If you are sailing to France, here is what you need to know to avoid immigration and customs headaches for a smooth entry and exit from the country. Credit: Getty. UK sailors planning on sailing to France this summer are being warned that a shortage of officials means not all ports can be treated as Ports of Entry. This would allow arrival at any port and not require a designated port. These forms started to appear on some port websites, such as St Cast and St Quay Portrieux in Brittany, but not all, and it soon became clear that there were not enough French officials to go from port to port to check boat papers and stamp passports.
Credit: Peter Cumberlidge. This resulted in the number of ports included in the Port of Entry scheme to be limited. Check schengenvisainfo. The CA has highlighted the although Boulogne is officially a Port of Entry, there are no PAF officials locally to process arrivals and departures, with some arrivals being advised to travel by train to Calais for processing.
It can be found here. On arrival to Saint Cast and Saint Quay, recreational boaters will be required to complete the Declaration of Arrival form, one form is necessary per boat. These must be completed and sent to the marina office email address displayed on the form. The marina office will then forward the completed document to the maritime authorities in Saint-Brieuc for processing.
Once the form has been validated by the authorities, a copy will be returned to the marina office, who will then return it to the boat concerned. This copy should then be kept on-board at all times during the period that the boat remains in the Schengen Area so as to be available in the event of a customs visit, on land or at sea. The boat will then be cleared to sail elsewhere in Brittany. On departure from Saint Cast and Saint Quay, recreational boaters must download and complete the modified Declaration of Departure document.
Similarly, one copy only is needed per boat and should be completed and sent to the email address of the departure marina. The marina office will then forward the completed document to the authorities in Saint-Brieuc. Once validated, a copy will be returned to the marina for onward transmission to the boat concerned.
