Customs Searches at ferry ports/Eurotunnel
Hi, twenty years ago, for the first and only time, I had my caravan searched by police and customs. This was actually in the UK in Poole.
Following Brexit and some reported incidents, I just wondered what current experiences are for crossing the channel, searches, delays etc in either direction. We are going mid June, Eurotunnel.
Comments
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We were waved through when boarding at Harwich about a week ago although they did seem more interested in the Dutch going home and stopped several caravans at random.
Strangely when we ventured to France in January to attend a funeral with 4 occupants in a car almost all of the cars were inspected by the customs officers going out to France. Full vehicle check and an inspection under the bonnet. No reason given but they were cursory when they found out our visit was for a funeral.
No experience of recent post Brexit travel through the Tunnel though.
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I can’t speak for other ports but a quick look inside the caravan and the car boot has always been common when departing outbound from Plymouth and from Roscoff - it’s not obtrusive, time consuming or stressful. But searches of arrivals at those two ports has always been rare, and probably only happens if it’s intelligence led. I don’t know why they picked on you at Poole!
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Was it on the way in or out? We have been given the once over at Dover on the way to France and when there major problems with immigrants trying to get through the Tunnel we have been inspected just is case we had extra passengers but neither were full searches.
David
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If it is anything like our only stoppage with a caravan then it would have been for something innocuous. We were pulled over at Portsmouth on returning from France about 22 years ago but it was due to our customs officers giving training to a contingent from Poland.
We told him we didn't even have a bottle of wine, a single ciggy or any porn and he let us go without a search. OH was most disappointed .
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At Plymouth outward to Santander this week, a quick look in our caravan and -weirdly - a body frisk of OH but not me - but completely ignored the car packed to the hilt! That said, others did get asked to open a box/crate or two inside their camper van.
On arrival at Santander, a customs guy seemed to have a clipboard list, and was pulling aside some vehicles after having apparently checked reg numbers against his list. Who knows why? We went straight through.
Interestingly, and more so as there have been various threads debating taking foodstuffs into EU countries, the leaflet we were handed at Plymouth refers to not being allowed to take vegetables, plants, fruits, flowers or seeds, or wood sawn…….makes no mention of meats. Although bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples and durians are allowed. Needless to say our fridge - not opened in the check - did contain fruit and veg for personal use.
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It was on the way out. Over the years we have had many quick inspections, clearly terrorism related so for me they are normal. i don't have any intention of trying to sneak sausages bacon, etc in, just wondering what current experiences are particularly tunnel related, do we, for example, need to arrive earlier just in case?
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Hi,
Last Saturday morning I took the Stena ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland.
I am a female travelling alone in my motorhome.
My vehicle was quickly look around inside and out by a male and female border control officer. No draws or lockers were inspected. Yet the female officer, a shirt, middle-aged blond, gave me a body search. Why?
Surely, if there were any concerns, checking the motorhome thoroughly would have been the priority.
Are body searches normal at ferry terminals these days?
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N, it could be drug related searches, the news out of EU is there have been drug busts of €Billions recently. It’s a well known ruse of drug runners to use seemingly innocent travelers As mules to fool the authorities. It could be the fact you look respectable that caused the search. Unless the search became intimate I’d not stress too much. It is difficult to prove unwarranted searches of the person by authorities given the power of body searches of the person. If a male conducted the search then it would be an instant vocal complaint.
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Pat down searches of passengers at ports are not normal but Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 allows them to happen.
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This year via the tunnel we only experienced the usual check to make sure our gas was switched off. Passport checks are a little more vigorous but apart from that the journey was much the same as before Brexit. In the past we have been checked more thoroughly, once during the UK foot and mouth outbreak and another time during a heightened terrorist alert when we were scanned for explosives. I did note that they still have lanes to pull off selected veicles for more thorough searches and there are still armed guards present!
peedee
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I would be inclined to write to border force and port authorities, simply asking why you were searched. You may wait a time for a reply and you may have to remind them of your request. I have not heard of this happening before. Having said this, if someone was up to no good they wouldn’t confess to being searched.
if you don’t enquire you may well always wonder why it happened. Was it something that you inadvertently did to arouse suspicion.
Also thank you for letting people know. I think it is important that we know this sort of thing happens. I think we are all prepared for our vans and cars to be searched but not our person.0 -
I suspect it was more to do with your return Port in the UK. Even years ago the Customs Officers were more questioning at Poole and Portsmouth than they ever were at the likes of Dover or the Tunnel were the need for searching is more intelligence led. Mind you we did have a funny incident at Dover some years ago where we pulled into the Customs shed, on the outward journey, with caravan in tow and asked the purpose of our journey. Almost mid sentence the officer looked up and said, ah, your going on holiday having just realised we were towing a caravan!
David
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Since Brexit we have travelled to France 4 times, sometimes tunnel sometimes ferry.
We have never been stopped and searched just the usual is the gas turned off. This time we didn't even get asked that.
What a change to years ago returning on leave from Germany, everytime we came through France the customs would pull us over and want us to empty the car. On one trip OH was on his own as I had flown with the boys.
OH had the car full of our last minute items like vacuum cleaner and washing machine as we were being posted back to the UK. Having driven from north Germany after taking us to the airport and handed the quarter back, he was short on patience. The French customs as usual requested he empty the car, it was a Peugeot 504 estate and packed to the roof. He opened the tailgate and said be my guest if you want it emptied I suggest you do it or words to that effect. They took one look in shrugged their shoulders and waved him through.
Servicemen and their families were often targeted by customs.
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"Also thank you for letting people know. I think it is important that we know this sort of thing happens. I think we are all prepared for our vans and cars to be searched but not our person"
happens all the time at airports, i have 2 replacement knees, and had a trapeziectomy on both my thumbs, so all bells go when i pass thru the scanner, so always get a pat down, unfortunately normally from some bruiser of a bloke
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cant see why this is "3rd degree" i spent most of my business life flying in and out of airports etc, these sort of questions were par for the course, provided you gave your answers politely there was never a problem, i think some people get very self defensive at some customs posts because in many countries the people manning these posts carry guns, something we never saw in the UK
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It was, still is, a family joke that before these body scanners Mrs C would almost always be stopped for a body search while I was never done.
As said I don't think there is any point in trying to find out why, there probably won't even be a record. They have the power to search anyone I believe even at random.
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Outbound security searches are done by subcontractors. The searches are in my experience idiosyncratic and more than anything just doing due process. They usually just want to take a look in the caravan, and if you are cheery to them its pretty quick. Its even quicker if they open a cupboard and your wife's bra falls out!
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I travel to Bulgaria by car and trailer or caravan, about twice a year and I rarely get searched. If I'm searched it becuase they have something on their radar for a type of vehicle or driver. I never take it personally as its random. I am always nice and friendly and normal and I treat it as an excuse to have a chat with someone.
Just think how many people pass through customs and how often they will search people (could be 1 in 100 quota or more), I get searched more often at the Hungarian border and occassionally the serbian borders, its nothing personal its just because of the way that country processes travellers. I rarely get a search on the ferry borders and I think its because my passport and my travel pattern doesnt cause them concern.
I use to go from Dover with DFDS, then switched to Stena from Harwich as I get a similar price on the ferry now everything has gone mad AND i get a cabin. I get searched less at Harwich than Dover. Maybe try a different ferry port?
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