Customs and Excise Management Act 1979

64 Clearance outwards of ships and aircraft. U.K.

(1) Save as permitted by the Commissioners, no ship or aircraft shall depart from any port or customs and excise airport from which it commences, or at which it touches during, a voyage or flight to an eventual destination outside the [F1 member States][F2 and the Isle of Man] until clearance of the ship or aircraft for that departure has been obtained from the proper officer at that port or airport.

(2) The Commissioners may give directions—

(a) as to the procedure for obtaining clearance under this section;

(b) as to the documents to be produced and the information to be furnished by any person applying for such clearance.

(3) Where clearance is sought under this section for any ship which is in ballast or has on board no goods other than stores, the baggage of passengers carried in that ship, chalk, slate, or empty returned containers upon which no freight or profit is earned, the proper officer in granting clearance thereof shall, on the application of the master, clear the ship as in ballast.

(4) Any officer may board any ship which is cleared outwards from a port at any time while the ship is [F3 in United Kingdom waters] and require the production of the ship’s clearance, and if the master refuses to produce it or to answer such questions as the officer may put to him concerning the ship, cargo and intended voyage, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of [F4 level 1 on the standard scale].

(5) Every ship departing from a port shall, if so required for the purpose of disembarking an officer or of further examination, bring to at the boarding station, and if any ship fails to comply with any such requirement the master shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of [F4 level 2 on the standard scale].

(6) If any ship or aircraft required to be cleared under this section departs from any port or customs and excise airport without a valid clearance, the master or commander shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of [F5 level 3 on the standard scale].

(7) If, where any aircraft is required to obtain clearance from any customs and excise airport under this section, any goods are loaded, or are waterborne for loading, into that aircraft at that airport before application for clearance has been made, the goods shall be liable to forfeiture and, where the loading or making waterborne is done with fraudulent intent, any person concerned therein with knowledge of that intent shall be guilty of an offence under this subsection and may be detained.

(8) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (7) above shall be liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a penalty of the prescribed sum or of three times the value of the goods, whichever is the greater, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or to both; or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a penalty of any amount, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to both.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 64(1) substituted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/3095, reg. 3(7).

F2 Words inserted by Isle of Man Act 1979 (c. 58), Sch. 1 para. 13

F3 Words substituted by Territorial Sea Act 1987 (c. 49, SIF 29:1), s. 3, Sch. 1 para. 4(3)(a)

F4 Words substituted by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), s. 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), s. 289G and (N.I.) by S.I. 1984/703, (N.I. 3) art. 5

F5 Words substituted by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), ss. 289F, 289G and (N.I.) by S.I. 1984/703, (N.I. 3) arts. 5, 6

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 64(1) amended by S.I. 1990/2167, art. 4, Sch. para. 13

C2 S. 64(6)(7) amended by S.I. 1990/2167, art. 4, Sch. para. 13