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Which countries don't require flight plans for VFR border crossing, and in which scenarios?

Question to the OP - you were flying from where to where exactly? Seen as how I'm Geneva-based maybe I can help with the local idiosyncrasies :)

A flight plan, plus a radio call to the next country's regional FIS, is the international default requirement for VFR flight. Do you know a EU AIP that requires the FIS contact portion? I've never seen a requirement to contact FIS when crossing the border.

Well, I had crossed the border several times without radio contact established and never had problems. Just call ATC/FIS as soon as you can.

LKKU, LKTB

you were flying from where to where exactly

This was from LFLI to LSGS.

I had crossed the border several times without radio contact established and never had problems

Well to be clear, radio contact was not the issue. The flight plan activation was. Next time I'll try to call to check that my plan was received before leaving.

Okay - I think you would've been better off activating with Lyon info there and have it already active upon reaching. I always do it that way when we head off for practice sessions at either Bourg-en-Bresse or Bellegarde.

From here

there is no general requirement for flightplans for international flights

Excuse me for disagreeing: There is a basic requirement to file a flightplan for every flight that crosses FIR boundaries. Yet there are significant exceptions, with Germany at the forefront. No flightplan required indeed for flights between Germany and most of its neighbour states/FIRs – France and the Netherlands still require one, though, AFAIK, and probably Danmark and Sweden too.

And also from BE to FR and to NL and to UK a flightplan is required, more’s the pity. But it is not really a hardship either.

Last Edited by at 03 May 18:27
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

No flight plans for IFR? I wonder how Eurocontrol work that

Flight plans are not related to the GAR however, other than that both are applicable when crossing borders (generally; the Channel Islands are debatable).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

No flight plans for IFR?

Apologies – I did ought to have mentioned I was talking VFR only.

[[edited to add:]] But frankly, the requirement to file a fight plan does not depend on VFR vs. IFR, as far as I am informed.

Last Edited by at 03 May 19:52
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

I found this old thread – how does that fit in?

bq. FYI, there is no general requirement for flightplans for international flights. It’s most of the countries that want them and thus made these rules. But Germany, Belgium, Czech, Poland and Austria don’t require any.

Could I fly from the UK to Germany, VFR, no flight plan? Or Spain-Germany?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Of course not. UK and Spain are not in the above list. In other words, they still require a flightplan.

Last Edited by boscomantico at 03 May 19:32
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

How about Belgium to Germany, overflying NL?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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