st599
Well-known member
The issue is with checking out. You're stuck in France until the office is open.
Regulations for visiting France
- Thread starter boatmike
- Start date
The issue is with checking out. You're stuck in France until the office is open.
st599
Well-known member
Fom the same RYA email:
The same process should be followed for departure. It is even more important that passports are stamped on departure to avoid a situation where you might appear to be overstaying in the Schengen area with the risk of future entry being denied. As offices may not be open when you wish to depart, it is wise to plan for this.
The same process should be followed for departure. It is even more important that passports are stamped on departure to avoid a situation where you might appear to be overstaying in the Schengen area with the risk of future entry being denied. As offices may not be open when you wish to depart, it is wise to plan for this.
Sea Devil
Well-known member
Sea Devil
Well-known member
Most of that advise is total rubbish... I emailed them to suggest they publish a retraction - there is a French government website that lists the 'Frontier Ports' but I doubt anyone at the RYA speaks French!
Sea Devil
Well-known member
Yes but at Ports of entry - Frontier Ports they operate 7 days a week - like any police station - I think -
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Trouble is that if one has to get stamped on a saturday or even Friday, to depart Boulogne on a Sunday & the weather changes to what might have been predicted overnight, what happens then. An typical example :- thick fog which one often finds as one exits the main harbour walls. Sunshine in the marina. ( had that in Dieppe & Boulogne) Does one want to cross the shipping lane in fog? I have turned back before now. Would that mean another E130 uber ride to Calais to cancel & another to check out again. ? Do you sit still & hope the customs do not turn up Monday morning & start issuing fines for over staying.? Worse still if you decide to nip to the Boulangerie for some bread & they come when you are missing for 20 mins. Then they acuse you of swanning around.
Haraka
New member
I guess if you fill in the Preavis which covers the boat at least, then arrive Friday evening and leave Sunday morning who cares if your not stamped in or out?
Sea Devil
Well-known member
My experience in places like Tangier for example, where the check in and out is harder than this Brexit situation, was that I set sail for the canaries and walked into a real blow on the nose and after 18 hours returned back to Tangiers to wait for the weather to pass... The authorities totally understood the problem and said provided we did not leave the boat we could wait without having to check in again and out again.
My guess is if there were thick fog or a sudden blow then the (Boulogne?) Marina office would call Calais and explain the situation and I am 99% certain that Calais would say it was OK provided everyone stayed on the boat - or in the marina area...
The officials are not generally unreasonable and are not stupid and will behave in a pragmatic fashion is my guess - and with Weather on Line and Predict wind to look at normally the 24/48 hour forecasts are pretty accurate...
Sea Devil
Well-known member
The Port Police, Douanes, Police locale for a start - it's against the law and if you are caught there will be penalties like no entry to the EU for a number of years and a fine.....
Bob the Dog
Member
You’re making an assumption that they might have the slightest clue!! 95% of arrivals here in France are Sweedish/German/Belgian/Dutch…..you get the drift. It’s a ‘hi, how you doing’ and xyz Euros please. 30 seconds to change country. If you’re a Brit you’re on your own. Do yourself a favour….. fly somewhere…..actually, on second thoughts!!!
Haraka
New member
You’re right. I should take it more seriously. I’ve spent the last 2(?) years since Brexit enjoying the delights of St Malo and north Brittany with no issues coming and going by ferry, then leaving last month in time to avoid paying UK VAT.
I am sure if you email
didpaf-cherbourg-cic@interieur.gouv.fr
and explain when, where, how you are planning to arrive they will give you a clear steer. As has been mentioned they generally want to be helpful and our usually sympathetic to our self-inflicted political wounds.
I am sure if you email
didpaf-cherbourg-cic@interieur.gouv.fr
and explain when, where, how you are planning to arrive they will give you a clear steer. As has been mentioned they generally want to be helpful and our usually sympathetic to our self-inflicted political wounds.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
I am wondering if a group of British boats arrived on a club cruise to Boulogne, the customs might actually come to Boulogne, as they often do. That would save the trip to Calais, provided Boulogne is definitely a designated port of entry, which I am still not sure about. Regardless of the RYA's comments.
I have emailed the RYA to ask them to consider having discussions with the French border control at Calais to see if arrangements could be made for customs visits to Boulogne for group cruises. It would be much simpler. The customs could board yachts & This would be easier than a load of us hiring taxis. It would also get UK yachts back to France at a pretty good destination.
Perhaps an email to the mayor of Boulogne would be a good starting point for the RYA. After all we spend money in his town.
I have emailed the RYA to ask them to consider having discussions with the French border control at Calais to see if arrangements could be made for customs visits to Boulogne for group cruises. It would be much simpler. The customs could board yachts & This would be easier than a load of us hiring taxis. It would also get UK yachts back to France at a pretty good destination.
