General Information

Below you will find links to useful information relevant to travelling with DFDS.

Passenger Rights

Where your ferry or cruise ship departure has been cancelled or delayed you have the right to be notified as soon as possible but no later than 30 minutes after the schedule time of departure as to the estimated departure and estimated arrival time.

Passenger Rights under EU Regulation 1177/2010 when travelling by sea and inland waterway

Under EU Regulation 1177/2010 you have the following rights:

Where your ferry or cruise ship has been cancelled or delayed in departure for more than 90 minutes beyond its schedule time of departure you have the right free of charge to snacks, meals or refreshments reasonable to the waiting time provided they are available or can reasonably be supplied.

Where your ferry or cruise ship has been cancelled or delayed in departure and overnight accommodation is required you have the right to be offered free of charge adequate accommodation on board or ashore if necessary and transport to and from the port terminal to your accommodation ashore. The cost of the accommodation is limited to a maximum of Euro 80 per night per passenger for up to three nights.

Where you are travelling by ferry and its expected that your ferry service will be cancelled or delayed in departure from a port terminal for more than 90 minutes you should be immediately offered by the carrier the choice between:
a) re-routing to your final destination, under comparable conditions as set out in your transport contract at the earliest opportunity at no extra cost to you;
b) re-imbursement of the ticket price and where relevant a return service free of charge to the first point of departure as set out in your transport contract at the earliest opportunity.

Your payment of the reimbursement should be made within 7 days, in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank order or bank cheque, of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was purchased, for the parts or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made where the journey no longer serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plans.

Where your ferry is delayed in arrival at the final destination as set out in your transport contract you have the right in addition to your transport to 25% compensation of the ticket price where the delay is at least:

(a) 1 hour in the case of a scheduled journey of up to 4 hours;
(b) 2 hours in the case of a scheduled journey of more than 4 hours, but not exceeding 8 hours;
(c) 3 hours in the case of a scheduled journey of more than 8 hours, but not exceeding 24 hours; or
(d) 6 hours in the case of a scheduled journey of more than 24 hours.

If the delay exceeds double the time set out in points (a) to (d), the compensation shall be 50% of the ticket price.

Compensation shall be calculated in relation to the price which you actually paid for your delayed ferry service. Where the transport is for a return journey, compensation for delay in arrival on either the outward or the return leg shall be calculated in relation to half of the price paid for the transport by that passenger service.

You will not be entitled to any assistance or compensation if you were informed of the cancellation or delay before the purchase of your ticket or if the cancellation or delay is caused by your own fault.

You will not be entitled to any overnight accommodation where the cancellation or delay is caused by weather conditions endangering the safe operation of the ship.

You will not be entitled to any compensation where the cancellation or delay is caused by weather conditions endangering the safe operation of the ship or by extraordinary circumstances hindering the performance of your ferry service which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

If you are a passenger with an open ticket where the time of departure is not specified you will not be entitled to assistance in the event of cancelled or delayed departure, re-routing and re-imbursement in the event of cancelled or delayed departures or compensation of the ticket price in the event of delay in arrival.
If you are a disabled person or a person with reduced mobility you have the right to assistance in ports and on board ships. You should notify the carrier or the terminal operator at the time of booking or at least 48 before the assistance is required. If less than 48 hour notice is provided (unless this has been previously agreed with the carrier or terminal operator) then although the carrier and terminal operator shall endeavour to make all reasonable efforts to provide the assistance required to embark, disembark and travel on the ship, any such assistance , however, cannot be guaranteed.

If you are a disabled person or a person with reduced mobility and you hold a reservation or have a ticket for a ferry or a cruise ship and you notified the carrier at the time of reservation or advance purchase of your ticket of your specific needs with regards to accommodation, seating or services required or that you needed to bring medical equipment on board. However, you were denied embarkation on the basis of this Regulation then you and any accompanying person who was required to
travel with you because of your disability or reduced mobility shall be offered the choice between the right to reimbursement and re-routing as provided for in Annex I of the Regulation.

