Common Travel Area: UK-RoI travel

Think you don't need a passport to travel between the UK and Ireland? If you ask Aer Lingus, the Irish Embassy in London or the government they say you don't. If you travel from Ireland to the UK you'll never be asked for a passport.

But if you try to return you risk arrest.

I was detained in Cork airport because I flew from Heathrow with a photo-ID only. Aer Lingus let me on the plane.

Initially I assumed the Garda was just off his rocker. but I researched it and found out that there is a dispute between the GNIB and the government on the issue. The GNIB reserve the right to demand passports from all people entering the state, while the government continues to advise the airlines and travellers that only photo-ID is needed.

Ireland and the UK have an arrangement called the Common Travel Area which is supposed to allow Irish or British citizens to travel without passports. Britain respects the arrangement, and flights from the Republic land at the domestic sections of UK airports. No-one asks for a passport. The arrangement doesn't apply to non-UK or Irish citizens. But this is ignored in the UK.

I had a question asked in the Dail of McDowell last March. He answered that while Irish and UK citizens don't need a passport to enter the state, they do need to prove their nationality. The only acceptable proof is a passport. (What a wonderful example of McDowell legalese fudge!) To date the government websites have not been updated - they still say only photo-ID is required.

Why the confusion? Why the mystery?

I found that out too. In the Amsterdam Treaty, Ireland got an opt out from the Schengen Treaty only while the Common Travel Area exists. If the EU got wind of the fact that the CTA has been quietly done away with, Ireland would be legally obliged to join Schengen.

well after all of that we (my husband and i)are really tired about the mess of the immigration i think that it doesn't work so good and instead of that sometimes is luck and nothing else.

we are looking forthe optionons that we have, so one of them is to get EU family permit in UK and because my husband is working here en Dublin we want to move somewhere so near from here to Newry for example.

On last weekend we went there to see how is the accomodation but we couldn't find anything even in the newspapers. Is there somebady that is already living in Newry? can you give us an advise of the best options to find some place to live? where i can start to search? any sugestion will be very helpfully for us. Thank you very much

seabhcan wrote:Think you don't need a passport to travel between the UK and Ireland? If you ask Aer Lingus, the Irish Embassy in London or the government they say you don't. If you travel from Ireland to the UK you'll never be asked for a passport.

But if you try to return you risk arrest.

I was detained in Cork airport because I flew from Heathrow with a photo-ID only. Aer Lingus let me on the plane.

Initially I assumed the Garda was just off his rocker. but I researched it and found out that there is a dispute between the GNIB and the government on the issue. The GNIB reserve the right to demand passports from all people entering the state, while the government continues to advise the airlines and travellers that only photo-ID is needed.

Ireland and the UK have an arrangement called the Common Travel Area which is supposed to allow Irish or British citizens to travel without passports. Britain respects the arrangement, and flights from the Republic land at the domestic sections of UK airports. No-one asks for a passport. The arrangement doesn't apply to non-UK or Irish citizens. But this is ignored in the UK.

I had a question asked in the Dail of McDowell last March. He answered that while Irish and UK citizens don't need a passport to enter the state, they do need to prove their nationality. The only acceptable proof is a passport. (What a wonderful example of McDowell legalese fudge!) To date the government websites have not been updated - they still say only photo-ID is required.

Why the confusion? Why the mystery?

I found that out too. In the Amsterdam Treaty, Ireland got an opt out from the Schengen Treaty only while the Common Travel Area exists. If the EU got wind of the fact that the CTA has been quietly done away with, Ireland would be legally obliged to join Schengen.

Actually you are slightly incorrect. UK driver's licenses can be used by British citizens to enter the Republic of Ireland only if the holder of the license was BORN in the UK. British citizens born outside the UK have to use a British passport to enter the Republic. Are you a British citizen born in the UK?

