Cross channel with Schengen visa
 

Does anybody know if there are any extra requirements/paperwork (GAR etc) for a cross channel flight (e.g. France) where one of your passengers doesn't have a British passport but they have a Schengen visa to allow them in to France? Or at least where is a good place to start looking info on this?


Thanks

It was some years ago now but a member of our flying group, who was not british, obtained a visa to enter france temporarily. You may know that you must, from the UK, enter and leave france by one of the specified french airports having given the specified notice. If the Douane do not attend you may continue without taking any further action. In the case of the non european with us they had to report to the douane both inbound and outbound. This meant in both cases, the Douane did not attend in or out, a taxi ride to the local Gendarmerie to report. Other than that there were no problems.

The French embassy in London is the authority you should check with for best advice. The french system is forever changing during theses times.

Thanks for the info. Ye it seems like a bit of a hassle, I think I will just avoid it and take them somewhere in the UK which I am sure they will still enjoy.

No problem if they have a shengen visa. You need to enter via an airport of entry but so does everyone. If you want to make it easy go to somewhere like Ostend or Lille where the immigration officer is there rather than on an on-demand place. Both those places will take you in the follow-me / minibus to the terminal to clear immigration & customs.

It really is a non event because you have to clear customs on first landing in the european empire and again before leaving. If customs are on demand you have to demand for UK passport holders anyway.

There is nothing specific according to the colour of the passport. If you land and no customs officer is present you have still cleared customs - I rarely find a customs officer

And before anyone suggests I am not following the rules, I have been 'ramp checked' by French customs officers at private sites on two occasions. The first time they flew 120 miles from Paris in a AS355 because another helicopter in the party had not passed through a customs airport. The helicopter is question was G registered and owned and flown by a UK passport holder....They were threatening to impose eye watering fines but agreed not to if yours truly was checked. I had a non UK passport holder and told them there was no customs officer at Calais. All happy. I presume for these French chappies flying around in AS355s at £1200 an hour just to check a passport it is vital to ensure no non Schenegen people arrive without following the rules, but they consider a British passport the same as any other one with a visa.

What about return to UK though, should HM customs turn up, is the visa valid for re-entry?

No the GAR form can only be used for British and EU passport holders. All other passport holders have to go through a customs airfield and you will need to give notice if not on site.

Border Force does offer exemptions but you would need to contact them and seek permission well in advance, and it would be for a specific passport holder. Although I have managed this, I have been intercepted, although IMHO the UK Border Force people are a pleasure to deal with

+1 for homonculus

No PM (sorry), email: sam AT prepare2go DOT COM

Thanks, Sam.

Any specific advice on going to S Ireland..uk passports .../

This is not correct. The GAR guidance document does not limit it to British and EU passport holders - Section 9 refers.

Thanks Hoodie

The guidance is dated 2018 so it is possible the rules were relaxed - I am aware of a nurse on a Slav passport on an interhospital flight who was seriously delayed a few years ago, and my correspondence with the deputy director of Border Force, again some years ago, was clear. However all section 9 refers to is visas - it does not specifically mention non EU EEA passports. I am not an immigration expert so I suggest anyone in this situation seeks specific advice.

You could get a situation where there is no stamp recording immigration or emmigration. Border Force do check for these at immigration - my partner was questioned at LHR. Does Border Force enter the GAR data on their computer??? And what if you cancel the flight - you could be accused of being an overstay. I am sure they have an answer, but best to ask and not rely on PPRuNe

I have found UK Border Force very accommodation re "non standard" GAR operations out of our small airstrip.
Last year I took a Korean National together, with 2 EU Passport Holders on a night stop to L2K.
A prior phone call to our local office with the proposed trip was all that was required. A normal GAR was filed for the return.
On arrival at the strip direct from France, a couple of Border Force attended our landing, inspected the Korean Passport, and in a day or so sent her a Passport insert recording the UK entry.