The Masters of all private vessels arriving into the Bailiwick of Guernsey must complete a 'Report of Arrival for Pleasure-Craft' Form GC27.
The first arrival in the Bailiwick of all private vessels must occur at an approved port. These are designated as Braye Harbour in Alderney and Beaucette Marina, St Sampson's Harbour and St Peter Port Harbour in Guernsey. Vessels are not permitted to arrive directly to anywhere else in the Bailiwick including the islands of Herm and Sark.
- The Masters of all local, private vessels arriving into the Bailiwick of Guernsey with goods or people to declare must complete a 'Report of Arrival for Pleasure-Craft' Form GC27 and fly a yellow 'Q' flag until the declaration on this form has been submitted.
- The Masters of all non-local, private vessels arriving into the Bailiwick of Guernsey must complete a 'Report of Arrival for Pleasure-Craft' Form GC27 and fly a yellow 'Q' flag until the declaration this form has been submitted.
The Master of any private vessel must fully complete form GC27, which is distributed to vessels on entry to Braye and St Peter Port Harbours with the Guernsey Cruising Guide. The pink copy is to be retained on board, and the white copy handed in to a Customs Office, or deposited in one of the yellow Customs boxes.
If any person aboard the vessel has goods to declare, such as tobacco or alcohol in excess of their Personal Allowance, or other goods for permanent importation valued in excess of £270, they must attend a Customs Office or Customs red point to utilise the online declaration via Passenger Payment Portals. For more information on what must be declared on import or export and specific rules or regulations about immigration matters please go to the Guernsey Border Agency page for a full menu of regulations and services.
Animals from outside the UK, Jersey, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland cannot be landed by private vessel, even if they have a valid Pet Passport or Animal Health Certificate. Should a person attempt to do so, the animal may be confined below decks for the duration of the stopover, or may be removed from the vessel and quarantined at the owners' expense.
Why can't I submit a Guernsey Customs Declaration online?
Form GC27 performs several functions, from local excise duty collection, to risk screening for a wide variety of prohibited and restricted goods, to meeting international immigration-related obligations. Although other jurisdictions offer the facility for submission of customs forms via email, web or app-based methods, the paper form is currently the most effective means of ensuring each arriving vessel has made a Masters' Declaration, which collates all necessary information to discharge the above functions in compliance with Data Protection Regulations.