As you mention, it's a well-known fact these days that the Irish immigration authorities perform immigration checks on all incoming flights from the UK while flights arriving from Ireland into the UK arrive at domestic terminals and ABSOLUTELY no immigration checks are made on flights arriving from Ireland. If anything you would expect the situation to be reversed with the UK authorities being more wary of arrivals from Ireland than the reverse.

The absurdity of the immigration checks on UK arrivals in Ireland is even more absurd when you consider that there is nothing stopping you from taking a domestic flight from London to Belfast and then getting on a train from Belfast to Dublin without encountering any immigration checks whatsoever. The land border between the UK and Ireland is completely unpoliced by immigration officers.

Just another example to show the Irish government is incapable of analysing complex issues...Not surprising when you consider the number of pubs around here.

There does seem to be a distinct lack of clarity about what ought to be (and used to be) a very straightforward matter.

Of course, while the Irish government probably has few if any qualms about instituting full immigration control for passengers on flights and even ferries arriving from Great Britain, it is probably loth to have controls on the land border with Northern Ireland - no doubt partly for reasons of hibernian pride, partly because it would be extremely unpopular, and partly because it would be an undoubted nuisance for people who live near the border of what are two very closely interconnected societies.

seabhcan wrote:I was detained in Cork airport because I flew from Heathrow with a photo-ID only. Aer Lingus let me on the plane.

What country were you born is and what citizenship(s) do you have? How did you eventually convince them to let you in?

Dawie wrote:Actually you are slightly incorrect. UK driver's licenses can be used by British citizens to enter the Republic of Ireland only if the holder of the license was BORN in the UK. British citizens born outside the UK have to use a British passport to enter the Republic. Are you a British citizen born in the UK?

Drivers licences are only proof of identity, not nationality.

Technically speaking, a person using a DL should also have a (pre-1983) U.K. birth certificate to accompany it. Or alternatively a Home Office Certificate of Registration or Naturalisation.

Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:

seabhcan wrote:I was detained in Cork airport because I flew from Heathrow with a photo-ID only. Aer Lingus let me on the plane.

What country were you born is and what citizenship(s) do you have? How did you eventually convince them to let you in?

I'm as white and Irish as is possible. I have a strong Limerick accent. There was absolutely no reason for the Garda to suspect anything (he was being a prick)

The problem is - its his right to be a prick when he chooses.

Garda said things like "We'll have to detain you until you're mammy and daddy can come down to Cork with your passport" (I'm 27 and married, I'm not a child)

At one point he said "Are you questioning me?" to which I answered honestly "Yes" (I wasn't going to lie to a Garda, was I!)

I got out of it by telling the Garda to take his time and that I was in no hurry. He lost interest. I also took his name and promised a complaint letter, which took the wind out of his sails a little.

The funniest part was I had not one, but two Irish passports in my bag at the time (one was a special business passport issued by London embassy) but I felt a point had to made to this prick - so I kept them to myself!

seabhcan wrote:I got out of it by telling the Garda to take his time and that I was in no hurry. He lost interest. I also took his name and promised a complaint letter, which took the wind out of his sails a little.

Out of interest, are you going to write a complaint letter?

I must admit, after having visited Ireland several times and having watched programs like Ballykissangel, I find it very difficult to take the Irish Garda seriously.

They seem more like hapless security guards than a serious police force to me.

Christophe wrote:

seabhcan wrote:I got out of it by telling the Garda to take his time and that I was in no hurry. He lost interest. I also took his name and promised a complaint letter, which took the wind out of his sails a little.

Out of interest, are you going to write a complaint letter?

No. I was more interested in the law behind his demand for a passport. The random idiot garda is not a big problem, really.

However, every time I wrote to the government about the case, I was sure to mention the Garda by name.

Dawie wrote:I must admit, after having visited Ireland several times and having watched programs like Ballykissangel, I find it very difficult to take the Irish Garda seriously.

They seem more like hapless security guards than a serious police force to me.

Thats the way we like it. I'd hate to have to UK police here.

They look like a bunch of junkie rambo-wantabees, strutting around the airports with armored vests and sub-machine guns. I avoid transiting through UK airports when ever I can.