No customs in Dover

[Divi]

Our cruise begins in Barcelona and ends in Dover. We plan to spend time in England before flying home to Canada.

We assume that because all the countries we are visiting are within the Euro zone, we won't have to go through customs when we arrive in Dover.

Is this correct?

Thank you for your help.

Deen

[bishop84]

Our cruise begins in Barcelona and ends in Dover. We plan to spend time in England before flying home to Canada.

We assume that because all the countries we are visiting are within the Euro zone, we won't have to go through customs when we arrive in Dover.

Is this correct?

Thank you for your help.

Deen

 

The UK is not part of the Schengen Zone or border free part of the European Union. Therefore you will have probably have Immigration and Customs at Dover especially as you are staying within the UK before flying home.

[HAL4ME]

The UK is not part of the Schengen Zone or border free part of the European Union. Therefore you will have probably have Immigration and Customs at Dover especially as you are staying within the UK before flying home.

 

IMHO there is NO Customs or Formalities when you get off the ship. I was in Harwich and Southampton on RCCL several times on the Jewel of the Seas and Indepedence of the Seas, Princess several times out of Southampton and NEVER any Customs to clear. You basically collect your luggage and go thru a quick line but nothing like as if you were landing at Heathrow or anything remotely close to that.

[Divi]

Thanks for your replies but I'm no further ahead! :confused:

One of the things that I'm wondering about is bringing unopened wine with us that we have purchased in different ports. Assuming, of course, that there is some left. :)

I would think that any goods we have purchased would be subject to our own restrictions when we go through customs at home.

Could be that I am just over thinking this but I would like to be prepared.

Deen

[schoolinmy3]

We were on a cruise from Rome to Dover. As I remember ;) we had to stand in line with our passports to get stamped but not the day of debarkation. It was a day or two before. No luggage was searched or checked that I can remember. Just passports. It was a long line and immigrations officers had come aboard and set up tables to check everyone's passports.

Diane

[jcrandle]

You have touched on a very confusing (at least for those of us from outside the European Union or EU) point. When we were traveling in Europe in 2010 on a Viking River Cruise, we attended a presentation about the European Union and The Schengen signatories, which attempted to explain the complex rules (which simplified the even MORE complex rules) about visa, passports, customs, etc between the various European countries. We were given a handout published by the European Commission entitled "Travelling in Europe 2010" (sic). I will attempt to explain what I understand, with the knowledge that it will be corrected by wiser heads (and possibly refuted by some that may or not be wiser). The document can be found online at ec.europa.eu/publications. The title is europa.eu/travel.

 

At the time of publication, there were 27 European Union States.There were three candidate countries who will likely be admitted to the EU in the future.

 

For EU citizens, to travel in the EU, you need either a passport or identity card. 23 EU countries have signed the Schengen agreement (named after the town where the negotiations took place). If your country is a Schengen member, and you are traveling to or through a Schengen member, there is no border/immigration issues and you would only need a EU identity card. Five EU members are not Schengen members (UK and Ireland are two) and they would need passports and vice-versa. There are three European coutries that are Schengen members but not EU members.

 

Confused enough already? Now let's get to Customs and Duty. As long as it is for personal use, there is no limit on what you can take from one EU country to another as far as VAT and excise. However (as in the Animal Farm, where some animals were more equal than others), there are thresholds above which you may be required to prove that the items are for personal use. As long as you are bringing less than 800 cigarrettes, 200 cigars (Let's hear it for lung cancer), 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine or 110 liters of beer you are OK. There are a couple of exceptions limiting cigarettes from specific countries, but your wouldn't like their brands anyway. I suppose if you were bringing more than 110 liters of beer, you could plead that you are pushing for a liver transplant.

 

While it may be difficult to realize that these are simpler, more consistent rules than the previous mishmash of individual country laws, it is definitely in improvement. And even though there are still multiple currencies in the EU, I believe that most travelers recognize that the currency issue if far better, and will continue to simplify as more European countries move to the Euro.

 

I welcome corrections and comments from those more knowledgeable than this Tennessean, and will tolerate comments from those with fewer facts.

[Divi]

Thank you all.

Excellent explanation, Jim. You have shown why it is so confusing and why there were conflicting answers to my question.

I am going to copy your post and send it to our travelling companions.

I will also check the website.

Deen

[bishop84]

Confused enough already? Now let's get to Customs and Duty. As long as it is for personal use, there is no limit on what you can take from one EU country to another as far as VAT and excise. However (as in the Animal Farm, where some animals were more equal than others), there are thresholds above which you may be required to prove that the items are for personal use. As long as you are bringing less than 800 cigarrettes, 200 cigars (Let's hear it for lung cancer), 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine or 110 liters of beer you are OK. There are a couple of exceptions limiting cigarettes from specific countries, but your wouldn't like their brands anyway. I suppose if you were bringing more than 110 liters of beer, you could plead that you are pushing for a liver transplant.

 

Very good explanation, the rules and which country they apply to can be very confusing!

 

May I add that those additional Customs allowances only count if you have purchased the items with the local taxes paid i.e. from a normal shop. If you buy any items at a duty free store or outside the EU then you are subject to strict limits which I believe are 200 cigarettes / 1 liter of spirits etc. for the UK.

 

You may or may not see Customs at Dover or other ports in the UK but they are there watching!

[Paul123]

We cross the pond every year by ship and now find that a day or two before arriving at the UK port of disembarkation we show our passports to UK immigration officials who have normally boarded the ship at some other European port in readiness for the exercise. This is usually done in the MDR.

 

When we disembark we have never found customs officials present except in one case a few years ago when they seemed to have a bit of a purge stopping quite a few people. This was at Harwich on the east coast of England. I've never found them in Southampton nor at Dover on the very odd occasion I have docked here.

 

Whether this was random searching or they had a tip off who knows.

 

But as mentioned elsewhere on this thread they are probably discreetly watching through hidden cameras. How thy spot the 'bad guys' (in their books anyway) I do not know.