Ports of Entry post Brexit?

[Tim Good]

Having been spoilt by free movement I’m not knowledgable about how we check in and out of countries when cruising now.

So if for example I want to sail to Finland from Plymouth doing mostly coastal hops. Hypothetically speaking if I then anchored / called into a Harbours in France, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden whilst en route to Finland, would I now need to check in at customs and stamp the passport 8 times just to get to Finland?

Or do you just stamp in at the first Schengen country and then your good for 90 days and don’t havent report yourself to other countries until you leave the Schegan area?

Or alternatively I just beelined it the entire way without stopping, can I sail through EU waters without going to customs before arriving into Finland

 

[Graham376]

AFAIK once in Schengen it's free movement in/out of any state for 90 days. Passing through someone's waters without stopping would I think be counted as innocent passage.

 

[Tranona]

While the 90 day principle is clear, how it will operate in practice for visiting yachts is not yet clear (according to the RYA). For example the EU has already advised that there is no EU wide ruling on what evidence of VAT payment is required and it will be up to individual EU states to decide. I suspect that this will be the same for Ports of Entry, stamping passports, entry and exit procedures customs inspections and so on. As we know they are very good at writing unworkable rules and then letting states decide how to make them work.

Therefore best to wait until the current turmoil is over and things start moving again. My guess is that the individual states will minimise the formalities as much as they can, but as now there will be many inconsistencies.

 

[Ningaloo]

Remember that all the procedures have been in place for many years. Just because UK vessels haven't used them does not mean they are not well documented and understood by EU officials.
Of course the volume of UK boats will be higher than those from further afield, however personally I think that the limitations of having to check in and out at an official port of entry will make trips into EU difficult for periods of less than a week and covid will further limit opportunities this year. I am sure that things will change again in 2022 when ETIAS kicks off.

The vast majority of UK boats will not be EU VAT paid so the documents for VAT status are more likely to be requested by HMRC then EU customs. Does anyone know if a non EU VAT boat has to complete a TI on every visit? Even just an overnight in a port if entry? I'm not sure exactly what this entails but it strikes me that this is likely to be more complex than getting the passports stamped and will be the real barrier to short term trips across the channel.

 

[westhinder]

Having been spoilt by free movement I’m not knowledgable about how we check in and out of countries when cruising now.

So if for example I want to sail to Finland from Plymouth doing mostly coastal hops. Hypothetically speaking if I then anchored / called into a Harbours in France, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden whilst en route to Finland, would I now need to check in at customs and stamp the passport 8 times just to get to Finland?

Or do you just stamp in at the first Schengen country and then your good for 90 days and don’t havent report yourself to other countries until you leave the Schegan area?

Or alternatively I just beelined it the entire way without stopping, can I sail through EU waters without going to customs before arriving into Finland

I checked it with the Belgian authorities: once you have checked into the Schengen zone at a port of entry, you’re free to move into another Schengen country and you can feel a European citizen again for 90 days. Do not forget to check out when you leave. You will have your passport stamped upon arrival/departure. There is a recent thread about it Schengen entry procedure

 

[doug748]

...........

The vast majority of UK boats will not be EU VAT paid so the documents for VAT status are more likely to be requested by HMRC then EU customs. Does anyone know if a non EU VAT boat has to complete a TI on every visit? Even just an overnight in a port if entry? I'm not sure exactly what this entails but it strikes me that this is likely to be more complex than getting the passports stamped and will be the real barrier to short term trips across the channel.

I can't help directly, but bear in mind that the Channel Isles have been in a similar position for many years and a system convenient to both parties was put in place. When/if a political will begins to form I am sure a similar thing will emerge but, as the others have said, for now we may have to wait and see.

.

 

[Tranona]

Remember that all the procedures have been in place for many years. Just because UK vessels haven't used them does not mean they are not well documented and understood by EU officials.
Of course the volume of UK boats will be higher than those from further afield, however personally I think that the limitations of having to check in and out at an official port of entry will make trips into EU difficult for periods of less than a week and covid will further limit opportunities this year. I am sure that things will change again in 2022 when ETIAS kicks off.

The vast majority of UK boats will not be EU VAT paid so the documents for VAT status are more likely to be requested by HMRC then EU customs. Does anyone know if a non EU VAT boat has to complete a TI on every visit? Even just an overnight in a port if entry? I'm not sure exactly what this entails but it strikes me that this is likely to be more complex than getting the passports stamped and will be the real barrier to short term trips across the channel.

The concern with VAT is that in theory entry of boats into the EU is under TA and there are conditions related to VAT - that is the boat can only be used by the owner, limited use for commercial work and cannot be sold in the EU without being liable for VAT. Schengen entry rules are centred on the individual and not the boat and geared to land arrivals . I know that they have been in place for years, but have proved to be impossible to operate as intended. Otherwise there would not be literally millions of illegal immigrants in Schengen who have entered because the individual border states are unable or unwilling to keep them out. Equally TA rules have been applied variably from state to state.

We in the UK have exactly the same problem with our borders and it will be interesting to see how Border Force and HMRC deal with visiting EU yachtsmen. Guess given the Covid restrictions there won't be too much movement this year and it will take a year or two for a pattern to emerge.