Customs and Checking in

[Giffie]

Hey i've looked around and can't really find the info. if you know a post already please refer me to it, if not then I have a few questions id appreciate some help with.

I'm doing a Trans Atlantic in the spring and well.

How do you find what procedures you need at every port you intend to go to.
They seem to vary so much.

Do you just go and call when you get there and figure it out then.

What if its late at night. all I found on this was you might pay a fee.

Is there specific channels for different places. or is it the same as marinas around here, you contact them and they switch you to a certain channel,

What if they dont speak english or french. guessing they'll figure out your a vessel from a distant place anyway.

Things I do know is that you must fly a Quantine flag until cleared then your courtesy flag, be nice , be polite , and I got that some people carry gifts such as pens or things like that for customs agents. Any help apprecited.

Thanks.

[fallard]

The prudent thing to do would be to check with your own state department and also to check websites for customs and immigration where you might possibly visit. You will need to know ports of entry. You may need visas, for example, and may want to know about any fees in advance, as well as forms of payment. You certainly want to know about firearms rules, if that is an issue. If you are going to the EU, you'll want to know about length of stay rules, lest you overstay and get a hefty bill for "importing" your vessel.

A good policy is to stay on your boat with the quarantine flag out until you verify the location and hours of operation for customs and immigration. You can expect an additional fee for after hours/weekend service.

Doing your homework before departure is in order here.

[TQA]

Originally Posted by Giffie

Hey i've looked around and can't really find the info. if you know a post already please refer me to it, if not then I have a few questions id appreciate some help with.

I'm doing a Trans Atlantic in the spring and well.

How do you find what procedures you need at every port you intend to go to.
They seem to vary so much.

Do you just go and call when you get there and figure it out then.

What if its late at night. all I found on this was you might pay a fee.

Is there specific channels for different places. or is it the same as marinas around here, you contact them and they switch you to a certain channel,


What if they dont speak english or french. guessing they'll figure out your a vessel from a distant place anyway.

Things I do know is that you must fly a Quantine flag until cleared then your courtesy flag, be nice , be polite , and I got that some people carry gifts such as pens or things like that for customs agents. Any help apprecited.

Thanks.

Noonsite is what you need to look at see CLICKY

No gifts required in Europe. Generally if you are in a port visited by the cruising community things wil be fairly relaxed and if you are in a marina the staff will know what to do and where to go. Just have the Q flag flying. Some countries CAN be strict about only the skipper going ashore untill all formalities are completed.

Assuming you are a non EU passport holder there is a nasty surprise in store if you want to visit the group of countries covered by the Schengen Agreement

The Schengen Visa issued to nationals of other countries is only valid for 90 days. This means a total of only 90 days can be spent in the Schengen Agreement countries in any 6 month period, even if it is a multi-entry visa and time is spent in countries outside the Agreement. A new visa will not normally be issued within 6 months of the date of first entering a Schengen Agreement country.

For nationals of non-EU countries which do not require a visa (for example, the USA), the 90 day limit still also applies.

In northern waters, the following countries are part of the Agreement :- France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

In the Mediterranean, the following counties are included:- France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Spain and Portugal.

This restriction may only affect a small number of cruising boats, but since applications for this visa can take some time, are very complicated if not applied for from the crew's home country, extensions are almost impossible to obtain and fines are imposed for over-staying, it is something of which to be aware.

Make sure you have the necessary certificates for a country onboard. In some cases they MUST BE THE ORIGINALS. France is picky about this. Things like boat registration docs, skippers certificate of competance, Radio licences etc.

[night0wl]

www.noonsite.com

Has good and updated procedures for most countries

[hellosailor]

Try noonsite.com for the nations you will be entering, and contact their consulates or "customs" agencies directly to confirm, in writing, what you may need.

Just showing up can be a bad idea, folks tend to get upset if you show up without a visa or other papers and they are needed.

You'll also find each country has their own ideas about contraband, including foodstuffs. Know what to leave behind, consume, or dump before you get there. (Heck, even in Canada it can be problematic bringing in potatoes and blueberries, of all the dangerous things!)

[Trekka]

Originally Posted by TQA

Assuming you are a non EU passport holder there is a nasty surprise in store if you want to visit the group of countries covered by the Schengen Agreement.

Can you explain, please?

[lickingcardboard]

Trekka read up a few post and in the Quote there is the Answer your looking for.

[Trekka]

Duh - that's what happens when I scan too quickly.

thanksfornotmakingmefeellikeacompleteidiot

Would make a European cruise pretty difficult. Could spend time in Ireland, UK before crossing to continent. But once there, if going through inland waterways to the Med, would have very limited options on where to go with that 90 day clock ticking. Even cruising coastal, that's not much time, especially if waiting for favorable weather and season.

[hellosailor]

Not to worry, Trekka. In their great wisdom of evicting vagrants, ah, rousting tourists, the Schengen countries has just ensured that riff-raff will have to go visit the further reaches of the Med. Turkey, ex-Yugolavia, the south shore if the revolutions settle down...

Or you could of course simply declare war, announce you're conquering that territory in the name of Canada, and confuse the hell out of them. :-)

If someone at a border asks me "The purpose of your visit?" I tend to reply "Conquest and pillage. But if you'll leave the gold, cattle and women stacked up by the border, I can just pick them up on my way out, and we can skip all the messy plundering and burning business."

Well, I've held up MY end of the bargain, but they never seem to stack up the gold and cattle for me.