Am I being dim? How does this differ from the UK GAR requirement, even when Immigration is present (eg Biggin)?
With start of Schengen in aviation (March 26, 2023), Croatia mandates GENDEC for GA flights to/from Croatian international airports when entering/leaving Croatia from/to outside Schengen area.
According to NOTAM below, it looks like it was mandatory in Schengen area since long time ago.
Is there a minimum time before arrival?
Can the existing UK GAR form be used? It contains all the details.
it looks like it was mandatory in Schengen area since long time ago.
It may have been mandatory but certainly not universally operated. For example you can turn up at LFAT without any of this. They told me that since the police are always present, they don’t need it.
The other “GA” airports tend to not have permanent police (or they do but pretend not to, like LFBH) so finding other counter examples is hard.
LDLO and LDSB have permanent police so using the “LFAT rule” they don’t need to operate this 
Isn’t there this EU gendec website?
It may have been mandatory but certainly not universally operated. For example you can turn up at LFAT without any of this. They told me that since the police are always present, they don’t need it.
LFAT is tricky, they legally require in AIP/VAC but they don’t ask for it 
In France, as far as the law is concerned, GENDEC is not required for airports with permanent police (H24 or during notified hours like Nantes, LeBourget, Bordeaux, Lille…), then going through mandatory handling requests make this point very moot
In airports with temporary C+I, it’s mandatory, the Annex here Arrete2017 walks and quacks like GENDEC
Emir wrote:
According to NOTAM below, it looks like it was mandatory in Schengen area since long time ago.
This refers us to AIP GEN 1.3.2.9, but that item (even in future versions coming into force on 23 March 2023 and 20 April 2023, respectively) mentions Council Directive 2004/82/EC, which clearly applies only to air carriers, defined as “any natural or legal person whose occupation it is to provide passenger transport by air”. So unless the national law referred to has broader scope, that AIP entry is wholly irrelevant. It also prescribes the use of an electronic system to which GA (even commercial GA I think…) doesn’t have access. However, the NOTAM is clearly addressed to GA.
The NOTAM is a copy/paste of paragraph 2.3.1 of Annex VI of Regulation (EU) 2016/399. Since it does not seem to prescribe a method to inform the border guards, theoretically any means is OK. In practice, I fear “difficulties”. It also doesn’t specify what information should be sent, only that it should “concern the passengers’ identity”. That’s a bit vague if you ask me :) In practice I expect first name, surname and maybe nationality and/or date of birth and/or ID document document?
lionel wrote:
This refers us to AIP GEN 1.3.2.9, but that item (even in future versions coming into force on 23 March 2023 and 20 April 2023, respectively)
In addition, what shows the level of seriousness of the people who work on these documents, these future releases of Croatia’s AIP GEN 1.3.2.9 don’t include this NOTAM at all.
Peter wrote:
Is there a minimum time before arrival?
No, it’s only “before takeoff”.
Can the existing UK GAR form be used? It contains all the details.
Probably yes but who knows.
I asked LDLO if they need this. They never replied but their NOTAM doesn’t ask for anything.
