Sailing to Netherlands and Belgium 2022

Think its the Police Aux Frontieres, that we need on arrival, based on these instructions on the Cherbourg Marina site (the clearest explanation of the process that I've seen so far). And on the e mail addresses contained on the pre-avis forms for Cherbourg, Le Havre and Roscoff. Certainly, in the reply I had from Boulogne, they referenced that they had no Police Aux Frontieres (to handle stamping of passports presumably)......

Still wish I could find a French Government sourced ‘official ports of entry’ list. Otherwise I’m thinking Cherbourg looks the best bet, as an arrival port (if heading south for the summer).
 
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westhinder said:
All the Belgian ports are ports of entry. Upon arrival you have to contact the maritime police, who take care of the border control. Usually they will meet you on the pontoon.
You can find the contact details here: www.police.be/bordercontrol/en/contact/harbours
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Thank you, Westhinder, your posts are a great help. I suspect we're in for more changes yet to this as post Brexit systems are set up in both Schengen and the UK and as Covid restrictions continue to evolve. Whatever Boris may think, it's not over yet!

Your contributions as a local on your side of the N Sea are most welcome.

Peter.
 
I know this is not much help but I went to the Azores this year as part of the Jester Azores Challenge and at Praia de Vitoria, they always bring immigration people down from the airport to stamp passports and clear you in. Of course we were a special case and Praia had managed to regain their entry port status to allow our race to proceed. There entry port status had been taken away from them at the beginning of Covid so they were over the moon about welcoming us.

I think most of European marinas/local authorities, not just Praia de Vitoria should look at whether they want to welcome British (or other non Europeans) yachtspersons and apply for entry port status if they do. But it may take a few years to happen.
 
When the Belgians came down awkwardly about the Uk sailors turning up with red diesel in their tanks a lot of British boats decided not to go to Ostend. I had white fuel so went. Local traders in Niewport & Ostend had complained about loss of trade, even though the % of the overall tourist trade was quite small. I was interviewed on Belgian TV, because a short while earlier I had led a party of 17 sailors from our sailing club to Boulogne, instead of the original plan of Ostend. When interviewed, I pointed out that we had dined in a restaurant one night & the whip was 80 euros per person.
I know that I spent 500 euros when in Boulogne & a few other skippers did also.
So the TV station put this on the news that night, to point out how silly it was to object to the red fuel situation.

The point of this is that the 90 day rule must surely have a much greater effect on the EU tourist trade & if the EU & Uk can sort the differences, in a more amicable way- Perhaps the EU can accept that we left & the UK can accept that we are NOT part of the EU anymore ( Hurrah!!), things might change in the long term.

Personally i can live with the 90 day rule regarding how long I need, but at the minute I am worried about entry/exit rules & because of the 90 day rule it makes things much harder than back in the 70s; in that I have to make sure I do not overstay. I also find the current entry systems seem to be more complicated than the old "turn up & a customs officer arrives & inspects" method one had in places like Belgium.
But once one gets one's head round it & covid does not muddy the waters, hopefully it will be Ok, until some official decides it can be "improved"
 
MartynG said:
Do they continue to do so?
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As I understand it, we now enter under 3rd nation rules. So are able to have red in the tank on arrival, but not to buy any more once there. The same for, say, an American vessel arriving in the EU.
Of course one has to convince their local officials & they may treat it in the same way that one might not allow drugs or guns to be imported into a country.
I shall continue to use white in the interim as I have done ever since the issue arose. It is a nuisance, but not worth the hassle. I get enough problems with customs as it is.
 
Daydream believer said:
As I understand it, we now enter under 3rd nation rules. So are able to have red in the tank on arrival, but not to buy any more once there. The same for, say, an American vessel arriving in the EU.
Of course one has to convince their local officials & they may treat it in the same way that one might not allow drugs or guns to be imported into a country.
I shall continue to use white in the interim as I have done ever since the issue arose. It is a nuisance, but not worth the hassle. I get enough problems with customs as it is.
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Same here. I think it better to comply with the law of the country I'm visiting rather than try to argue with officials that I'm a special case and their laws don't apply to me.
It isn't the Belgians fault that many UK marinas won't sell us the correct fuel.
 
I have read this post and it seems pretty gloomy. I haven't seen any mention of reciprocal arrangements for medical treatment post UK leaving the eu. I read somewhere that the intention was to retain the EHIC card scheme for uk visitors to the eu and vice versa. This seems sensible and I can't imagine that the health services drain by either of these visitors would be particularly onerus on either side. I suppose the question is , does the eu do sensible?!
 
Andy61 said:
I suppose the question is , does the eu do sensible?!
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As opposed to the UK?

Europe has said they will honour the European Health Insurance Cards until the expiry date on each card. After that you can apply for a UK Global Health Card but whether the UK has got these organised yet,I don't know. However despite the change in name to reflect our new Global aspirations, the reality is that you don't get quite as many benefits as we used to enjoy.

But it will have a blue cover.
 
Andy61 said:
I have read this post and it seems pretty gloomy. I haven't seen any mention of reciprocal arrangements for medical treatment post UK leaving the eu. I read somewhere that the intention was to retain the EHIC card scheme for uk visitors to the eu and vice versa. This seems sensible and I can't imagine that the health services drain by either of these visitors would be particularly onerus on either side. I suppose the question is , does the eu do sensible?!
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To be fair to the EU, according to Oliver Dowden they offered much better terms and were rejected by the UK.
 
Andy61 said:
I have read this post and it seems pretty gloomy. I haven't seen any mention of reciprocal arrangements for medical treatment post UK leaving the eu. I read somewhere that the intention was to retain the EHIC card scheme for uk visitors to the eu and vice versa. This seems sensible and I can't imagine that the health services drain by either of these visitors would be particularly onerus on either side. I suppose the question is , does the eu do sensible?!
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Just apply for a GHIC card. Do it on line, simple and free.
 
st599 said:
To be fair to the EU, according to Oliver Dowden they offered much better terms and were rejected by the UK.
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And Mr Dowden is quite correct in that statement.

Their were other ways in which the EU offered to make interaction with the EU easier for UK citizens which the UK rejected out of hand, for instance they offered the UK the opportunity to conyinue membership of the Erasmus program which supports education in EU states other than the one of which the student is a citizen. I know many Brits who benefitted from this excellent ptogram when we were members of the EU and a few of other nationalities. The EU asked for nothing in return for this offer other than contribution at the same level as the EU countries, so its rejection offered the UK no advantage beyond satisfying the unneighbourly attitudes of the ERG.

The GHIC covers all 27 EU countries whereas the EHIC covered those 27 plus Norway, Iceland Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Non expired UK EHICs remain valid in the EU 27 but ceased to be valid in the other 4 european countries for which it used to be valid on 1 January 2021. So despite its name, it is hardly global.

Perhaps of greater concern to most British yachtsmen, neither of these schemes have ever covered the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Monaco but your UK NHS protection does extend to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Wight.

Peter.
 
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