If you are a disabled person or a person with reduced mobility and your mobility equipment has been damaged by the carrier or terminal operator due to the fault or neglect of the carrier or terminal operator you have the right to the cost of the equipment being repaired or replaced. You also have the right in the interim to be given temporary replacement equipment which is a suitable alternative.

The above rights are subject to certain exceptions under EU Regulation 1177/2010 when travelling by sea and inland waterways full details of which can be obtained from the carrier or terminal operator.

Process for Refunds and Claims for Costs Incurred

Application for reimbursement of the cost of travel, or any other costs incurred, should be made in writing to DFDS within 2 months from the date on which the service was performed or when the services should have been performed. These applications should relate to bookings made directly with DFDS or via a travel agent or tour operator. In the case of coach passengers, any claims should be addressed to the coach operator. You should ensure that you include copies of any ticket purchased and copies of all receipts for any expenses claimed e.g. accommodation.

Contact us via email: travel.sales@dfds.com, or by post:
DFDS
Customer Relations
International Passenger Terminal
Royal Quays
North Shields
Tyne & Wear
NE29 6EE

Application and response
The Customer Relations Team will be working towards contacting you within a week of receiving your application. Within 1 month of you receiving acknowledgment of the application, we shall give notice to you that your application has been substantiated, rejected or is still being considered. We’ll email you if you have provided us with your email address, or we’ll write to you.

If you remain dissatisfied
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can ask for us to reconsider the issue. You have the option to discuss the issue with a Customer Service Team Leader and if still unresolved a Manager.
You can send your complaint to our customer service via email: uk.customercare@dfds.com. When submitting your complaint you must write your booking confirmation number in the subject line of the email and advise us of your day and evening telephone numbers. In this way we are able to investigate the matter fully and give you a proper reply as soon as possible.

Complaint handling
Within the UK, if despite our best efforts and having followed the above procedure for reporting and resolving your complaint, you feel that it has not been satisfactorily settled or if DFDS has not provided a final reply to you within 2 months from the receipt of the complaint, the complaint may then be referred to the appropriate voluntary Complaint Handling Body (CHB).
Voluntary Complaint Handling Body from 1 January 2014 is:
ABTA Ltd
E-mail: ferry@abta.co.uk
Website: www.abta.com
Address: 31 Park Street
London
SE1 9EQ

It is anticipated most complaints will be resolved at one of these stages. However, if this is not possible, the complaint may then be investigated by the National Enforcement Body (NEB), who will consider whether there has been a breach of the EU Regulation. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will operate as the National Enforcement Body for the whole of the UK. All complaints that are upheld by the CHB involving a breach of the Regulation are to be reported to the NEB.

National Enforcement Body
The MCA is responsible for investigating whether there has been a breach of the EU Regulation in individual cases, and is required to take the measures necessary to ensure compliance with the EU Regulation. The MCA will not act on individual claims for compensation or act as an appeals body.
Any passenger complaints received directly from a passenger or passenger group under this Regulation must be referred to the operator involved in the first instance through their internal complaint procedure, unless a serious breach of the regulation is identified.

National Enforcement Body Officer, Technical Performance Section, Directorate of Maritime Safety & Standards, Maritime and Coastguard Agency,
Tel:   +44 (0) 23 8032 9315.
Fax:   +44 (0) 23 8032 9251.
E-mail:   neb@mcga.gov.uk
General Inquiries: infoline@mcga.gov.uk
MCA Website Address: www.dft.gov.uk/mca

Note:
We hope that you’ll never have reason to complain about any aspect of our services. However, if there is something that you’re not happy with during your holiday, whilst travelling on one of our ships or other services related there to which you have purchased via DFDS, you must report it to us or to our supplier immediately.

