Customs Formalities 

If customs and / or immigration clearance are required, the crew must remain on board the vessel until the formalities have been completed and the Q flag has been taken down.

Customs Notice 8 explains the Customs requirements for private individuals who sail their pleasure craft to and from the UK. It includes Customs procedures for arriving and departing the UK, details on temporary importation (for pleasure craft from outside the EU) and details on proving the VAT status of your vessel.

The notice can be downloaded from the HM Revenue & Customs web-site or alternatively contact their National Advice Service on Tel 0845 010 9000 to request a copy by post.

Departing the UK

If you are departing the UK and going directly to another EU country, you are free of formalities with UK customs.

If you are departing the UK and going directly to a non-EU country (which includes going to the Channel Islands), you must advise customs of your intentions using form C1331. The address to which the form must be sent can be found on the form.

Arriving in the UK

If you are arriving into the UK directly from another EU country there is no need to fly your Q flag or notify customs of your arrival unless you have goods to declare or non-EU nationals onboard.

If you are arriving into the UK directly from a country outside the EU (which includes arriving from the Channel Islands) you must fly the Q flag from the 12 nautical mile (territorial waters) limit and report to customs by telephoning the National Yachtline on 0845 723 1110. Again Notice 8 details the requirements for the completion of form C1331 and the address to which the form must be sent can be found on the form.

Pets

Although the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) has relaxed the UK quarantine rules to an extent, it only allows pets to be brought into the UK without quarantine under certain conditions. One of these conditions is that they must arrive by an authorised route or carrier.

It is not permitted under the PETS to bring pets into the UK by private boat or plane.

Free movement does however currently exist for animals travelling between the UK and the Republic of Ireland,  UK and the Isle of Man, and UK and the Channel Islands. No documentation is currently required for these movements although you may wish to travel with your pet’s passport if available.

Whilst there is free movement for travel around the UK and the Republic of Ireland (as noted above), it is prohibited to bring a pet into the UK on a private boat from another country. PETS therefore advises that you keep a ship’s log, noting which ports you have entered in order to avoid problems with port officials on re-entry to the UK.

In the event of problems at sea which, for example, resulted in the vessel making an emergency stop in a French port for repairs, your cat/dog would require 6 months quarantine on re-entry to the UK. It is therefore recommended that your cat/dog is prepared under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) to avoid such risks.

Pet travel rules changed on 1 January 2012 when the UK brought its procedures into line with the European Union. Pets can enter or re-enter the UK from any country in the world without quarantine provided they meet the rules of the scheme. These rules differ depending on the country or territory the pet is coming from.

The changes to the UK pet entry regulations since 1 January 2012, have not altered the requirement to enter the UK with an approved transport company on an authorised route. Pet owners are only able to use the routes and transport companies detailed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/routes/ to bring their pets into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme, subject to the transport company’s agreement.  The rules do not permit pet owners bring pets into the UK from a private boat or plane or with any transport company that has not successfully negotiated an agreement with Defra called a Required Method of Operation (RMOP) and therefore appears on the above link.

For further information contact the Pet Travel Scheme:

Pets Helpline Tel:  0870 241 1710
Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm
Or email: Pettravel@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk

Elsewhere

Outside the UK on a UK registered vessel similar rules will apply i.e. whether you need to fly the Q flag and contact customs and/or immigration will depend whether both your departure and arrival ports are within the EU. If you are remaining within the EU and do not have anything to declare (goods or non-EU nationals) you do not need to fly the Q flag, but should still be prepared to present your paperwork (including passports for all those onboard) when asked.

When outside the EU practices vary, but if in doubt you should fly the Q flag on first entering territorial waters, and ensure that you obtain customs and immigration clearance for both the boat and crew, before either you or your crew leave the boat on any other business.

Schengen Treaty

Although a member of the EU, the UK is not a party to the Schengen Treaty which has essentially abolished checks at common boarders between many of the EU and EEA countries. Anyone entering the Schengen area from a non-Schengen country may be subject to a passport check. 

When entering the Schengen area via either Belgium or the Netherlands, vessels from non-Schengen countries are required to complete and submit a crew list. Links to samples of the forms are available above. However please note that you may be presented with different forms for each region in the Netherlands and in Belgium you may be given a self carbonating triplicate form or in some places an older version of the form.

In reality skippers are finding it increasingly difficult to comply with the requirements as in many ports the authorities are simply not interested in the form.