French Customs Clearance

[tetleys]

It was a major port, we came over by ferry to Calais and my passport was stamped on entry. I kept my boat in Nieuwpoort for the last 2 years. The boat was last in the UK on May of this year where we had a run over to Ramsgate before returning to Dunkirk and then Nieuwpoort.
I tried to contact French customs on about six different telephone number. There was no answer on any of them. Dives Sur Mer is now one of the non PAF ports.
Reading through Reeds 2025 alamanack was the details of the PAF scheme. Which I followed with the help of the harbour master. The form was completed signed and stamped by the harbour master and E mailed to customs. No where in Reeds or on the French customs form did it say you couldnt enter at PAF port and leave at Non PAF port.
I will try to telephone the French customs help line tomorrow.

The rules for Normandy & Brittany are if you have enterred via a major port and had passport stamped you have to leave in the same way and get stamped out. The secondary port entry/exit works in the same way but without the need to get stamped and all done by the marina in conjunction with their local customs office via email and a confirmation email sent to us from customs. A very informative website run by Colin in Guernsey provides regularly updated marina and customs information French Marina Entry/Exit rules – DigimapMarinas.com
Given the imminent changes I would suggest an email to the local customs office and include details of your entry and am sure they will make an exemption for you, I would caution phoning as you need a paper trial .
Cheers Tetleys

 

[PlanB]

I'm sure that you won't be the only one to have failed to get stamped out. Make sure the next time you travel, you have every possible piece of evidence that you left, including proof of being in UK with date (shop receipt, travel ticket, bank statement etc.

I seem to recall reading something along these lines but can't remember where.

 

[petem]

Virtually every time I enter and leave Spain, the border people always scan my passport as well as stamping it.
I always thought that the scanning process checks the dates as well as the stamps.
EES will definitely do that and maybe we won't use up all those pages in our passports.

There wouldn't be much point in the existing Spanish passport scanning machines calculating dates as they wouldn't take the time in other EU countries into account.

 

[Hurricane]

There wouldn't be much point in the existing Spanish passport scanning machines calculating dates as they wouldn't take the time in other EU countries into account.

But, I bet there is a log that could be interrogated if the needed.

 

[Newbroom]

I'm sure that you won't be the only one to have failed to get stamped out. Make sure the next time you travel, you have every possible piece of evidence that you left, including proof of being in UK with date (shop receipt, travel ticket, bank statement etc.

I seem to recall reading something along these lines but can't remember where.

I think I now have it sorted. A trip up to St Pancras Station on Monday and visit the French poilce there. They will will stamp our passports. All arranged by a really helpful french gentleman
Lieutenant-colonel Nicolas MEJENNY
Attaché de sécurité intérieure adjoint / Deputy Home Affairs and Police Attaché
Interesting fact is the border control is not customs run but police nationale
That probably explains why I could get no sense out of the French Customs

 

[gjgm]

I think I now have it sorted. A trip up to St Pancras Station on Monday and visit the French poilce there. They will will stamp our passports. All arranged by a really helpful french gentleman
Lieutenant-colonel Nicolas MEJENNY
Attaché de sécurité intérieure adjoint / Deputy Home Affairs and Police Attaché
Interesting fact is the border control is not customs run but police nationale
That probably explains why I could get no sense out of the French Customs

Interesting fact is the border control is not customs run but police nationale

Not that is likely to matter much to us lot, but I think the overall Gvt body is the Dpt of Police aux Frontieres ( DNPAF), but for what we might come across, in marinas, the running and implementation of policy is delegated to the Douane is most places. The Douane Office is a division of DNPAF anyway, so ! There are several addition Offices with other specific " immigration" responsibilities .However in a few places , and I think St Pancras is one, PAF manage some locations directly.
So, unless you are a person of very specific interest (!), I think in marinas it will be the Douane who are directly responsible and who you will be dealing with.
Edit- I don't know if any of this changes with the upcoming EU entry changes.

