roznet wrote:
You need to submit a form to ops if you come from outside of Switzerland.This is only required for immigration, hence coming from or flying to a non-Schengen country like the UK. Belgium is however Schengen, so only customs is involved, and for this, you don’t need any form or prior notice for LSGS (except FPL, which is required for international flights anyway).
I heard it was not mandatory to arrive from a customs airport anymore if you don’t have goods to declare.Swiss rules aren’t changed, it’s EU rules that have been changed with EU 2020/877. Unfortunately, Belgium has not yet implemented this regulation and continues to demand pilots to use designated customs airfields. Either you make a short stop on a German airfield without customs, or you still need to perform customs clearance in Belgium, France, Luxembourg or Germany with customs on-site or on-request.
Can someone confirm this ?
Frans wrote:
Unfortunately, Belgium has not yet implemented this regulation and continues to demand pilots to use designated customs airfields.
An EU member state has not yet “implemented” a regulation…? Incredible. All regulations, also EU 2020/877, include the sentence “This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.” at the end just above the name of the president of the European Commission.
Now, if it was a directive, but it is not.
Yes, EU regulations are indeed valid laws in all member states. The problem is that customs offices in most member states, including Belgium, don’t apply EU 2020/877 as they should.
Frans wrote:
including Belgium
So a rule made in Brussles is ignored in Belgium. Well, stays all in the family. Hercule Poirot would be appalled.
Sion is a neat airport, pretty much the way it should be from a customs/immigration point of view. Also the approach is very scenic.
The problem is that EU2020/877 does not state clearly „no customs clearance required if…“. not even remotely! It is much more complex, subtle and of course a very legalese language/form.
Most customs authoroties in Europe seem to deny it means what German customs interpreted it to mean. Or at least they have not „caught“ it.
So many threads on this topic.
I’ve always said it is bound to be sabotaged by most countries because they cannot possibly operate it manpower-wise. It is also inherently implausible in the post-brexit climate because it is a “gift” to Brits so it would have been a monumental political cockup if it really was what people think it is.
It’s not a gift to Brits, as EU 2020/877 is only a change to customs regulations. Immigration is not affected by this, which Brits still need. EU 2020/877 is more or less only a relief for people traveling from/to Schengen states that aren’t members of the EU, e.g. Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Island.
BTW: It’s also not only a relief for (GA) pilots, but also for pedestrians, cyclists or (agricultural) vehicles, crossing the land border at non-official border crossing points. I want to recall this case, where a German man got fined by German customs, as he crossed the border with his car outside an official border crossing point. There are also cases were E-bikes seem to have been confiscated by customs, until a fine was paid, due to “illegal import”. Thanks to EU 2020/877, these things should be history on the EU side of the border.
Beyond Germany and Sweden (which already had a special regulation for GA before EU 2020/877, see Swedish AIP), only the legal department of San Marino confirmed me by E-Mail that direct flights from/to Switzerland were allowed without goods relevant to customs. That’s not a big help, since San Marino has only one GA-field, but still! Little joke aside: San Marino is neither EU nor Schengen member, however, they have open borders with Italy and therefore seem to apply EU immigration+custom laws as well.
Immigration is not affected by this, which Brits still need
Italy and Germany have Immigration on a PN, at most airfields. Very few people ever knew about this.
This discussion needs to be moved, but where? There are two distinct threads on this topic already.
Peter wrote:
Italy and Germany have Immigration on a PN, at most airfields. Very few people ever knew about this.Eh… I wouldn’t say “at most airfields”. Yes, there are a few GA fields that offer immigration on PN, but it’s not that much (anymore). Compared to France, yes, it’s “a lot”.
This discussion needs to be moved, but where? There are two distinct threads on this topic already.Maybe to the EU 2020/877 topic? The initial question from @Jean had more to do with border formalities instead of LSGS.
