Mooney_Driver wrote:
And if I remember right, they justify this as a CUSTOMS issue, not immigration, concerning the aircraft.
At least that’s what I’ve also read on EuroGA. @petakas would know.
Indeed, this is the truth.
You are obliged to fly in/out via a Customs airport (Port of Entry) even if coming via Schengen state.
Its ridiculous.
Is there any possibility for AOPA Greece to send a complaint to the EU commission for this? Maybe a collected complaint by multiple AOPA bodies trough Europe? This should, in my opinion, clearly lead to an official Infringement procedure at the EU commission against the Hellenic Republic.
Just read AOPA Greece‘s nice guide again and realized my statement about private vs. commercial ops and airport of entry requirements was wrong.
Must I takeoff or land at an “International Airport” if I’m coming from abroad, even if via an EU / Schengen state?
Yes, even if you are flying to / from SCHENGEN treaty members and/or European Union state, according to Greece AIP, you must take off / land at a designated “airport of entry”.
According to written reply we got from the CAA in 2005 the obligation comes from local (national) legislation related to customs control and not passport control. They admit that Schengen member state civilians are allowed of free circulation without passport control BUT this shall not be confused with European Union member countries customs legislation still in effect. They continue by explaining that according to EU regulations 3925/91 & 2454/93 customs control between EU states borders has indeed been terminated BUT according to article 20 of National (Greek) Customs Code (Law 2960/2001 in Government Journal 265/A/22-11-2001) “aircraft coming from other EU member state or third country are obliged to land at airports supervised and controlled by customs authorities. The departure of aircraft which have as destination other EU member state or third country is allowed only from the above mentioned airports”
So this requirement is related to the vehicle and not the physical person(s). Go figure …
To me it reads as a kind of „trick“… there’s free movement via land as the border of where to enter and exit is clearly outlined (roads/paths) but not via the „air“, hence these ports of entry/exit have been defined as borders.
I’ve yet to see a customs person on any greece flights. I wonder what the purpose really is.
there’s free movement via land as the border of where to enter and exit is clearly outlined
But, there isn’t, because Greece has no border with another schengen country. Hence my comment about swimming Italy-Corfu being the only way. You can’t use a boat because that is a vehicle.
I’ve yet to see a customs person on any greece flights.
I have never seen a Customs person anywhere in GA (actually looking at what I was carrying).
EDIT: the most I got in terms of an internal inspection of the plane was getting thoroughly sniffed by a dog at Aosta LIMW in Jan 2022, but the dog could not have been a trained Customs agent 
I wonder what the purpose really is.
Usually, maintaining the proper procedures established by the British Empire in 1843
Peter wrote:
I have never seen a Customs person anywhere in GA (actually looking at what I was carrying).
Coming from Switzerland, Customs are the only people who have ever checked me in France. Being that Switzerland is in Schengen, that makes sense. Police aren’t that interested but Customs (Douane) definitely are. Compared to some other EU countries, there is a clear distinction in France between Police and Douane.
Is Greece actually part of the EU customs union? Is there customs control if one takes the ferry from Venice to Corfu?
Greece is, yes, but I don’t recall any Customs inspections. OTOH in Greece you get 2 policemen doing a passport check if you fly between two of their islands…
My only real goods inspections were arriving in the UK from Florida on an airline, back in my long haul days, 30 years ago. In GA, never. You could stick an AK47 in the back of the plane and fly with it for 20 years, IME.
Others have found differently; lots of reports of “totally everything out, all luggage opened, everything spread on the ground”, aggressive inspections, particularly of N-reg aircraft, in France (esp. Biarritz) and Italy. But while these are mostly true stories, they are so rare that nearly everybody you speak to has never got one.
This whole topic is really symbolism. European mainland has no actual borders. It is totally Emperor is stark naked. You can walk from Albania to Croatia, so why do they go Albania-UK via the “pretend I am from Aleppo” route? To get assured whole-route transport, with some food, usable fake documents and some level of integration (some underground job) at the destination. And you can’t walk across the Channel! Otherwise, you could walk Albania to N French coast, if you could sort out the feeding enroute. But few want to stop in N France, not least because they can’t speak French!
Peter wrote:
European mainland has no actual borders.Correct, even between Norway, Finland and Russia, there aren’t fences or so. However, if you would walk across that border, maybe a soldier will find you and bring you in big trouble. I wouldn’t recommend to do so.
I’ve seen some scary borders, Armenia-Arzebaijan or Abkhazia-Georgia for example. Yes, there aren’t fences like in the days of the Sovjet-Union, but still… I wouldn’t cross somewhere by foot.EDIT: the most I got in terms of an internal inspection of the plane was getting thoroughly sniffed by a dog at Aosta LIMW in Jan 2022, but the dog could not have been a trained Customs agentSounds like a customs check to me? Could be one from the Guardia di Finanza, which is actually financial police, also responsible for border protection and customs.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but does Denmark also have a kind of “port of entry” requirement? It seems that they actually don’t care if you fly directly from/to a small airfield in the country, and quite a lot of GA-airfields are actually marked as “port of entry” anyway. But what is the official case in Denmark?
BTW: What would happen if we just fly also directly from e.g. Italy to a small Greek airfield? And what keeps me from exiting Greece at a small airfield? I could just skip a PoE and fly directly towards Italy (or Croatia in 2023)? Can I get prosecuted at home for this?
I think there is more detail:
USSR-Finland may have been a poor border but Finland was scared of the USSR (post 1945) and sent back everybody who escaped, so if you wanted to escape you had to get all the way to Norway (read Gordievsky’s story)
USSR-Norway was definitely not easy – details on wiki. The border is very short and looks hostile except in the summer
Sounds like a customs check to me?
Drugs
What would happen if we just fly also directly from e.g. Italy to a small Greek airfield?
No idea if it has been tried. I would expect police attention.
And what keeps me from exiting Greece at a small airfield? I could just skip a PoE and fly directly towards Italy (or Croatia in 2023)?
This has been done. One guy had ATC yelling at him all the way from some little island to Bulgaria, but he didn’t get intercepted. Otherwise, you can do it in various ways but you need to be clever; the FP has to be filed correctl and then you divert. More here and here.
Can I get prosecuted at home for this?
In theory, possibly. Can’t see how they can prove the diversion was not genuine.
