Channel Islands - Customs and Practice

[davel]

I'm preparing for my first trip to the Channel Islands. Looking at the YBW info regarding customs clearance (http://www.ybw.com/mby/guide/11200589.htm) it states that you must clear customs on arrival in the Islands and again at the port of entry back in Europe.

Have I misunderstood or do people really do this?

Dave L.

 

[hlb]

Well, you've sort of got to do., when you get to the Channel Isles. Cos a bloke meets you in his dinghy most places and gives you a silly form. Never understud whether I should mention the bacon, eggs and boiled ham we have on board. It says it's illeagle!! So anyway. You fill the form in best way you can and stick it in a box at the top of steps. If you can remember. If not. No sweat. Then come back and arrive some place up a river and carry on a bit till maybe you get home a few days latter. By which time you've smoked all the fags and drunk the whisky. Then route about a bit to see if you can find a form. Everyone looks blank at you. So??

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[ParaHandy]

Aaahh...well now....coming back from bucket fulls of moules+frites from a wee place called Dielette, the crew destroyed the bog - it exploded. As we'd got there via Alderney (not in EU, you see?) I had completed form 1331 and I told them that they'd have to wait for further ablutions until customs gave us the all clear to land and proved this by reading out instructions on the back of 1331. So, tough, keep yer legs crossed. So I rang customs at Portsmouth who knew nothing and they gave me another number. They now wanted my vat number. Another number was given and this time a cheery Glaswegian told me it was all a load of bolx and form 1331 had been superceded etc etc

Ooh, I should have told French custome we'd come from outside EU but nobody over there could give a monkeys whatsits.

Just fill whatever form you get given and stuff it in a box but I would fill 1331 (or its replacement if what I was told was true) in just in case.

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: Customs Forms

The last one I used (some years back) was a C1328 printed Mar 1990.
The reporting proceedure says:
If you have nothing to declare, put the completed pt2 in the nearest customs post (blue) box. When you are ready to leave (the boat), take down your Q flag.

At the time, Weymouth Customs would only dish out one form at a time, and recorded the form Ser# in a note book. As I couldn't always get to their office when it was open, I got a 'stock' of forms from Plymouth Customs, who had no restrictions on form distribution and recording of.

 

[hlb]

Re: Customs Forms

Seems a bit daft. Filling in a form to say you havent got anything, then sticking it in a box Suppose there waiting for some one to say." Aint got nuffinck except Fifty cases of fags and ninty six cases of booze and I live at-----------------!!
Wonder if anyone ever reads the forms??

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[jollyjacktar]

I thought it was part of the UK

That's about as stupid as requiring BrianJ to get a visa and pasport to travel from Victoria to New South Wales. I thought that it was part of the UK. Do you need a form to fill in if you go to Scotland or the Outer Hebredies. The bureaucrats would love us to do all that!!!

 

[Piers]

The Channel Islads are part of the British Isles, but not the UK. Therefore, if you are leaving England for, say, Guernsey, you must complete the customs form for leaving the UK leaving the correct copy in the marina's Customs post box, and on arrival in Guernsey, a Customs man will meet you in his dinghy with their own form.

Most seem to retun via Cherbourg to pick up their wine abd beer rations. If so, no more paperwork since entry is from an EU country!

So, the point is that the CIs are not part of the UK, and not a member of the EU. Therefore, the procedures....

Piers du Pré
MBM Cruising Club enthusiast
www.dupre.co.uk/fsPlaydeau.htm

 

[tony_brighton]

The reality is that you should complete a form on entering the CIs. You may have to complete a separate form if you move onto a different Bailliwick (Alderney + Guernsey; Jersey separate Bailliwicks). Its very very easy; when you arrive some bloke will give you a form to drop in the box. As he is probably also going to relieve you of cash at the same time you can usually do it all in one go. The information on the form is trivial - names, nationality, address, registration etc.

Coming back you are technically meant to fill out the relevant form. Its very rare for this to happen. If you swing around via Cherbourg then you dont have to complete one on return to UK - and as stated, the French don't care.

 

[jollyjacktar]

But we\'re British you know.

What a confusing part of the world to live in. Is the UK in Britain or Britain in the UK or neither in the other? What ever happened to the British Empire, where the sun never set and anyone who was British could travel freely and unencumbered by such bureaucratric nonsense and now we we have the EU and who's the "in" crowd and who's the "out" crowd to add to the confusion. Oh how the might has fallen!

 

[Piers]

British, but not United

The islands are only part of the British Isles since the Quen owns the title Duke of Normandy, to whom the islands have their allegiance. Hence, the loyal toast in the Channel Islands is "The Duke, the Queen".

If ever the Queen was to give the title to France, for example, the islands would become part of France, and so on.

Hence, because the islands are not part of the UK, they were abl to refuse entry to the EU, and they control their own laws since the UK government have no control on them whatsoever....

Is that joy, or is it joy?

Piers du Pré
MBM Cruising Club enthusiast
www.dupre.co.uk/fsPlaydeau.htm

 

[DepSol]

Re: British, but not United

Certainly is ;-)

Dom


I just want my boat back in the water ;-(

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: where the sun never set

It went to the place that the sun never see's