Wednesday 10 April 2019
As part of its preparations for a possible 'no deal' Brexit, the States of Guernsey has liaised with the island's yacht clubs and provided advice to local boat-owners regarding travel to France.
As with many areas of life affected by Brexit, this is a moving picture and subject to change depending on how negotiations between the UK and EU progress.
Should the UK leave the European Union without an agreement, visitors to France arriving from the Channel Islands by sea are advised to plan to travel first to a designated Frontière Maritime Port to obtain Customs & Immigration clearance before moving on to their chosen destination.
There are 6 such ports in Normandy and Brittany: Cherbourg, Granville, Carteret, St Malo, Brest and Roscoff.
After clearing Customs & Immigration, Channel Island boat owners can then freely move to other French ports.
While this is based upon advice Guernsey Harbours have received through discussions with colleagues in France, we wish to be clear that it is not yet an arrangement that has been officially confirmed. However we are conscious that boat owners may have concerns about travel to the continent, and therefore we are providing the best advice we are able to give at this stage.
More broadly, the States of Guernsey has continued to review its advice for other areas relating to Brexit, and our FAQs are being regularly updated. These can be found online.
