Schengen area and european customs
 

Hi all,

I am collecting a plane from Greece and flying it back to UK. I am a little out of the loop in regards to the customs aspects of it. Flying is not the problem but I have been talking to a few people about customs and notice for italy, france etc.

I suppose the question is: Does the schengen agreement still exist? People are telling me since France is in a state of emergency that it does not exist anymore. If going into a customs airport such as pescara italy and cannes, south france: what kind of notice/forms would I be looking for?

I would rather file them and not need them then be stuck in one of these places being held by customs for some little formality!

Any help/advice would be great!

I normally fly from the UK (out of schengen) to France (technically still in schengen). Without any issues by going through a customs airport. Some airfields require prior notifications a few hours before for customs officials to be notified (such that they would be able to organise coming to greet you).

I haven't seen any difference, whether going to or from Schengen countries, and into France over the last year or two.

I would contact the customs officials at an airport you are considering landing at (the French AIP print the local customs branch at all customs airports on the plates) and just check with them, tell them your plan and see what they say. It has very rarely been more than just announcing yourself, as you would for any other flight with the addition of sending an email to customs (occasionally they ask for 24 / 48 hours notice - so watch out! If they don't mention it - it might state "customs during hours of operation" whereby they have someone there all day long sipping strong coffee).

Top tip though - if you send them an email, quite a few custom branches have a tendency of not replying to English messages unless you ask them to confirm the reception of the email.

Hope this helps!
Alex

As Alex has said: From a pax/technical POV point of view Schengen (i.e. Passport checks) has not been suspended at internal borders (including France) but in reality you might be subject to more "random" checks ( that is what is happening at the more sensitive road borders.)

Customs is "as was".

Having flown the route, be it in reverse with a USA registered aircraft on an Australian licence I it should be simple. Just look up the ICAO requirements.

From memory

3 copies of a General Declaration, stamped by departure customs. one stay at departure, one for arrival customs and you keep one for the aircraft records.

The Gendec we use has a cargo section, and a crew detail section. A seperate pax manifest should be attached.

But my recommendation is to list all occupants as crew (assuming there are only two of you)

The only part I'm not sure about if the taxation implications in Europe between countries.

Have fun flying International.

PS. Do go thru Cannes, the young lady from the airport who will look after you is a stunner!!!!

There have been some significant changes at French airports over the last year or so. A number have lost the availability of customs (e.g. Abbeville) and others now have much extended customs PPR requirements,( e.g.Caen).. The AIP appears to be not up to date in this respect but NOTAMs reflect recent changes.

Whereas in the past it was commonplace for Customs officers not to appear in response to a PPR request at airports without a permanent customs office, nowadays an inspection appears more the norm. Two individuals waiting by the parking area wearing red armbands is what you need to look for when taxying in ..

Schengen still exists and operates like it did before.

But certain (very few) French airports were requesting advance details for intra-Schengen flights. What you need to do is check the notams for your intended arrival airport. If it has extra procedures notified there (or in the AIP) then comply with those, otherwise it's no notification as normal.

When it comes to leaving the Schengen zone, you'll find far fewer airports in France with customs facilities than previously available.

I have a memory in the back of my mind that Greece basically ignores the Schengen agreement and demands entry and exit via a customs airport, irrespective if it's to/from another Schengen country or not. But I could be wrong on that.

A tip for Greece. If you are an AOPA member, bring your membership card, as there are significant discounts on the handling fees for AOPA members. It might even be worth your while joining just for the trip, depending on what Greek airports you're using.

dp