GAR form - do you have to inform immigration?

[Abbeville]

Any updates on this.

Seem to be drawing a blank on Google.

A

[BackPacker]

I happen to be researching the same topic myself right now for a flight to the UK this weekend.

So far all I've seen is that you can mail it to the NCU and it *seems* (but I'm not 100% convinced) that they forward it to, at least, all required customs and immigration services, but not special branch or police. But the information is, as usual, very scetchy and written from the NCU/HMRC perspective only.

Here's the most useful link I have found so far:

UK Border Agency | Home Page

But any and all information to make my life easier is appreciated. (I don't have a fax machine...!)

[patowalker]

I have an email from RIS Ops - Transport Intelligence Air -General Aviation at HMRC, which reads in part " If you Email/fax the GAR to the HMRC NCU it should automatically copy to UKIS."

UKIS is now the Border Agency.

Edited to add: Special Branch and Police are only involved with flights within the Common Travel Area (Great Britain, Northern Ireland and/or Eire, Isle of Man and Channel Islands).

[BackPacker]

Yep. Still doesn't include police or special branch though.

[patowalker]

See edit to my previous message. No need to notify Special Branch or Police if you are coming from the Netherlands.

[dublinpilot]

You have it correct (Customs should notifiy the Border Agency).

However if you read the GAR instructions it says:

All flights notified for Customs & Immigration purposes should be sent to:
NCU (National Co-Ordination Unit) – Fax [phone] (overseas; [phone]) or 0870 240 3738; email [email protected] (please put GAR, registration
and airfield in the subject of the email) (Some local offices may still require separate notification in addition to the above)

My Bold/Underline. So apparently you are not guaranteed that it will go to the Border Agency. When doing a flight from France to the UK last year, I contacted Customs to find out if the arrival airport that I was going to use, was in an area that required seperate notification to the border agency, and emails went up and down through customs, and nobody was able to tell me.

Eventually I got a contact for the local border agency that I could contact to see if they wanted seperate notification.

They really ought to list the ones that need seperate notification on the GAR form itself, with their contact details.

[Victorian]

This is not something that I would do. The obligation to notify your flight rests with you, not the airport.

Dublinpilot, that's perfectly true. But what if you fly from/to a 'concession' airport? (Now known I believe as a Certificate of Agreement aerodrome) My experience is that they insist you inform them with the Garjan form, not SB etc. directly. Do people on here back up notification to concession airports with separate copies to SB? Do any concession airports respond with acknowledgements, permission numbers, etc.?

I once had a concession airport (inbound at 10 miles) claim "they could not find my paperwork", persuading me to land at a customs airport (£100 landing/handling) instead. Now, I carry copies of the Garjan form with me as submitted to the concession airport and if the same thing happened, would land anyway and sort it out on the ground.

I also follow up with a phone call to verify they've got it. Belt n' braces but an unexpected diversion to a big expensive place at the end of a long flight in average weather when almost home is character forming and wallet depleting.

[patowalker]

You have it correct (Customs should notifiy the Border Agency).

However if you read the GAR instructions it says:

Quote:
All flights notified for Customs & Immigration purposes should be sent to:
NCU (National Co-Ordination Unit) – Fax [phone] (overseas; [phone]) or 0870 240 3738; email [email protected] (please put GAR, registration and airfield in the subject of the email) (Some local offices may still require separate notification in addition to the above)

"Some local offices" in this context can only mean some local Customs offices, as it is HMRC that is giving the instructions.

If I send an email to the National Co-Ordination Office, I expect them to co-ordinate and I don't ask if I need to inform anybody else. All I do is keep a copy of the email.

I depart from and return to one of the "Other Airfields", and have yet to meet a Customs or Border Agency officer.

[140KIAS]

This used to hurt my head so much everytime I planned a flight involving a GAR. To avoid relearning in advance of each infrequent trip I produced the following in an attempt to make it seem simple. Its probably wrong in some counts so use it at your peril.

https://picasaweb.google.com/GWIFEC1...20496803976786

[dublinpilot]

Dublinpilot, that's perfectly true. But what if you fly from/to a 'concession' airport? (Now known I believe as a Certificate of Agreement aerodrome) My experience is that they insist you inform them with the Garjan form, not SB etc. directly. Do people on here back up notification to concession airports with separate copies to SB? Do any concession airports respond with acknowledgements, permission numbers, etc.?

