Boulogne and Customs

[Major_Clanger]

After spending a refreshing two days at Roscoff Marina recently the situation in Boulogne makes for depressing reading..... I was contemplating spending a day there on my next trip down Channel. Received a helpful reply from the marina office but it stated I must go to Calais to check in/out. As I'd only be going overnight it's hardly worth it. The marina at Roscoff advised that involving customs was a faff and that since we seemed 'okay' types they didn't mind whether we stamped in or not! A real pity, I like Boulogne very much.

Something is seriously wrong with a system that makes it easier to cross the Channel with no paperwork or identity at all.

 

[Breezy1]

It isn't for marina staff to advise you thus. You obtain your passport stamps from the Police aux Frontières. The point is to start and stop the 90/180 day clock. If you don't stamp in, and there is a spot check by PAF along the line (reported in another thread here as having happened at Binic) you risk a fine. If you don't then stamp out, you risk an accusation of overstaying if / when you next try to go back. When leaving, the PAF also wanted to see my boat registration papers. Customs didn't come in to it. I agree that the situation in France has been haphazard this year but all the border staff I met/came into contact with, on both sides, were helpful and friendly. The ETIAS system, if introduced next year as promised, might streamline the EU side and, hopefully, will happen on line like the Section 8 (UK) side therefore doing away with the treks at Calais and at Dunkerque.