[siobhanwf]

Received from BRITTANY FERRIES

From the 28th of March we will be obliged to collect additional information from customers prior to travel. We will need the nationality and dates of birth of all customers travelling and, although this will not be required at the time of booking we do ask you to provide this information prior to departure. This is to comply with changes in France’s immigration procedures and avoid any possible delays for our customers entering the country.

 

[rynd2it]

Received from BRITTANY FERRIES

From the 28th of March we will be obliged to collect additional information from customers prior to travel. We will need the nationality and dates of birth of all customers travelling and, although this will not be required at the time of booking we do ask you to provide this information prior to departure. This is to comply with changes in France’s immigration procedures and avoid any possible delays for our customers entering the country.

And carrying a passport or identity card isn't enough??????

 

[Bevdeforges]

And carrying a passport or identity card isn't enough??????

Our Kaffeeklatsch group is planning a trip to Germany in the spring. When the organizer went to the SNCF site to book the tickets, it says there that she will not be able to print out the tickets until she submits name, nationality and date of birth for each person traveling.

I hadn't realized there was a new law on this, but after seeing this post, it now makes sense. Only on transport that crosses borders - no such requirement for booking train tickets entirely within France.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[2-on-a-quest]

Received from BRITTANY FERRIES

From the 28th of March we will be obliged to collect additional information from customers prior to travel. We will need the nationality and dates of birth of all customers travelling and, although this will not be required at the time of booking we do ask you to provide this information prior to departure. This is to comply with changes in France’s immigration procedures and avoid any possible delays for our customers entering the country.

Does this change in the law affect people who want to move to France? Is there a change in legislation to the freedom of movement between EU countries?

R&J

 

[Bevdeforges]

Does this change in the law affect people who want to move to France? Is there a change in legislation to the freedom of movement between EU countries?

R&J

It has nothing to do with freedom of movement. It appears to be simply a request for identity information when one books a ticket to travel from one EU country to another. Like an airline ticket, you have to book in a specific name and (I suppose) carry i.d. with you when traveling to prove you are the person in whose name the ticket was booked.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[rynd2it]

It has nothing to do with freedom of movement. It appears to be simply a request for identity information when one books a ticket to travel from one EU country to another. Like an airline ticket, you have to book in a specific name and (I suppose) carry i.d. with you when traveling to prove you are the person in whose name the ticket was booked.
Cheers,
Bev

although this will not be required at the time of booking

They already have the requirement to produce passport or identity at the time of travel - so what's changed?

 

[Bevdeforges]

They already have the requirement to produce passport or identity at the time of travel - so what's changed?

It has to do with what information they have to collect and store. (One of the differences between the "privacy laws" in the US and the ones here). Sure, they checked passports in the past (though not if you were traveling between two Schengen countries), they just checked to see that you resembled the photo (vaguely?).

Now, they have to record the name, nationality and birthdate in their system when you travel into or out of France. Brittany Ferries may not collect the information until you board the ship, but the SNCF is requiring you to give the information before you can print out the tickets if you purchase them online. (You can make the booking, no problem - you just can't get the tickets until you provide the information. It's possible Brittany Ferries are doing something similar.)

Makes life a bit trickier for groups of friends traveling together where one makes the train reservations for the group.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[siobhanwf]

Does this change in the law affect people who want to move to France? Is there a change in legislation to the freedom of movement between EU countries?

R&J

No the movement between EU countries have not changed. As Bev says it just means more rigorous checking of passports not just a glance at the photo

 

[rynd2it]

No the movement between EU countries have not changed. As Bev says it just means more rigorous checking of passports not just a glance at the photo

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of this enhanced checking process. The volume of undesirables slipping through the cracks in the system(s) is unacceptable.

Cheers

 

[Bevdeforges]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of this enhanced checking process. The volume of undesirables slipping through the cracks in the system(s) is unacceptable.

Cheers

It's kind of up for grabs how much the new regulations will "help" with border issues. (Since you aren't required to have a passport to travel within Schengen anyhow and I think you can go back and forth to the UK with just a carte d'identité.)

I think this comes from the problems at the Italian border a couple years ago, when the Italian officials were taking in "boat people" from North Africa and then encouraging them to head elsewhere (especially to France) by train. Technically, they can't close the border or do a border control like they used to do, but they can insist that all passengers register their identity with the carrier.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[2-on-a-quest]

Thanks for all the replies. For a moment I was concerned that all our plans might come to nothing if there was a huge tightening up of who could and couldn't enter the country. Full steam ahead with thinking about our next visit and what we want to explore on it.

R&J

 

[Isualt]

I had heard of rumours this change and the following is the reply I received from Brittany Ferries Press Office.

"Yes this one is true. The French authorities have asked us to take these
additional details from our passengers before entry into France.
Our system will be updated at the end of March to enable us to take the
information at the time of booking."

 

[hils]

errrm; am not sure whether this is relevant or not.

10 days ago, my daughter took a boat from Corsica to Italy (with car), and yes, she did have to book with personal details from her passport. But, once in Italy, she then travelled onwards to Switzerland for a week's skiing (******ed when she tore her cruciate ligament 3 days in, but nevertheless), and then yesterday travelled back from Switzerland, through Italy and into France to get the boat back to Corsica from Nice - no controls anywhere except for booking the boat ticket in the first place.

