up on radar. The Dover/Calais area is well watched and anything bigger than a rib will be known about.

 

[st599]

The RYA stated at the Cruising Conference that they'd seen early prototypes of the smartphone app you'll need to use to check in/out of the UK, file customs returns etc. as you approach the 12 mile limit.

The app will alert you once you've been cleared and can leave the vessel. The RYA ays it should be no more than 2 hours after arrival at your berth.

 

[Graham376]

The RYA stated at the Cruising Conference that they'd seen early prototypes of the smartphone app you'll need to use to check in/out of the UK, file customs returns etc. as you approach the 12 mile limit.

The app will alert you once you've been cleared and can leave the vessel. The RYA ays it should be no more than 2 hours after arrival at your berth.

Well that's ruled out then, don't have and don't intend to have a smartphone

 

[maby]

I think they have computers with the ability to keep track of lots of data these days and could deploy them to watch as many boats as they choose as long as they show up on radar. The Dover/Calais area is well watched and anything bigger than a rib will be known about.

If you cross at Dover, probably true - but I really seriously doubt that someone coming from Cherbourg to the Hamble is going to be tracked to that extent. With no AIS, I'm just a very small dot on a radar screen covered with dots - many far larger than me. In the summer months, it is often difficult to find enough free space to capsize a dinghy - they cannot have any confidence that the yacht they are approaching is the one that they tracked out of Cherbourg.

 

[Aeolus]

If you cross at Dover, probably true - but I really seriously doubt that someone coming from Cherbourg to the Hamble is going to be tracked to that extent. With no AIS, I'm just a very small dot on a radar screen covered with dots - many far larger than me. In the summer months, it is often difficult to find enough free space to capsize a dinghy - they cannot have any confidence that the yacht they are approaching is the one that they tracked out of Cherbourg.

I suspect that the incentive to comply with whatever regs they come up with will depend on the extent to which the gov't clamps down on immigration / refugees, / movement of people which in turn will depend on the degree of paranoia stirred up by the UK press. The problem with not complying with the regs may be less whether they've tracked you by radar and more whether someone rats you out to the authorities, We're not leaving the EU in order to become a more relaxed / liberal society.

 

[doug748]

Presumably it's likely that once we have fully left the EU the procedures for sailing to the UK from the EU will be similar to the procedures in place now for arriving from outside the EU where we have to phone ahead of arrival for immigration and customs to either clear or meet you.

Could people who are familiar with having sailed to the UK from outside the EU in recent years please share their experiences of this? What exactly happens, do they direct you to a port where they will meet you or do you share your coordinates and they come over for a boarding? Do they process you and your passport in the same way as a regular border crossing, or do they only process non-EU/non-UK passport holders? Or are they really one interested with what you're carrying on board?

Please share experiences.

The system is still in place but is generally ignored. It more or less worked 25 years ago and generally fell in disuse. The local boxes for posting notice of a foreign trip gradually disappeared.
When I tried it, about ten years ago, on my return I spoke to a girl with a Brummie accent who was clearly perplexed and seemed relived when I suggested I should leave the boat and go home.

No doubt the protocol will be gingered up, for a few years at least, and we will all follow it. The smartphone app sounds a good idea. In the old days you had to go ashore, find a phonebox, return directly to the boat for a few hours and were then free to leave if not visited by customs.

 

[Refueler]

Wasn't there a system some years before for 'foreign boats' arriving in UK to fill in a form ... deposit in box in marina .. telephone the number listed on box to say .. Hey I'm here .... wait 2 hours and if no-one arrived .. free to carry on ?

I don't know what will happen rest of EU ... but as I heard - here in Latvia they will just carry on for Brit boats ... simple form to fill in when arrive, marina / club tells local immigration office .. wait for immigration to arrive ... they stamp paper and that's it. Basically because UK never joined Schengen system ... there's very little change here.
My boat was SSR UK and even though I lived here / boat stayed here - that's what I had to do when returning to harbour. Now because SSR changed its rules - I registered it in Latvia ... (25 Euros for life !!) - so now its free to go in / out as I want anywhere in EU.

 

[The Professional]

From what people are saying here, does nobody actually follow this system these days?

 

[doug748]

From what people are saying here, does nobody actually follow this system these days?

