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Sailing abroad? What you need to know about sPCR

Demystifying pleasure craft reporting for vessels sailing to and from the UK

Planning a sailing trip overseas or returning to the UK by boat? Before you cast off, there are some important reporting requirements to be aware of.

Anyone who owns or is responsible for a pleasure craft that sails to or from the UK is expected to provide information to Border Force and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about the vessel, the voyage, the people on board and any goods being carried. The easiest way to do this is through the Government’s online ‘Submit a pleasure craft report’ (sPCR) service.

Introduced in 2022, sPCR was designed to make reporting quicker and more straightforward, replacing much of the paperwork traditionally associated with international pleasure craft travel. While use of the online system remains voluntary, it fulfils key mandatory reporting requirements and offers a simpler alternative to the paper-based C1331 form, which it may eventually replace.

For boat owners and skippers, using the process for the first time, some elements can be confusing, particularly when it comes to knowing what information is required, when it must be submitted and what to do if plans change. To help clarify the process, we spoke with UK Border Force about how sPCR works, what you need to do before you travel, and the practical steps that will help ensure your voyage remains compliant from departure to arrival.

Submit a pleasure craft report (sPCR) is a fully digital platform hosted on GOV.UK enabling users to submit their information and voyage plans with ease. It is quicker and simpler to complete than the alternative non digital C1331 process, and the data is shared across the Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs. 

Border Force have digitalised this process of reporting your movement across the UK maritime border. This submit a pleasure craft report service helps maximise maritime border security while making it faster and easier for those travelling on pleasure craft to report the necessary information in advance of travel to or from the UK. 

sPCR is for anyone who owns, or is responsible for, a pleasure craft that sails to or from the UK. 

If you are leaving or entering the UK on a pleasure craft of any kind across the UK maritime border, you are required to submit a pleasure craft report. 

Your details will be used by the Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs for the purposes of immigration and customs control. We may share this information with other law enforcement bodies or other government agencies in line with GDPR rules. 

Skippers must submit their report no more than 24 hours and no less than 2 hours before departure. This applies when departing a foreign port for the UK and also when leaving the UK. 

Most marinas provide Wi-Fi. The voyage details can be completed as a draft before hand and saved within the platform. It should be uploaded within the timeline, no later than 2 hours before departure. 

GOV.UK one login is the UK governments single sign-in system for accessing participating government services online, including the Submit a Pleasure Craft Service (s-PCR). You need a GOV.UK one login account to sign in to the service. 

You can create a GOV.UK one login account from the Submit a Pleasure Craft Service sign-in page.  Select sign in or create your GOV.UK one login and follow the on-screen steps to verify your email address, create a password and set up 2-step verification. You can also create the account through the official GOV.UK one login.

To successfully submit a voyage plan you will be required to provide the following information about: 

  • The vessel
  • The voyage
  • Every individual on board
  • Goods on board 

If you decide not to travel, we ask that you cancel the voyage plan. Changes can be made to the voyage before submission.   

We understand that tides and winds can delay and disrupt your journey. Therefore, we ask that if you put into a different port to your submitted location please contact the local Border Force office. A map and Border Force office phone numbers for each office can be found within the sPCR platform.  

By choosing to use sPCR, skippers can use the Universal permission to travel responses to understand more about the passenger’s permission to travel. 

If you have already submitted your arrival voyage report and have not received clearance within the expected window (typically 2 hours from your provided arrival time), you must take immediate action to contact the regional Border Force Office before disembarking. The phone numbers are found on the help pages of sPCR platform. 

For journeys where you are required to report your arrival you must raise the Q Flag as soon as you enter UK waters (the 12-nautical-mile limit). You should only lower your Q flag once you have finished reporting to the customs authorities.  

You can claim Returned Goods Relief in the normal way, orally or by conduct (entering in the 12-nautical-mile limit). When completing sPCR, providing you meet the conditions, you should select RGR on the ‘information for customs’ page. HMRC will not provide confirmation that you are eligible for import VAT relief under RGR.  Guidance can be found on GOV.UK.  Clearance to disembark does not confirm your eligibility for any customs relief you have selected. Further checks may be conducted by HMRC to verify that the relief conditions are met. 

If you are sailing your vessel into the UK, you should complete the form C384 (Vessels) on arrival into the UK and send the form by email to the Pleasure Craft Unit of Expertise.

If your vessel is arriving on a trailer and no relief is applicable, you should complete a customs declaration. 

Discover more information and guidance on entry and exit formalities.