For info, the insurance issues were interesting. She had insurance for the skiing and, of course, used it for medical treatment in Saas Fee. They were prepared to repatriate her to Corsica by air with a companion, but wouldn't cover getting her car back. She negotiated with them and organised a friend to come to Saas Fee to collect her & car, and drive to Nice for her (them) to get the boat. Insurance paid for her friend to get from Clermont to Saas Fee, paid his hotel room & other expenses for the night, & paid for him to get back from Nice. It seems she will have to have keyhole surgery on her knee - also covered by insurance. We're waiting to find out if insurance will pay for either a personal driver or taxis whilst she can't drive - safely - her own car.

As I said, just for info., but interesting I think nonetheless. I find it vaguely satisfying that an insurance company is paying out for a change!

H

 

[Isualt]

errrm; am not sure whether this is relevant or not.

10 days ago, my daughter took a boat from Corsica to Italy (with car), and yes, she did have to book with personal details from her passport. But, once in Italy, she then travelled onwards to Switzerland for a week's skiing (******ed when she tore her cruciate ligament 3 days in, but nevertheless), and then yesterday travelled back from Switzerland, through Italy and into France to get the boat back to Corsica from Nice - no controls anywhere except for booking the boat ticket in the first place.

For info, the insurance issues were interesting. She had insurance for the skiing and, of course, used it for medical treatment in Saas Fee. They were prepared to repatriate her to Corsica by air with a companion, but wouldn't cover getting her car back. She negotiated with them and organised a friend to come to Saas Fee to collect her & car, and drive to Nice for her (them) to get the boat. Insurance paid for her friend to get from Clermont to Saas Fee, paid his hotel room & other expenses for the night, & paid for him to get back from Nice. It seems she will have to have keyhole surgery on her knee - also covered by insurance. We're waiting to find out if insurance will pay for either a personal driver or taxis whilst she can't drive - safely - her own car.

As I said, just for info., but interesting I think nonetheless. I find it vaguely satisfying that an insurance company is paying out for a change!

Hi,

It is applicable from 28 March 2012. Hope your daughter is soon well. I gave up skiing after being bounced down a mountain in Austria on a stretcher accompanied by Eddie the Eagle. Not sure what was worse the pain of my broken leg or his endless silly jokes?

 

[jacquest]

But, once in Italy, she then travelled onwards to Switzerland for a week's skiing (******ed when she tore her cruciate ligament 3 days in, but nevertheless), and then yesterday travelled back from Switzerland, through Italy and into France to get the boat back to Corsica from Nice - no controls anywhere except for booking the boat ticket in the first place.

Illegal aliens usually have no cars and rely on public transportation. Once they are "IN", the "no borders" scheme of Schengen plays in their favour, and not in that of the citizens of the European Union.

This directive seems to be targeted at "making it a little bit more difficult" or at least a little bit more "freightening" to make use of the pan-european public transportation system. After this directive, if you are a sans-papiers coming into the EU you'll think it twice before heading to France (and being stopped at a train station), and you'll probably head somewhere else.

If you are a European Union national, or a foreigner with the proper documents to live and move around the EU, the directive won't cause you any problem beyond having to show up with your documents, which is something you regularly do when travelling ELSEWHERE.

It seems a good trade-off for trying to stop a little bit of the huge abuse that's regularly infringed to the French social security system.

jacques.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Actually, what we got (due to the SNCF booking) has little to do with having the proper documents. It's a matter of registering your identity information before you travel into or out of France. I suppose most European countries have requirements regarding the need to carry personal identity documents with them (though in France, you have 24 hours after being stopped to return to the gendarmerie with your documents).

Not even sure if the officials will review the records kept of who is leaving and entering France. (Unless, of course, they are looking for someone in particular.) Remains to be seen how this new regulation works out.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[jacquest]

Not even sure if the officials will review the records kept of who is leaving and entering France.

Probably not.

What I meant was that, from the point of view of an illegal alien, this directive might deter him/her on going into France and choosing "somewhere else".

From the point of view of the french contribuable, he/she might feel a bit more "defended" from the abuses that the system suffers nowadays.

Perhaps, just perhaps, that's the spirit behind this new directive.

Cheers,
jacques.

 

[rynd2it]

Since you aren't required to have a passport to travel within Schengen anyhow and I think you can go back and forth to the UK with just a carte d'identité.
Cheers,
Bev

I just did a little research into this as carrying a passport all the time is a bit of a pain. I thought I could obtain a carte d'identité but according to the CERFA website you have to be a French citizen to get one - or am I missing something?

Thanks

 

[Bevdeforges]

I just did a little research into this as carrying a passport all the time is a bit of a pain. I thought I could obtain a carte d'identité but according to the CERFA website you have to be a French citizen to get one - or am I missing something?

Thanks

A carte d'identité is only for French citizens. What you CAN get here is a carte de séjour as an EU national. The details (in French) are here: Européens en France : 1ère demande et renouvellement de la carte de séjour "UE" - Service-public.fr

Basically, the process for getting one differs by departement. Best bet is to stop by your local mairie and ask (bring your UK passport). In some departements, the mairies can handle the whole transaction, in others they'll send you to the sous-prefecture or prefecture.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[rynd2it]

A carte d'identité is only for French citizens. What you CAN get here is a carte de séjour as an EU national. The details (in French) are here: Européens en France : 1ère demande et renouvellement de la carte de séjour "UE" - Service-public.fr

Basically, the process for getting one differs by departement. Best bet is to stop by your local mairie and ask (bring your UK passport). In some departements, the mairies can handle the whole transaction, in others they'll send you to the sous-prefecture or prefecture.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks Bev - very helpful

Cheers