UK to the Channel Islands...customs forms

[Way]

Hoping to do Needles to Alderney and down through the Channel Islands next month.

Does anyone actually fill one of these in? http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/c1331.pdf

Maybe I'm being naive but it seems like an utter waste of time. The assumption is that you will definitely leave on said departing date/arrive at the right time/weather will be right etc etc. Like I say, maybe I'm being naive

 

[laika]

Many previous discussions on this (search for c1331), most recently here

In some previous threads many people have said they don't bother. It is law though.

 

[Way]

excellent thanks, hadn't seen that

 

[jimbaerselman]

You're leaving the EU customs zone. And that's what British law requires. Guernsey law (covers Alderney) requires you to report arrival with Q flag and notify harbour authorities.

The French don't seem to bother with this rigmarole.

 

[Way]

yep, it all seems rather over the top.

What I don't understand is that if I want to leave on X date and then weather delays me by 4 days, do I have to resubmit a form? It doesnt say on the form.

 

[Seven Spades]

When we came back last year I called the yacht line:-

Name of the vessel?

How many on board?

All British passport holders?

Ok you are cleared.

Q flag down.

 

[laika]

What I don't understand is that if I want to leave on X date and then weather delays me by 4 days, do I have to resubmit a form? It doesnt say on the form.

Yes. You're supposed to send the UKBA a letter advising them of any changes: See section 6.3 here:
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000289&propertyType=document#P301_37986

Thinking about prv's posts from the last thread, chilling out and considering your waiting time at anchor as "part of the journey" rather than stressing about stupid officialdom and having to row ashore to find a postbox is undoubtedly the way to go

 

[Angele]

When you left the UK, didn’t you "plan" ( ) to go via Cherbourg and only ended up "changing your mind" when outside British waters, too late to advise the Border Agency? Bizarre that your course to steer on leaving the Needles seemed to be a little further west than would have been ideal for Cherbourg. Almost as if you were aiming for Alderney or the race from the outset.

On the way back, you might actually want to stop off at Cherbourg, since it instantly legitimises any duty free purchases. The French don't care about you reimporting wines and spirits from outside the EU, and the British won't do anything about it when you re-enter British waters, since your journey is intra-EU

And, doing it this way just happens to save on the paperwork.

 

[prv]

What I don't understand is that if I want to leave on X date and then weather delays me by 4 days, do I have to resubmit a form? It doesnt say on the form.

Personally, I wouldn't. One form out, one form back, everybody's happy and who's really paying attention to the details?

Then again, I can't really imagine how I'd get into this situation in the first place. I'm not going to cast off, motor down the river, and only then discover that it's blowing a hooley and I have to cancel the trip. I'll know that probably the night before, or at least on the morning of departure. I can't really fill the form in at all until everyone's on board (I need their passport numbers), so I'd then send someone off to drop it in the postbox round the corner from the boatyard while I'm stowing for sea, getting the covers off, etc. If we were going to wait a day or two, we'd already have decided that.

I can see that some lucky people with time for an extended summer cruise may decide on a cross-channel jaunt when they're at anchor in some remote place and can't post the form. Can't be all that common, though.

Pete

 

[laika]

When you left the UK, didn’t you "plan" ( ) to go via Cherbourg and only ended up "changing your mind" when outside British waters, too late to advise the Border Agency? Bizarre that your course to steer on leaving the Needles seemed to be a little further west than would have been ideal for Cherbourg. Almost as if you were aiming for Alderney or the race from the outset.

I can see how that could easily happen, but some potential inconsistency could arise if your crew likes you log a cross channel passage plan with the coastguard

 

[Champagne Murphy]

When we came back last year I called the yacht line:-

Name of the vessel?

How many on board?

All British passport holders?

Ok you are cleared.

Q flag down.

The 'Yacht line'?

 

[Angele]

Yes, the "yacht line":

From C1331:

Phone the National Yachtline on 0845 723 1110 when
you arrive. They will tell you what to do.

 

[Angele]

I can see how that could easily happen, but some potential inconsistency could arise if your crew likes you log a cross channel passage plan with the coastguard

True, but only ever likely to happen if someone at the Border Agency has the job of checking with HMCG the details of vessels leaving the UK. I thought they were focussed on vessels coming the other way.

 

[Sailfree]

I think 99% don't bother with any forms leaving the UK and probably 50% don't bother with forms in Guernsey.

I think that I am 99.9% likely to be wrong in my estimates!

 

[prv]

I think 99% don't bother with any forms leaving the UK and probably 50% don't bother with forms in Guernsey.

I don't know about Guernsey itself, but in Alderney (same bailiwick) we had a man in a dory come out to us at anchor to do the paperwork.

I think they like to do it as an assertion of their independence.

Pete

 

[Sailfree]

I don't know about Guernsey itself, but in Alderney (same bailiwick) we had a man in a dory come out to us at anchor to do the paperwork.

I think they like to do it as an assertion of their independence.

Pete

They come ot in a dory to deliver the paperwork in both Alderney and Guernsey but never known them to wait for them to be filled in. Usually expect them to be posted in their yellow customs postboxes.

I dropped a friend off on Alderney once after a few weeks sailing and he was spotted carrying 6 bottles of French wine. He was asked to pay import duty in a friendly way!

 

[Way]

Great, thanks guys. As always, really helpful.

Pete I think yuo made the right point - send the form, be done with it. doesnt take long and I'm sure noone's going to imprison you if you turn up 2 days late.

Thanks all

 

[prv]

They come ot in a dory to deliver the paperwork in both Alderney and Guernsey but never known them to wait for them to be filled in. Usually expect them to be posted in their yellow customs postboxes.

Ah, well, in this case he was invited aboard and to sit in the wardroom while the First Officer filled in the paperwork, so not your typical yottie arrival

Pete

 

[Sybarite]

When we came back last year I called the yacht line:-

Name of the vessel?

How many on board?

All British passport holders?

Ok you are cleared.

Q flag down.

The first time I sailed back to N. Ireland I had the Q flag up. The customs telephoned the local boatman to ask me to take it down, otherwise they would have to come and check the boat.

 

[goboatingnow]

You're leaving the EU customs zone. And that's what British law requires. Guernsey law (covers Alderney) requires you to report arrival with Q flag and notify harbour authorities.

The French don't seem to bother with this rigmarole.

Worth pointing out that for goods and services, the Channel Islands are not outside the customs union of the EU ( by agreement) for the purposes of VAT , you have exported the goods as regard VAT , but teh goods have not left the Customs Union terrority.

not that this has anything to do with the OPs issue, Croatia is only accessing EU boats that are not VAT paid. EU VAT paid boats are not affected by the Croatian accession. The speedboat owners has nothing to fear , once there is some proof of VAT paid in the UK or atg very least a UK bill of sale and registration.