Ugrent help please

assbc wrote:I am married to an Irish Citizen and would like to travel to Belfast Northern Ireland. Do i need a visa to go to belfast? I will be travelling alone.
Thanks

Yes. Being married to an Irish citizen does not free you from a requirement to have a visa to go to any other EU country, is it not so?

yes u need UK visa to travel to belfast

But I had heard there is no border control between the two Irelands ??

There wasnt really any border control between NI and ROI but with so many people travelling to NI during the recession to avail of cheaper products/cigarettes/petrol etc there is random stop checks and the GNIB have been known to do regular random stop checks also.

I would suggest getting a visa, as chancing it, could be too much of a risk.

True there was no border control but now the police of Northern Ireland and republic of ireland are on random patrol, they don't stop every body but there are chances to be stoped and to be asked for ID visa etc.
it happened to my friend last week, he was asked for his visa for both of the countries, he presented his passport & Visas and they let him go.
So, i would strongly recommend to get UK visa before you go otherwise if you are caught you would be handed over to Irish Garda and they will put your name in the imigration offenders list, in the future you would face great difficulty when u extend you visa or apply for naturalization.
hope it will help.
Good Luck

I have never been stopped in my many trips up North. Ive never travelled with my passport, just a driving license. Curious as to what they would do if I was stopped just with a drivers license.

In Summary, I would only bother with a British Visa, if I was going to Britain (that bigger Island next door)
Yes, your required to have a visa, but they are not "supposed" to do anything if you don't have one, if you carry your marriage cert.
As long as you don't intend to fly to Belfast, it should be grand.

acme4242 wrote:In Summary, I would only bother with a British Visa, if I was going to Britain (that bigger Island next door)

To enter any part of the UK without possessing a valid visa if it required, is unlawful.

acme4242 wrote:Yes, your required to have a visa, but they are not "supposed" to do anything if you don't have one, if you carry your marriage cert.
As long as you don't intend to fly to Belfast, it should be grand.

Sorry, that's wrong. The OP may be the spouse of an Irish citizen, but if s/he is not entering the UK in accordance with the provisions of the Directive, s/he needs a visa if required due to nationality.

Lax border controls between Ireland and the UK are not a green light that laws can be broken.

Speaking as someone from Norn Iron who is married to a non EU citizen and resident in mainland Britain, I can but agree with the posts which point out that you really should get yourself a proper UK visa to go north. You most probably would be unchallenged if you do not look out of place or draw attention to yourself but it will surely only be a matter of time before you would want to visit "the big island next door" and you want to have a clean sheet for proper visa application. My wife is African and is invariably questioned at the Scottish ferry terminals when we come back from visiting the Province, so don't feel tempted to go that way for an unofficial visit to mainland UK. The UKBA is well aware of people getting an Irish visa and trying to get in the back door when they have had problems with UK visas.

benifa wrote: To enter any part of the UK without possessing a valid visa if it required, is unlawful.



Sorry, that's wrong. The OP may be the spouse of an Irish citizen, but if s/he is not entering the UK in accordance with the provisions of the Directive, s/he needs a visa if required due to nationality.

Lax border controls between Ireland and the UK are not a green light that laws can be broken.

That is quite a sweeping statement, which might or might not apply to the OP.

First of all the OP has not stated what her intention/s for going to the UK is/are, and whether or not she will be accompanied by her Irish husband, therfore you would first need to establish that fact.

It is not strictly speaking right that all third country national, who are visa required national, who enter a member state without that visa , entered unlawfully.

If the purpose of the stay is less that 24hrs and these people are in possession of a residence permit issued by an EU member state, they are allowed to travel to the UK lawfully, without the need to obtain the required visa, especially if they will be making an onward journey.

If this woman will be travelling with her husband, which may or may not be the case, then she is covered by all the procedural safeguard attached to directive 2004/38EC.

I would advice the OP to get the visa if she intend on staying for a long period, as a family member of mine was recently questioned at George Best Airport, especially if her partner will not be accompanying her.

If it for the odd shopping at Newry, i frankly speaking will not bother too much.

My home is 20 minutes away from Newry, and about 90 minutes from British High commission. If i was a visa national who needed to do an urgent day shopping, i don't think the prospect of undertaking an interview and possibly having to wait for almost a month will be appealing.

Obie wrote:

benifa wrote: To enter any part of the UK without possessing a valid visa if it required, is unlawful.



Sorry, that's wrong. The OP may be the spouse of an Irish citizen, but if s/he is not entering the UK in accordance with the provisions of the Directive, s/he needs a visa if required due to nationality.

Lax border controls between Ireland and the UK are not a green light that laws can be broken.

That is quite a sweeping statement, which might or might not apply to the OP.

First of all the OP has not stated what her intention/s for going to the UK is/are, and whether or not she will be accompanied by her Irish husband, therfore you would first need to establish that fact.

<snipped irrelevant tripe>

I did, I read the original post.

assbc wrote:I will be travelling alone.

Obie wrote:If it for the odd shopping at Newry, i frankly speaking will not bother too much.

My home is 20 minutes away from Newry, and about 90 minutes from British High commission. If i was a visa national who needed to do an urgent day shopping, i don't think the prospect of undertaking an interview and possibly having to wait for almost a month will be appealing.

Advising people to break the law is against the rules of this website.

Everyone needs to be extra careful crossing the border because of the occasionalover-zealous border police.