Regulation EU2020/877 (all EU airports have Customs without PNR/PPR)

Frans wrote:

And last, but not least, back to the EU: If you are a German citzien, but drive a Swiss registered car into Germany, you need to pass the “red channel” at an official border crossing for a temporary import of the car. If you just ‘cross’ the border with the car on a small border crossing, which means more or less “green exit”, you need to pay the full tax plus fines, in case customs officers caught you.
It’s often a problem if you want to drive a forgein registered car in your own country. Customs might think you’re bypassing road taxes or other special added taxes on cars (e.g. “BPM” in the Netherlands).

I do not really understand this. Im British and live in France. Via my work, I have hired cars in one country and driven them in many others across Europe. The only thing that matters is insurance validity, with the hire car company asking you where you will be driving to, which I always reply “in many countries” and they then tell me where I cant go, usually one or two countries not in the EU like Turkey or Albania… And yes I have driven French, German, Dutch and Austrian registered cars into Switzerland, and Swiss registered cars into France, Germany and Austria, and the only thing Ive ever been asked about is the amount of Booze I have with me…

I am finding it very hard to believe there are issues as being described, if there were then this would be widely known, because this must happen hundreds, if not thousands of times every day.

Regards, SD..

Here one example that Swiss residents can’t drive a German or French registered car into Switzerland, without further paper work and/or paying taxes: https://www.ezv.admin.ch/ezv/en/home/information-individuals/road-vehicles-and-watercraft/importation-into-switzerland/unverzollte-fahrzeuge-voruebergehende-in-der-schweiz-benutzen.html

In reverse, it is also not allowed for EU-residents to drive a Swiss registered car into the EU. There are however exeptions. For example: Your rental company did pay taxes in both Switzerland and the EU, or you have a company car, with some special “exeptions” regarding import/export rules. And for private use, you can apply for a temporary import of a Swiss registered car into the EU, but you need to go into a customs office for it (at the bigger border crossings).

Driving a French car as French resident into Switzerland is however always allowed. The problem is just when you drive a foreign registered car into your own country or customs zone (e.g. Swiss car into France, while being a French resident).

Much of this debate was rehearsed here (thread worth reading especially near the end, due to new developments).

Rental car firms clearly have special deals with Customs at both ends.

In the UK, nobody cares if you drive around in a (say) FR registered car. It would be only if you got into trouble, or it is a nicer car than your next door’s and he doesn’t like you and it’s been parked there for months, that anything might happen (probably won’t since the police are too busy going after people who post on FB that a man can’t have a cervix, and a woman can’t have a willy).

I would expect the same in France (driving a UK car) and historically that was definitely true, although this may possibly (?) be changing now, for well-washed political reasons (you don’t care what car your ex wife drives but she will definitely care very much if you got a new one)

So, has anyone put this into practice? I mean flying from say Switzerland to say Germany, without using a customs aerodrome in Germany (or without giving PN to the customs airfield in Germany)?

Maybe even several times?

Silence

2 points. If you drive an French registered car in the UK and are stopped by the police, the first thing they will ask you after “is this your car?” and " can I see your driving licence?:" is "Is this your correct address ". If you have a UK driving licence but your address is in France and you answer honestly, the police will stop you from driving the car because whilst your qualification is good your licence is not valid. You also cannot have an overseas address on a UK licence.
I know 2 Brits returning to the UK for a visit who have been caught this way

In France many Brits who live in France drive around in British registered cars. However, they only have 6 months to re register the car.
Of course some do it illegally, because they rate the prospect of getting stopped by police is low.
There is also the fact that many/most UK insurance companies will only insure a UK registered vehicle for a maximum of 90days in any one year whilst in Europe.

This thread is about EU having issued a directive (possibly without much consideration for the side effects e.g. making it easier for “foreigners” to enter, anywhere) that all EU airports have Customs facilities (on a PN, one assumes). Car licensing is something else.

BTW is this new move visible in any AD AIP, or any other AIP section? If not, I would be especially concerned.

I can see it happening for Schengen countries. It might be extended to EU countries outside of Schengen or EEA countries.
I have yet to see a regulation which would allow any third countries to do the same. With the debates going on about the NI protocol and lorries lining up in Dover and Calais, I cannot see UK GA being allowed to fly in direct to any airport in Europe without some sort of Customs or immigration attendance or opportunity to attend.
At the same time France, Belgium and other EU countries are short of Border Force staff, so to have the people available to attend some out of the way airfield, and France have around 500 of them, I can’t see it without some form of treaty. And on current terms the likelihood of that is not very high.

Peter wrote:

BTW is this new move visible in any AD AIP, or any other AIP section? If not, I would be especially concerned.

Sweden mentions it in GEN 1.2/1.3 of their AIP, but it was there even before this new EU rule. This was mainly done to make traffic from/to Norway easily possible, but it is in theory also valid from/to Switzerland. You can land or depart at any Swedish airfield you like.

Things get different in other countries. Germany is one of the countries, where several customs offices apply this new EU rule, but others don’t do it yet. It simply depends on which customs office is responsible for your airfield in Germany. Other countries, like Italy, seem to remain completely silent on this new EU rule. I’ve asked AeCS (Aeroclub Switzerland) to dig deeper in this matter, but it seems they have less interest to dig it all out for us. Instead, they come with some theoretical bla bla from a lawyer, which has zero practical use for us pilots. AOPA Switzerland does also nothing. I’m quite disappointed in both of them.

Another warning regarding Germany: If an airfield has already some kind of customs status, for example when customs is available PNR or even PPR, you still need a prior notice or permission to use that airfield from/to a non-EU country. It is a bit like flying to France and their immigration PNR/PPR trap.

France has not modified Arrêté2017 yet, especially Art20 with this EU regulation

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000035871810

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000035871867

I would not dream of AIP ever getting updated,
- SIA takes ages to compile wording in AIP GEN
- OPS put what they like (or understand) in AIP AD

As of now you still fly France/Switzerland to AD that are not “point-of-entry airport” as long as they are “international airport” and you PNR (e.g. Dieppe, Toussus, Pontoise, Nancy…), this is a law but it is not reflected in AIP, in the other hand, one still need PNR for any “international flight” to few places (e.g. LaRochelle, AlbertBray…), this not a law but it’s what AIP says, even worse in the case of Dijon PNR it’s not in the AIP and not in the law !