Checking out of Brittany complications

Thanks to all who have responded, also those who alerted me to the question of getting a letter re the legitimacy of 'ownership' of the grandchildren.
I'll try and post the final outcome of our attempt to escape without falling foul of the Douane.
 
chrisclin said:
I've never understood how the immigration people keep track of ins and outs in a passport. Any time I've entered France they seem to find a random page with space and stamp it. How they match the stamps is beyond me
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Your passport is scanned and details copied onto their immigration computer before they flick through pages to find a place to stamp it.

Many countries, eg Singapore, don't stamp anymore even if you ask them.
 
chrisclin said:
I've never understood how the immigration people keep track of ins and outs in a passport. Any time I've entered France they seem to find a random page with space and stamp it. How they match the stamps is beyond me
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Its really quite simple:
  1. If you are entering a country there should be an even number of stamps. If you are exiting there will be an odd number. Look at the stamp carefully and you will see a direction of travel and mode of transport.
  2. On entering France, and the UK, the passport is scanned. Goodness knows what they do with the data, but i am sure you have heard of watchlists.
Due to being unable to stamp out of Europe on a delivery trip I have an odd number of stamps on entering a country. On every occation since every page gets checked and I've been asked why on several occations.

I often wonder if, when sailing, it would be better traveling on a British Seaman's Document.

Had a friend who travels a great deal with work and on one occation needed to travel on papers issued at an embassy, a rather grand paper. He was most upset when it was collected by the Border Force officer.

There is much the general public are unaware of when it comes to crossing borders. In the past I worked with an ex-Customs and Excise Officer, he had some interesting stories.
 
Biggles Wader said:
It all makes me wonder why we bother to visit France by small boat. I suspect many of us don't bother any more.
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I'm just back from three weeks in Brittany. Far fewer UK boats, that suits us nicely.

Intrestingly, in the past we have visited Semaphores, the French still have a system to watch the coast using navy personnel, built by Nepoleon due to the pesky neibours to the north, but was unable to this year as I am no longer an EU national.
 
Biggles Wader said:
It all makes me wonder why we bother to visit France by small boat. I suspect many of us don't bother any more.
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All the more space for those of us who value the place

A mere 5 weeks in S Brittany this year due to nz friends visit programme but usually manage longer

Navigator wants a detour via Normandy next year
 
Would seem to me when leaving st Malo the stamped in grandchildren need to stamp out so they have the suitable exit stamp . How easy this is without a return ferry trip might have improved since when this collecting of stamps from the French all began -as at that time the stamping was the wrong side of the ferry ticket barriers . What happens after that is rather up to you given they are minors I assume. Just arrive in st Cast and use the the email entry process for them . You have already had a non stamp entry so you are fine. If you should forget to enter them at st cast though I wonder what the risks are if you plan an early departure for jersey and in event are passing through st cast? As said when travelling with minors a parental letter of consent required . It usually arises as a parent if you are holidaying with a minor friend of your child -I think it really became an issue due to abduction of children historically.
 
It's a very good point about the parental letter of consent, and my daughter will be bringing one today when she drops the grandchildren off to us. Thanks to everyone who mentioned that.
 
I would ask the very helpful staff in the marina office.
I expect they will ask Saint-Brieuc how to fix it.
Asymmetrical trips are possible. I have done it twice by asking in advance.
 
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