How is Passport controll for Brits entering EU?

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

Hello everyone

 

ok, I obviously know that we need passports, and there is passport control 😂 

 

however, having not travelled into the EU since before Covid and seeing the insanity at Dover, how much insanity, if any, is there to enter EU countries off your Cruise Ship

 

we are off to Belgium, Holland & Germany on Iona on the 22nd October from Southampton

First time on P&O though we travelled from Southampton twice

we’ll all fully vaccinated with vaccine passports too

 

thank you 

 

Leanne 

 

 

[Son of Anarchy]

Last December we just walked on and off the ship at both Spain & Portugal.  No one checking passports at all.

 

Different story at the airport though.  Faro last two weeks.  Queue up with all the other non-EU travellers, and get your passport stamped.  Entry and exit.  Didn't have to queue long though, plenty of extra desks opens for us non-EUers.

[Teddy123]

Just back from shore trips in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. No checks on passports or vaccination records.

[wowzz]

16 minutes ago, Teddy123 said:

Just back from shore trips in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. No checks on passports or vaccination records.

Same for Greece and Turkey.

[Eglesbrech]

No issues going off a ship, no one checked. France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway all fine.

 

We flew into Hungary and waited for ages in a lengthy queue to get through passport control. Passports were carefully checked in and back out of the country.

[Harry Peterson]

Changes may be coming though:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/port-of-dover-passport-checks-eu-britain-biometric-delays-france-b1028870.html

[Teddy123]

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

No issues going off a ship, no one checked. France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway all fine.

 

We flew into Hungary and waited for ages in a lengthy queue to get through passport control. Passports were carefully checked in and back out of the country.

Yes, cruising is different to flying (not sure why but it's fine by me). Had long queues at airports in Germany, Italy and Spain.  Now the UK is not in the EU, passports need to be stamped on every entry and exit. As Harry says, the new system will be even worse.  It's what the UK voted for.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Teddy123

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Changes may be coming though:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/port-of-dover-passport-checks-eu-britain-biometric-delays-france-b1028870.html

You do realise Harry that this will be a deliberate ploy by the port management to either have the tests made less onerous or push the blame elsewhere, not necessarily what the final outcome will be.

[Harry Peterson]

2 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

You do realise Harry that this will be a deliberate ploy by the port management to either have the tests made less onerous or push the blame elsewhere, not necessarily what the final outcome will be.

Perhaps, John, but it's not just ports that will be affected.  Time will tell.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/12/next-summers-holidays-face-threat-new-eu-fingerprint-checks/

 

 

The regime - which applies to entry through any EU port, airport or border checkpoint for non-EU travellers - is likely to have the biggest impact on Dover and Eurostar terminal at St Pancras where there are “juxtaposed” border checks by the French before holidaymakers cross the Channel.

 

[FangedRose]

10 minutes ago, Teddy123 said:

Yes, cruising is different to flying (not sure why but it's fine by me). Had long queues at airports in Germany, Italy and Spain.  Now the UK is not in the EU, passports need to be stamped on every entry and exit. As Harry says, the new system will be even worse.  It's what the UK voted for.

Passports are checked before embarkation, after that the ship is 'sealed' with egress and access only allowed via your cruise card, which becomes a de facto 'passport'. Many port authorities ask to see your cruise card when returning to the ship. They obviously trust the cruise companies to have the proper passport checks prior to issuing the cruise card.

[Teddy123]

2 minutes ago, FangedRose said:

Passports are checked before embarkation, after that the ship is 'sealed' with egress and access only allowed via your cruise card, which becomes a de facto 'passport'. Many port authorities ask to see your cruise card when returning to the ship. They obviously trust the cruise companies to have the proper passport checks prior to issuing the cruise card.

It's more complicated than just checking the passport at embarkation. The reason for the checking and stamping for every airport entry/exit is to track who goes in and that they have left.  So countries must trust the cruise line to tell them if a passenger doesn't get back on board (and is therefore still in the country, presumably) for any reason.  Strictly, it seems the situation should be like it used to be in Russia: every passenger on a trip checked in and out with passport.  Perhaps that's how it will end up.

[Snow Hill]

On 10/13/2022 at 3:52 PM, Harry Peterson said:

Changes may be coming though:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/port-of-dover-passport-checks-eu-britain-biometric-delays-france-b1028870.html

There is a conference next week hosted by Frontex, EU border agency, one item is the handling of Cruise Passengers at Cruise Terminals. This conference is for EU members only where they have a maritime presence. 