I've been asked by some airports to send it to them (perhaps they were concession airports, I can't remember).

In some cases I'd already submitted the paperwork, and the airport simply asked me to send them a copy. In other cases I hadn't already submitted, but told them that I would submit it myself, and would send them a copy.

I've been met by Special Branch three time, only one of which was a pleasant experience. The first one I'd cocked up (though hadn't realised it at the time...I'd sent the GAR to the wrong police force). The second occasion was a pleasent experience, and the third occasion the police had cocked up.

It was clear to me that the third occasion was also going to be a very unpleasent experience for me, but fortunately I had brought a copy of the fax with me, together with the confirmation page, so it turned out to be a somewhat unpleasent experience for the police. But unless I had had the evidence with me, to prove that I'd complied, it would have been a very unpleasent experience. This is why I would never leave it up to an airport operator to do on my behalf; a fax to an airport operator simply wouldn't have cut ice with the police when they were making it very clear that it was my responsibility.

dp

[neilgeddes]

Redhill

As a COA airfield Redhill has this sensible advice Customs & Excise - Redhill Aerodrome

Normal practise seems to be to email or fax one's flight plans and GAR to ATC and they do the rest. Seems to work fine! (Or use AFPEx for the flight plans and just send ATC the GAR.)

[dublinpilot]

I see Redhill like to make up some of their own laws too

At least 24 hours prior notice is required for flights operating Tuesday – Friday. For flights operating on Saturday, Sunday or Monday notification must be given by 1600 hours on Friday.

12 hours notice is all that is required by the Terrorism Act

[PompeyPaul]

In my view.....

...the mind bending physics of quantum mechanics pales into insignificance compared to "where do I fax the gar form to?"

Let's face it, even the authorities don't know, otherwise they'd provide working numbers on the back. I've even contacted my local police station to get an answer. They acted like anybody who emailed the police to find out where to fax the gar form probably isn't a terrorist and thus were totally disinterested and only answered 1 of the 5 questions in the email.

I just hand it to the tower now and they do something magic with it.

It really is like something from the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy.

[Contacttower]

The two police forces for Common Travel Area related GAR forms I've dealt with seem to take a passing interest in them, both actually prefer you to email it to them. The copy of the GAR instructions completion instructions I have indicates which police forces accept them by email but doesn't actually specify the email addresses themselves...so I guess one has to call to get them.

Hampshire Police is [email protected] for anyone who is wondering...

I got a gentle telling off earlier this year from Tayside Police when I forgot to send one for a flight from Ireland to Dundee.

Customs I think it just disappears into the ether...I have never heard anything from them and no one has ever come to meet the plane when arriving back in the UK at a non-customs airport.

[BackPacker]

I'm smelling a business opportunity here...

How much would you be willing to pay (via a Paypal "donate" scheme or something like that) for a web interface that allows you to fill in all data via convenient HTML fields, then creates the GAR form for you (PDF, so you can print it and take it with you), figures out where to mail the form to, mails the form to all relevant authorities and gives you a printable (again, PDF) confirmation page of all this?

I'm thinking along the lines of between 1 and 2.5 euros per GAR form processed.

Anybody any idea how many GAR forms are sent annually?

[hoodie]

Originally Posted by BackPacker

Anybody any idea how many GAR forms are sent annually?

About 75% of those that should be...

[patowalker]

"Honest Officer, I did instruct BackPacker to send it to you. He is usually quite reliable."

[chevvron]

If you're travelling via Fairoaks, the atsu there will do all the work if you fax or e-mail the GAR.
Fax is 01276 856898 e-mail '[email protected]' and it will be sent to all the relevant authorities.
The airport is required to hold a copy of the GAR, hence the reason most airfields say to fax it to them.

[BackPacker]

The airport is required to hold a copy of the GAR

Why?

Fairoaks is a COA airfield and there may be bits in their agreement that require them to hold onto GAR forms for flights to/from non-EU countries. "Agreements vary and details should be sought from the Airport Operator".

But for flights to/from EU countries I can't find any requirement to send things to them.

(Although I agree that it is very convenient to send the fax to them and let them sort it out.)

[chevvron]

Although UKBA don't turn up for every flight, they do at random especially if a flight from any country EU or not is carrying non - EU passport holders where a visa needs to be issued, hence there is a requirement (probably UK only) that GARs must be kept for 30 days.