 

[syvictoria]

This link EU Entry/Exit System indicates that you enrol the first time that you use it - and then again 3 years later.
When EES is introduced, you may need to create a digital record on your first visit to the Schengen area at the port or airport on arrival. You will need to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths.

Not to be confused with ETIAS which is the visa that we will also have to have - I believe that there will be a small fee for that one.
As I understand, currently, we (UK residents) get our Schengen visa automatically but when ETIAS comes along, we will have to apply for it.

It's actually a visa-waiver that will be required. UK nationals do not require a visa for 90/180 visits to the EU.

The French border control man once failed to stamp our passports on departing from Dunkerque in the car. We raised the issue with the border staff at the port office (duty free!) where we are subsequently bundled into a border control vehicle with 3 burly border control staff, escorted back into the French side of the port, had our passports stamped, and were then returned to our car! It was all very exciting!

 

[Alicatt]

Leaving Ijmuden in 2022 for the UK I got my passport stamped by the border guard, then he stopped, looked again at the passport took it to his office and scribbled the stamp out. As a EU resident I did not require a stamp.

 

[Hurricane]

It's actually a visa-waiver that will be required. UK nationals do not require a visa for 90/180 visits to the EU.

As I understand it, after ETIAS is introduced, we (UK Btits) will have to apply for an ETIAS visa in order to get our Schengen visa that we currently get for free. I believe that the fee for such a visa will be about £7 for 3 years but I believe it won't be free like it is now.Edit Still 90 in 180 days though.

 

[Alicatt]

As I understand it, after ETIAS is introduced, we (UK Btits) will have to apply for an ETIAS visa in order to get our Schengen visa that we currently get for free. I believe that the fee for such a visa will be about £7 for 3 years but I believe it won't be free like it is now.Edit Still 90 in 180 days though.

just the same as we have now to pay €18 to get a Electronic Travel Authorisation for my Belgian wife to come to the UK where it was free before, still 180 in 365 days though

 

[Hurricane]

still 180 in 365 days though

I wish

 

[syvictoria]

As I understand it, after ETIAS is introduced, we (UK Btits) will have to apply for an ETIAS visa in order to get our Schengen visa that we currently get for free. I believe that the fee for such a visa will be about £7 for 3 years but I believe it won't be free like it is now.Edit Still 90 in 180 days though.

Unfortunately recent reports suggest that the proposed cost has increased to EUR 20.

Scammers target UK travellers amid EU entry confusion

Under the new ETIAS rules, travellers who don’t need a visa from non-EU countries, including the UK, Australia, the US and Canada, will have to obtain authorisation before short stays in the Schengen Area.

This will require you to complete an online application, provide personal details, answer security questions ad pay a €20 fee. This authorisation will be linked to the traveller’s passport and will be valid for three years or until the passport expires.

 

[st599]

Unfortunately recent reports suggest that the proposed cost has increased to EUR 20.

Scammers target UK travellers amid EU entry confusion

It was planned to be 7, then the UK started charging EU visitors 18.

 

[syvictoria]

It was planned to be 7, then the UK started charging EU visitors 18.

That figures...

 

[Alicatt]

I wish

It is for my wife staying in the UK

We have had lots of friends that want to come over to the UK and to Scotland, but, when they look into getting a passport @ €80 each then €18 on top for the ETA they say thanks but no thanks, they can go anywhere in the EU with just their ID cards and not have that extra expense.

Our middle son wanted to come over this month but it was going to coast him over €400 to get his wife and kids the travel documents on top of the €800 ferry fares, he said he would pass on it, last time him and his wife were over was for our wedding in 2015 and his wife was pregnant with their first child.

 

[ashtead]

Must remind my wife to get that Irish passport as it would seem a worthwhile investment going forward. I don’t really see how the 20 or so machines we spotted on landing in Madeira will cope with a full airbus of passengers . I guess it takes say 5 mins per person to comply with new ETIAs at airport but how does that work landing at any French port -does each marina have its own bank of machines waiting eagerly for next years yachtspersons to land?