 

https://frontex.europa.eu/future-of-border-control/research-and-innovation/announcements/frontex-holds-conference-on-the-entry-exit-system-ees-in-the-maritime-domain-1PSDq6

 

[wowzz]

5 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

This conference is for EU members only where they have a maritime presence. 

So the UK, quite rightly, will have no say in whatever decisions are reached !

[Snow Hill]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

So the UK, quite rightly, will have no say in whatever decisions are reached !

Correct, countries outside the EU have no say in the process, similarly the U.K. s proposed version of EES will be a decision for U.K. only, if and when it comes into operation as no date has been given.

[DAN 60]

Thank you BREXIT TEARS.

[davecttr]

Next May will be interesting as the new entry protocols will apparently require either face recognition or fingerprint scanning. On the news the other day they reported that this could take up to 10 minutes for a car of 4 people, 2 minutes each and 2 minutes for the car, 6 cars per hour per lane, or 166 hours  for a Iona passenger load. Or 55 scan stations can clear the lot in about 3 hours.

[Megabear2]

The Eurostar has already cut capacity and has been unable to reopen Ebbsfleet and Ashford due to the passport issues.  If these timings for scanning etc are right they will be at risk of needing to halve the service again, or worse go out of business.

[Thejuggler]

59 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Next May will be interesting as the new entry protocols will apparently require either face recognition or fingerprint scanning. On the news the other day they reported that this could take up to 10 minutes for a car of 4 people, 2 minutes each and 2 minutes for the car, 6 cars per hour per lane, or 166 hours  for a Iona passenger load. Or 55 scan stations can clear the lot in about 3 hours.

No different to what happens when entering the US from UK.  We entered US over summer in Dublin and there was a queue of hundreds of people and we expected it to take hours.  
 

It took just 45 minutes for passport and security x ray scanning.  Everyone had passport, ESTA, fingerprints and facial recognition done, we then had to go through security.

 

The reason it was was quick was due to it being properly managed with about 25 border staff on duty doing the checking. 
 

As regards cruising we have on occasion had to take passports and had them checked and stamped by EU country border staff.  Last one was Germany 5 years ago.

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I’m pleased to see it’s still as simple as it was 4 years ago

 

for now, anyway. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for some sensible planning for the new rules next year. 
 

thanks again 😃 

[Denarius]

Just returned from a fly cruise on Azura sailing from Malta and visiting Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey. Passprts checked and stamped at airport on arrival and again on departure. No checks at ports including Turkey, which is non EU.

[Wonky]

17 hours ago, Denarius said:

Just returned from a fly cruise on Azura sailing from Malta and visiting Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey. Passprts checked and stamped at airport on arrival and again on departure. No checks at ports including Turkey, which is non EU.

Quite interesting to see how many days you have been “in” the EU. I’m guessing they think you have been there since arriving which could have serious implications for the 90 in 180 days rule.

[Denarius]

1 hour ago, Wonky said:

Quite interesting to see how many days you have been “in” the EU. I’m guessing they think you have been there since arriving which could have serious implications for the 90 in 180 days rule.

AS the stamps on your passport record only the days of arrival and departure from Malta, I would imagine that this is 15 days for a 14 night cruise. The same procedure applied in June when I sailed Rome to Rome with Star Clippers.  Conversely, I sailed in July ex Southampton to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia and Latvia - all EU countries - and my passport was not stamped anywhere. Looks as though this only affects fly cruises from an EU port.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Denarius
spelling

[Wonky]

I’m on the Barcelona to Singapore QE next October so will have to ask or beg for a stamp before I leave the EU I guess otherwise they will think I’ve stayed??

[Snow Hill]

1 hour ago, Wonky said:

I’m on the Barcelona to Singapore QE next October so will have to ask or beg for a stamp before I leave the EU I guess otherwise they will think I’ve stayed??

You shouldn’t need a stamp as the EES system will live by then, how it will work for maritime ports has not yet been released. There was talk a few months back that cruise passengers in the main are only in port less than 12 hours, so EES won’t need to apply, as now most don’t stamp passports. Overnight or 2 days might need a different process.

 

The meeting due to take place this week with EU countries with a maritime border may detail what cruise, ferry and other sea going vessels crew & passengers will be required to do on entry & exit. 
 

As for fly cruises EES will apply for the EU Country you arrive and depart from. 

 

Then from November 2023 we have ETIAS going live similar to the US visa waiver system, applied for before you embark, last for 3 years, cost €7 per person, under 18s and those over 70 won’t have to pay the fee. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Snow Hill

[wowzz]

18 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

those over 70 won’t have to pay the fee. 

Whoopee !

One of the advantages of being old !