So, T28, are you gonna test it?
Start in the UK, pick a non-immigration German airport which has the generic immigration-PN concession, and fly there and see what happens 
The basic point I was trying to make is that with 24 official customs airports, Germany could manage with well under 100 officials and that assumes H24 which most aren’t anyway. And these officials can just sit in their nice warm offices and don’t have to go out. Now, how many airports are in Germany? Our database reckons 441 and there will be more. So now these people have to cover 441 instead of 24 and they have to travel to 417 of them. And the beneficiary is principally Switzerland, plus – for those who know the immigration-PN system – the UK. Not going to happen! Expect a rearguard action to block this in some way.
The Swiss guy in Germany had the problem of his aircraft being considered as being imported without paying tax. Am I right?
But if you look at the French AIP it categorically states that private GA aircraft are considered as temporary imports/means of transport.
So if the.story of the Swiss pilot in Germany is as we believe it to be then this customs regulation cannot be an EU regulation, can it?
But of course customs could still be needed for goods that might be carried.
Alright, let’s try this new “rule” simply out on my next flight from Switzerland to Germany. I will write the local customs office an e-mail and ask for permission first. If I get an official “yes”, I will try it out to my own German homebase. But without the support of our local customs department, this risk of possible trouble is still too high for me. I’ll keep you guys informed.
The Swiss guy in Germany had the problem of his aircraft being considered as being imported without paying tax. Am I right?
But if you look at the French AIP it categorically states that private GA aircraft are considered as temporary imports/means of transport.
So if the.story of the Swiss pilot in Germany is as we believe it to be then this customs regulation cannot be an EU regulation, can it?
Basically, yes, because he landed at one which wasn’t one of the 24. The details of the case show a gross miscarriage of justice however, which could not have happened in the UK (due diligence defence, apparent authority, etc) and by the sound of it could not have happened in France either.
But of course customs could still be needed for goods that might be carried.
Of course.
I expect if “aircraft VAT not paid” = “you have something to declare”, so you have to land at customs airports, if aircraft is in free circulation, the financial risk of skipping customs airports is close to zero
I can see how a EU passport holder flying EU VAT free aircraft from Switzerland could use this concession to land anywhere in Germany with zero liability but for other scenarios, I would be very careful, especially the customs part…
Dan wrote:
If this holds true, that would be fantastic news indeed.
Indeed – and if it happens in DE it will probably happen with our other neighbors – at least I hope so. Being less than an hour from the furthest part of the country, and about 2 mins from the closest, it would be great to be able to spontaneously hop across the border, like I can with my car.
At the same time, the Swiss, being the rather cautious people they have been taught to be by incidents like the busted pilot, will be hypercareful to believe this. Hence, what will be needed is a document which is totally legally binding which anyone can carry on board
In this confirmation letter from the Generaldirektiin, they freely admit that the published information on Zoll.de is obsolete:
Sie haben recht, die Informationen auf www.zoll.de sowie das Merkblatt “Befreiung vom Zollflugplatzzwang” sind derzeit nicht auf Stand.
So can someone actually relate the story of a friend’s friend (not his own of course) who has tried this recently and been successful? Is this border-crossing Norway/Switzerland<→Germany nowadays occurring seamlessly between non-customs airports for private flyers?
can someone actually relate the story of a friend’s friend (not his own of course) who has tried this recently and been successful?
Yes, speaking strictly about CH-DE, it took some time for folks daring to try it out, but nowadays there is a good bunch of people using the benefits on a daily basis.
Being able to fly to DE and land on any, well most since one wants to avoid places insisting on retaining their old privileges (customs clearance fee) e.g. Donaueschingen etc, airfield by flying direct is of great value.
Quick example: my field hosts 11 RVs, and 4 of them practice regular formation flying with their German colleagues. The previous procedure was outbound customs CH, flight to a German customs field for EU entry, then a flight to wherever to rejoin, as the flying usually consists of multiple sessions outta one field. Being able to fly direct to from CH, and return, from that field is the benefit.
Of course, the outdated and ridiculous CH customs procedures remain in force… again, as an example my field has customs clearance for flights to/from the EU (I’ll never understand why I can’t fly say direct to the UK, call me stupid), which means for every flight to/from CH I have to fill-in a web form, confirm the filing of said form over the phone latest 1h (2hr inbound) prior departure (arrival). And on the return I’m charged a customs fee of 20CHF, thank you… this is of course on top of the standard border crossing FPLs requirement.
Just take a second ladies & gentlemen were we to introduce these procedures to border crossing by terrestrial vehicles…
Customs gotta have access to the FPL system, and that should give them all the tools to exercise their powers if so inclined.
It could be sooo easy (that’s the real problem methinks): file FPL for border crossing, go and fly. Customs look into FPL (or Flightradar24) and decide if checks are necessary, or not. Easy, no? Them customs want something, I don’t necessarily want them.
