If there remains one thing that the Brexit has managed to put in place, it is the most complete blurring of procedures for entry and, even more so, for staying on British territory.
The formalities have been greatly simplified in recent weeks, as a phone call is basically all that is required to complete the access procedures.
A simple phone call to get permission to enter
Thus, to do things in order, it is necessary to
- When entering British waters (12 kilometers off the coast), send the flag Q
Contact UK Yachtline on +44 (0) 300123 2012 as soon as possible, as soon as there are no further stops outside the UK. - Answer honestly and clearly to the questions that will be asked (details of the ship, nationalities/passports of the crew, (illegal) goods transported and imported, previous stop, next destination.
- From then on, you have two possibilities. If everything is clear and nothing needs to be clarified, the British customs officers allow you to disembark, you can therefore remove the Q flag and continue your journey.
If, on the contrary, the agents feel the need to proceed with more verification, then the indicated procedure must be strictly applied:
Old procedure in case of doubt
- Keep the Q flag sent
- go to the port designated by the authorities
- Wait, without disembarking, for the visit of the customs officers
- Complete and display part 2 of the C1331 form on the website
www.gov.uk
We recommend that you print out part 2 of this C1331 form before leaving France, so that you don't have the stress of finding a printing solution once you arrive.
Valid for all British Isles, including Gibraltar
The easing of these procedures is excellent news and will facilitate our visit to the British Isles. Please note that the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Sark ...) are not affected by this procedure and retain their customs independence.