For trips that start in the UK and end up back there in a fairly short time, I doubt if anyone does. There have been mentions of this now and again, on the forum, over the years.

The common one is for boats that have visited the Channel Islands which over the years have been gradually ignored. Resident CI yachts have special status within the EU anyway, so it would seem sensible to loosen up a bit there.

If you are arriving from points south or after a protracted trip you would be wise to check in before they get to you.

 

[Refueler]

Pal of mine - sadly not with us anymore - bought a boat in Ch. Isles and asked me to help deliver it back to mainland. Unfortunately at the time I was in Singapore and couldn't do it. This was about 10 years ago ..

He employed a delivery guy who stung him badly on costs and was not exactly best at his chosen job ...

When they arrived in UK - the delivery guy immedaitely informed C&E of the 'imported boat' .... my pal had to cough up all VAT within so many days !!

He'd already agreed with his accountant / Tax office to sort it after arrival and stage the payment ... but this delivery guy put a serious spanner in the works.

Just saying ...

 

[chrishscorp]

If you are in a UK registered boat, who the hell is going to know? We sail out from the Hamble - no AIS transmit - and potter round the Isle of Wight for a few hours before returning to our berth - there are hundreds of other small private yachts doing similar - nobody can keep track of us! If I had been to Cherbourg instead of Cowes, they would be none the wiser!

Once out of lake Solent very easy to track you on radar which can be readily matched to the cctv footage as you enter the Solent.

 

[Refueler]

Once out of lake Solent very easy to track you on radar which can be readily matched to the cctv footage as you enter the Solent.

True ..... but don't forget the old joke about Solent ..... on a weekend you can walk across the boats so many to Isle of Wight ...

 

[Stemar]

If you really want to sneak in, just time your arrival to come past Bembridge during the afternoon on Round the Island day.

I haven't forgotten the first time I ever went out as skipper, with just my kids on board. After pootling about a bit, we went across towards the island and suddenly saw the race coming the other way

 

[Baggywrinkle]

There is a standardised system involving flying a yellow flag and heading to the nearest port of entry once inside the 12 mile limit where you present yourselves and the boat to customs and immigration. I've done it a few times in and out of Croatia.

You are totally at the mercy of the immigration and customs officials that deal with your entry and to simply ignore the process means you could get caught and that would really spoil your weekend. Even if the authorities make it difficult or time consuming to comply, it wouldn't excuse ignoring the procedures. You are on the back foot as soon as you deviate from what is officially required.

An app sounds like a great idea for returning British boats with British citizens aboard, but I can't imagine it being implemented without a quota of spot-checks to ensure no-one is taking the p**s and importing a couple of tons of booze, cigarettes or immigrants. So odds on, if you regularly cross the channel, you'll get a spot check at some point.

The other question is, how does the UK and the EU intend to police immigration? If 90 day time limits are enforced - which is likely - then it will be in your own interests to obtain official records of your time in each jurisdiction. Overstaying is not a joke to the immigration official that catches you.

 

[Refueler]

Yellow Flag (wrongly nicknamed Quarantine Flag) and nearest entry port is same here in Latvia for foreign boats ...

 

[Blue Sunray]

The other question is, how does the UK and the EU intend to police immigration? If 90 day time limits are enforced - which is likely - then it will be in your own interests to obtain official records of your time in each jurisdiction. Overstaying is not a joke to the immigration official that catches you.

As discovered by some gentlemen who had arrived in a certain (friendly) country by parachute courtesy of the RAF. Once the exercise in which they were involved finished most of the group flew home again courtesy of the RAF, however these chaps, being only part-time members of HMF opted to extend their stay. When they did eventually travel home by more conventional means their departure was considerably delayed by the absence of entry stamps in their passports.

 

[Refueler]

As discovered by some gentlemen who had arrived in a certain (friendly) country by parachute courtesy of the RAF. Once the exercise in which they were involved finished most of the group flew home again courtesy of the RAF, however these chaps, being only part-time members of HMF opted to extend their stay. When they did eventually travel home by more conventional means their departure was considerably delayed by the absence of entry stamps in their passports.

Sounds like Trumpy land ...

I have a 'Parole' stamp in one of my passports from Trump land ... entry with invalid passport / ESTA .... cost me $60 fine and airline $3000 for bringing me in !