Types of Vehicles

DFDS carries all types of passenger vehicles. Please ensure that you select the correct vehicle size (including all additions such as bicycle racks, tow bars roof racks) as we need to know the amount of space to set aside for you on the car deck. Vehicles declared incorrectly at the time of booking risk being refused boarding or may be subject to additional charges at the port. Click here for more information

Foot Passengers

DFDS welcomes foot passengers on our Newcastle-Amsterdam, Newhaven-Dieppe, Copenhagen-Oslo and Baltic Sea routes.

We do not accept foot passengers on our ferries between Dover-Dunkirk & Dover-Calais, these services are for vehicles only

Fuel, Gas and Air Cylinders

Goods or luggage which might cause considerable inconvenience to the other passengers or the crew, or endanger the safety or security of the ship, human beings or goods, must not be brought aboard.

It is therefore not permitted to carry dangerous or offensive weapons, explosives or drugs, spare cans of fuel (petrol/diesel-cans) or similar items. Paint, chemicals and related products are also considered dangerous goods and are not allowed on board DFDS ships.

If your vehicle is fitted with gas cylinders, up to 3 gas cylinders may be carried. The quantity of gas you are permitted to carry is limited to 47kg, excluding the weight of the receptacle’s. All cylinders must be adequately secured against movement of the ship with the supply disconnected and turned off. Any gas cylinders to be carried must be declared at the time of booking and accessible by staff to carry out checks at port.

Any motor vehicles propelled by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas, compressed or refrigerated (LNG) will only be accepted if the vehicle is a recognised manufactured model with standard specification; and electric cars are not allowed to be connected to the ship’s electrical system for charging.

Freight

Vehicle prices do not apply to vehicles of more than 10 metres in length or to those carrying commercial goods or commercial cargo (hereinafter called “commercial goods”).

Commercial goods carried in cars, luggage trailers etc. will be charged according to freight tariff.

DFDS reserves the right to charge a calculated freight tariff for cargo which is carried in conflict with these Conditions and assumes no responsibility for any consequences thereof. This applies especially to any carried goods which are beyond the allowed amount per vehicle including commercial products not belonging to the passenger or meant for resale/processing.

For more information visit our freight website

Reduced Mobility

If you, or someone you are booking for, is disabled or has reduced mobility, we welcome you as our customer and will offer whatever assistance we can to make your journey as comfortable as possible.

For more information Click here

Travelling with Pets

Take your furry friend along for the ride and avoid costly kennel fees whilst enjoying an exciting trip abroad. Your pet must comply with Pet Travel regulations: visit Pet Travel for more information on our pet travel scheme.

When travelling from Amsterdam (Port of IJmuiden) please go to the terminal building before proceeding to the vehicle check-in so that your pets microchip details can be validated. From 1 March 2019, all pets must be checked-in at the car booth.

Cots

DFDS does not provide cots on our long sea routes, bed rails can be requested from the Guest Services Centre onboard the vessel.

Guns and Weapons

For any passengers wishing to travel with firearms/ammunition you must call our contact centre on 0344 848 6090 in order to complete a "Notification for carriage of Weapons/Ammunition Form" indicating the type and quantity of fire arms/ammunition being carried.

All guns and weapons must be declared at the time of booking and not later than 24 hours before departure. You can take ammunition, but this must be kept to a minimum and wherever possible, stored separately.A maximum of 1000 cartridges of UN Class 1.4s per vehicle is permitted.

The weapons(s) must remain inside the vehicle and wherever practicable, the bolt, magazine or other vital operating parts should be separated from the gun and either carried on the person, secured or hidden in the vehicle, or kept in a locked container, ideally secured to the vehicle. Any weapon must also be obscured from view, under a cover or inside a container. Once onboard, the vehicle must remain locked and alarmed, if fitted. On our Newhaven-Dieppe route, the weapons are removed from your vehicle at check-in and returned to you on arrival.

Once you have informed us of all the details, we must pass the information to other interested parties. All vehicles are subject to searching at both ports and this will avoid any misunderstanding. However, you should still discretely confirm to the check in operator that you are carrying such items. Any required licences must be carried.

