AFAIK GAROnline still works and nothing changes, I just filed one for my flight today from France to UK, I landed in a grass strip and we were greeted by the friendly UKBF guys, apparently they got the GAR but they could not fetch PLF for the third pob, so I assume they receive and check these as well…they also checked pre-departure test, 2/5/8 tests and passports
On French side, they scanned vaccine certificates and we were asked to file the “no symptoms form” that you get for Eurotunnel (this was new to me in GA?)
https://www.eurotunnel.com/Eurotunnel/files/3f/3f474b02-0e9f-4992-a3d8-4d4944cdcef3.pdf
Peter wrote:
They no longer accept the prior automated one by GARonline
The GAR instructions now says that you need to send it to the police force via Excel in addition to doing it online. I’m not sure if onlinegar does that automatically for you.
Section 5:
To meet the reporting requirements set out in the Terrorism Act 2000, in addition to sending the GAR
to the NCU or submitting via an online portal, you must also submit the completed GAR form in an
Excel format to the Police Force responsible for the departure/arrival port by email using the contact
details shown in Annex D. If further information is required then please contact the relevant
county/area on the phone numbers provided in Annex D.
dublinpilot wrote:
The GAR instructions now says that you need to send it to the police force via Excel in addition to doing it online. I’m not sure if onlinegar does that automatically for you.GAR Instructions
Section 5:
To meet the reporting requirements set out in the Terrorism Act 2000, in addition to sending the GAR
to the NCU or submitting via an online portal, you must also submit the completed GAR form in an
Excel format to the Police Force responsible for the departure/arrival port by email using the contact
details shown in Annex D. If further information is required then please contact the relevant
county/area on the phone numbers provided in Annex D.
There may be a difference between the ‘instructions’ and the law. Unless they’ve actually changed the law, the requirement is simply ‘to notify a constable in writing’. Unless something major has changed, I don’t think they have the right to insist on a particular format or place of submission.
That is true, and the leglisation hasn’t changed as far as I can see.
Interestingly the GAR instructions doesn’t say this is only for flights within the common travel area, but they are the only ones subject to the Terrorism Act and as such require police notification.
It’s always easier to just do what’s asked, than suffer delays with arguments over leglisation. I’ve had two such nasty meeting in the past. The first one cost me about 2 hours delay and an ear bashing (as I hadn’t brought any evidence of complance with me) and left a very bad taste in my mouth that hasn’t gone away in 15 years.
The second one was more of a 10 minute phone call, where the officer come off much worse, as I was well prepared!
Completing an Excel form on a mobile device is also a real pain. The free mobile versions of Excel don’t allow editing of documents.
Submission via online means was a real step forward. Asking people to submit in Excel as well is a real step backwards. To be frank, if I need to do it in Excel, I see little point in using one of the online methods. I might as well just complete the Excel form and send it to both the police & NCU. That is less effort than using an online submission and then completing an Excel form as well.
I have today filed a GAR (for my round-trip to France, airside-only, collecting goods) and put on the GAR in BIG LETTERS that this is NOT ENTERING FRANCE.
And I think it worked because the police didn’t bother turning up when I got back; normally they turn up 100%.
But if you file the GAR using the crappy new govt gateway, you lose the option to add explanatory text like that.
So I will keep emailing the .xlsx version to the local plod office for as long as I can 
And then change to Onlinegar.
I am also pretty sure that GARs sent to the [email protected] address are either dumped or re-typed into some database for distribution.
A few UK GAR changes coming in 2022
Currently, this is hardly irrelevant, since almost almost nobody from Europe is flying to the UK anyway, and few UK pilots are flying to Europe these days. But still, looks like there will be a few changes.
Focussing on EU to GB and vice versa here.
See this page: https://www.aopa.co.uk/go-flying/general-aviation-report-submissions.html
There are some special rules for Northern Ireland. Also see here: https://www.aopa.co.uk/go-flying/general-aviation-report-submissions.html
Interestingly, flights from NI to the EU still require no GAR….
The famous interim CoA for UK airfields has been extended to the end of 2023.
boscomantico wrote:
the timing requirement for flights from the EU to GB will change from “4 hours before arrival in GB” to “2 hours before departure from the EU”. They are selling it as an improvement for pilots, but obviously, for flights longer than 2 hours, it is actually worse. (It could be they have actually fucked this up, not realizing that the 4 hours have previously been from the moment of departure. Let’s wait and see).
My guess is that Border Force rely heavily on FR24 (or similar) to really understand what’s in the air and what time it’s likely to arrive. Thus they would like two hours notice so as to be sure they have two hours before they need to look for a given flight on FR24.
Under the existing system people tended to give an ETA in the UK comfortably earlier than the time they were likely to arrive, on the basis that Border Force will wait for you when you’re ‘late’, and that’s not your problem, but no-one wanted to be arriving before the stated time and having to wait around until that time in case they arrived.
The new system is perhaps intended to mean less waiting around for them.
Honestly, I don’t see the fuss about 4h => 2h, one can still send it 4h earlier before they fly?
For outbound notification: while ago after landing I was told by one UKBF agents to send GAR for my outbound legs a bit earlier on Friday if I am doing one day out/return trips and flying with “non-EU/non-CTA pax” (e.g. Australian, Lebanese) as they have to physically check their passports/visas if they are not UK residents, I did as told and since then they never turn up on my returns maybe this UK/EU outbound notification follow the same logic?
It’s not the end of the world on one day trip UK/EU you just tick an extra box while you have internet but more hassle for outgoing only, the question can UKBF now call you to wait before departing on UK/EU flight? so one need extra time for that possibility
Yes interim CoA has been extended to Dec2023
Interesting. A weird change, but at least it suggests they have re-examined the GAR issue and have decided to leave it rather than do what was feared which was a 24hr GAR PN for all non-UK.
However, am I reading it right?
New_Reporting_Requirements_GA_GB_pdf
Previously, no GAR was needed for departures to the EU.
@Peter, the bit you have highlighted is new, but also that previously for arrival it was “PN 4hrs before arrival” but is now “PN 2hrs before departure for last destination before arrival in the UK”… So previously one could have filed from the airport and left on a 4hr flight to the UK. Now you need to file 2hrs take-off…
