A web form should be 100% reliable – unless it generates an email which is merged with external emails 
I’ve had no problems by showing them the CC which I received.
UK (and Ireland) is adopting ETA Q1 2023, this will be an online form that takes 5min to fill up but may require up to 72h to get response a bit like similar setups in OZ, NZ or tplanned EU ETIAS (2024?)
Not sure how ETA/ETIAS will impact GA travel EU/UK? hopefully it’s not like US ESTA (restricted to airliners only)
UK GAR system is notification while ETIAS/ETA are permissions
Ibra wrote:
UK (and Ireland)
Do you mean UK (including Northern Ireland)?
I don’t see any plans for Ireland to introduce such a system and a Goggle hasn’t thrown up anything.
Sorry, typo UK & NI…Ireland is unlikely to have any of this: no ETA (as part of CTA) and no ETIAS (as part of EU), that system will only affect those who are not EU, UK, RoI citizens
There has been some talk about the UK implication of this in NI, in the past few months. It’s a right mess. This will apply to people who aren’t UK or Irish citizens even if they live in NI or Ireland. There are lots of such people who live one side of the border and work the other side. They will be supposed to notify each daily trip across!
The UK governments answer to this when asked was “Well….there won’t be anyone checking at the border”.
What is odd is that these are permissions not notifications for non-citizens, the processing times are up to 72h PPR, this will hit GA travel !
Things will depend on citizenship: let’s say all POB are Belgian and Brit, they have no ETIAS/ETA to fill few days ahead on Ostend-Southend but it’s not clear if they can get this concession on GA flight vs CAT flight?
Regarding NI & ROI, this will be another mess: one may have to accept pushing ETIAS or ETA requirement for non-citizens toward Scotland rather than NI & ROI land boundary where it affect lot of lives on daily basis and may result in border checks
PS: Gibraltar has already gone that way with temporary setup for 4 years now, it’s likely they will join Schengen in next months to sort their daily headaches, on other side of coin ETIAS/ETA on UK-GIB will apply to non-citizens…
Ibra wrote:
up to 72h PPR
dublinpilot wrote:
They will be supposed to notify each daily trip across!
ETIAS are valid for multiple years, same as US Visa Waiver etc, the waiting time is for issue of the authorisation. UK ETA, modeled explicity after these systems, presumably will also be valid for a period, not a single trip.
API (advanced passenger information) is the individual notification made by the carrier. While of course it cannot be ruled out that the idiots we elect to mess with our lives require that for more trips then currently, there is hope…
It would amaze me if the UK police implemented this for GA.
I have been using the newish UK govt online portal to file GARs before each flight into and out of the UK. this is the portal address https://www.submit-general-aviation-report.service.gov.uk/welcome/index
After the last two flights I received somewhat frantic calls from the Border Force asking me where my GAR is as they “dont see it on the system”. They require me to print out the GAR from the govt system and scan and email it to them.
After this happened yesterday I dug into this with the relevant Border Force official at Bristol Airport (they cover the region for the airstrip I fly in to). It turns out the BF have to manually fill in their own GAR xl spreadsheet to load it onto their system. And that the GAR form I am dutifully filing through the govt portal is not getting to them. Furthermore, while I file on the govt portal using the 4 digit ICAO codes, the system automatically changes these to the 3 digit codes (so for LSGS Sion, it turns it automatically into SIR). BUT, the Border Force system doesnt recognise 3 digit codes, only 4 digit!!!
Does anyone know how to file GARs for entry into the UK which will avoid this problem. I really dont want to annoy the Border Force.
Secondarily, how could one govt agency develop a web portal which doesnt communicate with the very agency which most needs the data???
You can email the GAR to [email protected] although it is advisable to also email it to your local police, which for me is currently Biggin [email protected]. Ask your local BF for their email.
Their web portal has often been broken. It is run by muppets; they once CCd their entire user list to all their registered users 
There is also Carl Meek’s Onlinegar system.