Even if your gun is only for display, the requirements are exactly the same.

Brexit Guidance – FAQ’s

Will Brexit affect my booking?

Brexit will not affect your booking, although some travel requirements may change dependent on the outcome.

Latest information can be found here on how to prepare and what steps you may need to take.

https://www.gov.uk/prepare-eu-exit/going-and-being-abroad

Will my current passport be valid for travel to Europe after Brexit?

Check the issue date of your passport. You may be required to have at least 6 months validity remaining on your passport for outward travel and 3 months validity when you return from the last country visited in the Schengen area.

To check the time remaining on your passport, go to https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/check-a-passport

Can EU citizens still travel to the UK with an ID Card?

Yes, in the short-term, however ID cards are likely to be withdrawn over time. Travelling with a full passport is a safe option.

For the European Commission's current travel proposal, go to https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/brexit_files/info_site/travelling.pdf

How can I renew my passport?

The easiest and quickest way to renew your passport is to use one of the online services: https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport

What is the Schengen area?

Travel by British passport holders to all of countries in the Schengen area, will be affected. For a list of these countries, go to https://www.axa-schengen.com/english/schengen-countries.html

Will I need a Visa to travel to the EU after Brexit?

British Citizens will not need visas for short term stays of up to 90 days, in a 180 day period.

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System)

From 2021, UK visitors travelling to the Schengen area will need to complete an online application prior to travel. This is the ETIAS visa – valid for 3 years and allowing unlimited entries into Europe during that time.

For more information go to https://www.etiasvisa.com/

Will I need a Visa to travel to the UK after Brexit?

It is proposed that EU Citizens will not needs visas for leisure or short-term business trips (Government confirmation awaited).

Will the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) still be valid?

No. There will be no reciprocal healthcare agreement. Individuals should ensure they have adequate private travel insurance, to cover all medical treatment and costs.

For more information go to https://www.gov.uk/european-health-insurance-card

Will I need to apply for an International Driving Permit to drive in Europe?

In the event of a No Deal driving licences may no longer be valid by themselves, and an International Driving Permit (IDP) may be necessary.

Anyone travelling immediately before or after March 29^th, should consider obtaining the relevant IDP before travelling, as a precaution. The cost of an IDP is £5.50 and can be made via the Post Office.

For more information and guidance on driving in the EU go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-to-drive-in-the-eu-after-brexit

What about my European driving insurance?

Check that you are covered to drive in Europe with your insurance provider. It may be necessary to obtain and carry a Green Card, demonstrating the validity of your insurance when driving abroad. These are provided by your insurance company, often at no cost.

Further information on Green Cards from the AA can be found here https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/insurance-news/drivers-might-need-green-cards-again

Can I still take my pet on holiday with me?

Yes; it is likely that the current pet passport arrangements for dogs, cats and ferrets would continue under the EU Pet Travel Scheme.

If not, and the UK is excluded from the scheme however, your pet may need different certification or additional checks. For more information, go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, after 29 March 2019 the rules for travelling to EU countries with your pet will change. You should start the process at least 4 months before you travel. For more information see https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/pet-passport

Will there be long queues at ports for tourist traffic?

Additional checks will apply mainly to the freight/commercial sector and British passport holders travelling to Europe for leisure purposes, should not experience many changes to the way they currently travel through the ferry ports.

What about customs entering Europe from the UK?

There may be a change in customs requirements which could result in the need to declare some goods purchased in the UK, as well as restrictions on transporting some food items into Europe from the UK.

For more information, go to https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/brexit_files/info_site/travelling.pdf.

And entering the UK from Europe?

There should be no additional checks or longer waiting periods at border controls than currently experienced.

Data Roaming

In the event of a no Deal surcharge free roaming when you travel to the EU may no longer be guaranteed, more information can be found here.

Prices are subject to availability. Telephone booking fees apply. Terms & Conditions apply.