Clearing into Spain

[Fascadale]

Can this only be done at an official “Port of Entry” or can I do it in a marina on arrival?

I plan to enter Spain at A Corunna but a strong westerly down that way may force me eastwards for an arrival in Viveiro.

Is that permitted ?

 

[awol]

I believe, i.e. check for yourself, the ports of entry in north Spain are :-

• Bilbao,
• Finisterre,
• Gijon,
• Hondarribia,
• La Coruna,
• Ria de Vigo and Baiona,
• Santander

 

[Fascadale]

I believe, i.e. check for yourself, the ports of entry in north Spain are :-

• Bilbao,
• Finisterre,
• Gijon,
• Hondarribia,
• La Coruna,
• Ria de Vigo and Baiona,
• Santander

Indeed, my intended port of arrival is A Corunna. I was wondering what the situation was if the weather made that difficult but arrival elsewhere easier

 

[Fr J Hackett]

In the case of adverse conditions, weather or otherwise no port would or could refuse entry to a yacht one assumes providing one notifies ones arrival to the local authorities and then by whatever means available travels to a port of entry presenting all ones relevant documents including of course passports with the explanation of why it was necessary to arrive elsewhere.

 

[Wansworth]

Enter via Gijon,it’s an interesting town in Asturias which you will note is quite different fromGalicia

 

[Fascadale]

Enter via Gijon,it’s an interesting town in Asturias which you will note is quite different fromGalicia

Gijon, what a good idea. Never been there. M thanks

 

[Graham376]

Gijon, what a good idea. Never been there. M thanks

We've done LaRochelle to and from Gijon a couple of times, easy day sails from there along to the rias with mixture of anchorages and harbours. There may be more marinas these days, it's about 16 years since we last did it.

 

[Wansworth]

We've done LaRochelle to and from Gijon a couple of times, easy day sails from there along to the rias with mixture of anchorages and harbours. There may be more marinas these days, it's about 16 years since we last did it.

Yes,Ribadeo has a marina so does Vivero both interesting stops round the corner to Cerdiera and on to Coruna.Cariño just before Cabo Ortigal simple fishing harbour afew years back but handy if it’s windy from the sw

 

[Wansworth]

Vivero has a big supermarket right next to themarina

 

[Fascadale]

I would be very happy to visit Viveiro again. I left the boat there one winter. Lovely little town in a great railway, the FEVE

 

[Kelpie]

We just presented our passports at the marina office in A Coruna. The Brits amongst the crew did not get stamps but we're all still here and have not been locked up yet.
Other friends took a different approach- one boat made a point of going to see the police in order to do everything properly. The others just dropped anchor in a ria and emailed immigration with photos of their passports. That latter boat seemed to do just fine and are now half way across the Pacific. I can send you a copy of the email reply they received.

We were worried about the checking in process but everything seems very relaxed.

 

[Wansworth]

When I checked into Spain in 1981 in Santanderthe customers chief had his feet on the table and waved away my passport and wished me “buenas Dias”?Probably things have changed?

 

[ashtead]

We flew into Tenerife and the man checking passports seemed indifferent to whole stamping process -the covid checking staff seemed much more zealous , my impression is staff don’t see any benefits to their new role down there.

 

[st599]

We flew into Tenerife and the man checking passports seemed indifferent to whole stamping process -the covid checking staff seemed much more zealous , my impression is staff don’t see any benefits to their new role down there.

It's only a temporary role anyway. EES rolls out this year which automates the overstay checking process, so no more stamps needed.

As to the OPs question, where are you travelling from. If you're doing UK to Spain in one hit, then yes Port of Entry. But if you're stopping off in France, you check in and start the clock there.

 

[Fascadale]

So an update from the OP

Our voyage took us from Scotland to Northern Ireland, no paperwork, from NI to the Rep Of Ireland, no paperwork then ROI to Spain with no paperwork leaving Ireland to another EU country

On arrival at a Spanish port of entry, A Corunna, the UK passport holder went to the National Police to stamp in

Confusion. Stamping into Spain was not possible as we were coming from another EU country, Ireland, where we should have stamped in. After over an hour with two charming and very helpful officials, one of whom fortunately spoke excellent English, discussion of the UK Ireland Common Travel Area, Ireland not being in Schengen they eventually relented and stamped the passport. If we had said we had come from the UK there would have been no problem.

The charming police lady would not let me change my port of departure. They were very helpful, spoke about Brexit, and suggested that was the cause of the confusion

Another interesting thing she said was that if you were just passing through by boat, stopping in harbours and marinas, going ashore, but not going more than 10km from the boat then you did not need to stamp in. This is much the same as what the Spanish police wrote in the emails referred to above by Kelpie

Not stamping in though may cause problems if approached by the Spanish police as was a UK flagged yacht at anchor in the Rias. Their passports were inspected.

 

[Wansworth]

So you didn’t go to Gijon

 

[Fascadale]

So you didn’t go to Gijon

No, saving Gijon for another day. But slightly sorry to miss a new place and sorry to miss lovely little Viveiro

The wind was perfect for A Corunna and the southern Rias beckon.

 

[mainsail1]

I hope you find better weather in the Rias than we have right now........

 

[Fascadale]

I hope you find better weather in the Rias than we have right now........

Raining in A Corunna right now ????

 

[Wansworth]

Raining in A Corunna right now ????

Galicia. Is in dire straits regards water,it’s running out,very dry Spring and basically as dry as it has been in August.The classic picture of the country people carrying their umbrella hooked over the collar of their shirt is becoming rare