Perhaps an email to the mayor of Boulogne would be a good starting point for the RYA. After all we spend money in his town.
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Sea Devil
Well-known member
The marina made a big effort at the start of all this with meetings with the Customs/Police Frontier - The arrangement originally was for the officials to travel to Boulogne from Calais. It worked briefly then Brit boats began waiting several hours for officials to arrive and then 'Calais' decided that it did not work for them and instructed that all Brit crews must travel to Calais to get their passports stamped in and out... That is their decision and that is how it currently works - across most of the French channel ports... There is to be a roll out of EU passport scanning machines which I assume could be installed in French Marina offices but that is for the future.
As for the RYA I doubt if anyone takes them seriously - their latest 'advice' is totally inaccurate and misleading and clearly there is nobody in RYA who speaks French or is capable of reading a French government website! The French very clearly list the ports that are Frontier Ports or as we call them Ports of Entry and the RYA list for it's members is totally rubbish.....
Monsieur le Maire adores British Tourists and welcomes them with open arms but I would be very surprised if he could influence French law which states non EU boats must make their first entry to the EU at a Frontier Port or Port of Entry... The authorities accept that UK boats may enter another port as their first landfall but must then travel to a Frontier Post to get their passports stamped
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Fair comment. However, they came quick enough when I arrived in 2018.No more than 30 mins.- My 3rd visit in a month. They then spent 1 hour 5 mins on my boat, then left without looking on any other UK boats.
Breezy1
New member
I have just obtained passport stamp to leave Calais in my own boat. That was from the office of the Police aux Frontières. They wanted to see my passport and boat registration document. It's located next to the Car Ferry terminal, past the ferry ticket office (unmistakeable large gold coloured building) through the car park and along the road a bit on the right, square, grey building, in line with the vehicle control booths but on the other side of the fence. You ring a bell and wait outside. Sorry I didn't think of asking opening hours but I guess they must be in line with when the ferries run. I then discovered the free bus (navette) parked outside the ticket office which ran me back very near the marina. I've made some notes and left them in the marina office because they were a bit vague except that they said it was definitely PAF required and not customs / douanes. The navette begins its trip at the town railway station.
chrishscorp
Well-known member
Arrived in Cherbourg last Tuesday crewing on another boat. Checked in at Marina office the following morning @ 0900 by the PAF very friendly and helpful and will try to answer questions a good smattering of French helps. There were about 15 of us on 5 -6 boats, it could be 10.30 before they appear.....
They want a paper copy of your PAF form you submitted by email as they had no copies nor anything electronic to view them with, there is a PAF office about 20 mins walk from the Marina the address is a bit duff as it is down the side of a building and hidden away a bit but someone said they are 24 hours there ?, I would be surprised if that is the case as there are now only 2 ferries a week to the UK from Cherbourg as the Irish lorries now go direct from Rosslaire, so if doing a delivery like me and its dates are moved due to weather you could be in for some fun, I would only entertain doing that again with a small fold up trolley for the kit bags as my only route of travel was Caen on the 23.00 sailing only one with availability.
In fact I was told at the book in desk that once the holidays start there will be very little or no capacity for foot passengers on many crossings, you have been warned.
They want a paper copy of your PAF form you submitted by email as they had no copies nor anything electronic to view them with, there is a PAF office about 20 mins walk from the Marina the address is a bit duff as it is down the side of a building and hidden away a bit but someone said they are 24 hours there ?, I would be surprised if that is the case as there are now only 2 ferries a week to the UK from Cherbourg as the Irish lorries now go direct from Rosslaire, so if doing a delivery like me and its dates are moved due to weather you could be in for some fun, I would only entertain doing that again with a small fold up trolley for the kit bags as my only route of travel was Caen on the 23.00 sailing only one with availability.
In fact I was told at the book in desk that once the holidays start there will be very little or no capacity for foot passengers on many crossings, you have been warned.
Sea Devil
Well-known member
I was in Cherbourg just over a week ago and it was very full with boats rafted out 3 or 4 deep in some places but to be fair there was a 'Rally' in there. I saw Customs going around checking papers on Dutch, German and Brit boats... Sailed off to Alderney the next morning and got the very last mooring buoy in the harbour but it was wonderfully relaxing compared to Cherbourg!!! Sailed to Torquay where I was told I could only stay onre night as it was fully booked but the very nice harbour master found me a place for a few days...
All French and British ports appear to be incredibly busy and over crowded!!!
guernseyman
Well-known member
Arrived in Morlaix yesterday. No documentation needed, no questions, only answers.
Sandy
Well-known member
I make no assumptions there, I have always found marina staff up to date on the current requirements since the UK decide to move into a parallel universe.
KeelsonGraham
Well-known member
Port of Entry doesn’t necessarily mean that the Douane office is open 24/7. Certainly not in Brest, where it is closed all weekend.
