Sailing into the UK with an Aussie on board

[Oscarpop]

I posted this a couple of months ago and followed up on all the suggestions. I still have no solution.

Anyway, the problem I have is that my Australian girlfriend has an Aussie passport. Thus when we sail out of UK waters she needs to be "stamped" back in , when we tie up in back in the UK.

As our local port is ramsgate, they have no idea how or who needs to do this.

Port of ramsgate authority have no idea.

Ukba have no idea ( no surprise there)

Customs and excise say its not their responsibility.

Someone told me somewhere that the ukba have a mobile unit that travels to ports where force ships pull in, however no one knows anything else about this.

Any suggestions?

 

[lenseman]

This is the UKBA / Home Office "Do it by numbers" questionnaire which has drop down boxes to fill and looks simple:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/



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[lenseman]

also:

http://www.workpermit.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Australian_citizens

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/visiting/

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/visiting/




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[Gargleblaster]

I am an Australian passport holder with a right to abode in the UK. Having several times tried to check in and out of the UK having traveled to either Europe or the USA, I have found it is too hard to check in. Once on returning from the US in my own boat I spent a day at Falmouth, which is a major port of entry for foreign and British yachts, to find as you found at Ramsgate that no-one was interested. Yachtline did offer to send me a form to fill in, but as I was not returning directly to our home I said not to bother.

On my last return from the US I thought at least I could check in to Europe if I went via the Azores, but unfortunately at Flores the GNP were not present on that occasion although I have found them dockside previously so failed to register into Europe even.

The US is very efficient as is Portugal [usually] in making sure that you are properly checked in and it would be nice if there was similar efficiency here in the UK.

I now believe the easiest way for me to enjoy my yachting and visiting other countries from the UK, is to work on the policy that if no-one asks I wont tell.

The only thing that would give me concern is that if your Australian girlfriend had a visa that may restrict multiple entry to the UK or had overstayed a visa that had previously been issued. This happened to my son returning to Morocco through normal international flights with his girlfriend who had passed the age limit at which Australians as Commonwealth citizens can get working visas in the UK. She was barred from entry which did cause some concern. But if your girlfriend has a right to abode or multiple entry right and you enjoy visiting European countries by yacht it is much easier just to act like a British citizen would which is do nothing. I always carry my current passport with me when I leave the UK and an older passport that has my right to abode in the UK in it.

All the above is MY OPINION ONLY and probably doesn't reflect all those links that lenseman so kindly put up.

 

[Takamoana]

When we arrived in Plymouth from France in 2010, we (both boat and crew from Aus)called the Yachtline and they asked us to fax a copy of the photo pages of our passports. We received a faxed stamped page to include with our passport - no drama at all.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

My wife is a British National (Overseas) with permission to remain. BNO means that to the rest of the world she is a UK citizen, but has no automatic right of abode in the UK (of course, PTR gives her that right).

If she checked out of the UK, didn't check back in and then tried to check out again, she'd certainly be stopped and subjected to at least annoying delays and interrogation. Technically, she would be in breach of her visa, so if they weren't convinced that it had happened inoccently, she could have her visa revoked.

Basically, despite the difficulties of getting checked in, if you're not a UK citizen and you've checked OUT, you should make every attempt to check back IN, and if you can't, be able to show that you tried! If there's no formal way of doing it, I'd seriously consider going to the local police station and explaining the situation - at least that would give you evidence that you tried.

On a personal note - I once made the reverse mistake with the USA. I failed to hand in the paper counterfoil of the landing card at the airport when I left the USA. When I next entered the USA, they knew I hadn't officially left the US last time, and I got a warning; I guess I may well have been on a list of illegal immigrants! Fortunately it was less twitchy times, so a warning was all I got.

 

[Oscarpop]

After chasing this for another morning, I finally have an answer.

The UKBA have mobile units around the country.

You call them 24hrs before hand , tell them your ETA and which major port/marina you will be arriving in, and they met you there.
(Unfortunately they won't meet us at our home port as it involves going up a river , where we could theoretically drop off a load of illegals on the way).

Either way they have given me a phone number to call from France, so that should make like easier.