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Information for people travelling to the UK from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, and information for people passing through the UK on the way to Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
www.gov.uk
You don’t need to show your passport to a Border Force officer when travelling from Ireland to Great Britain. However, you may be asked to show a document that confirms your identity and nationality.
So are the CTA arrangements changing? Are UK border checks in place at Holyhead etc?
A month's notice may give pre-booked passengers on these routes time to apply for a passport if they don't hold one. They shouldn't assume all those that travel via these routes will have a passport, especially if they have no intention to travel beyond Ireland and the UK.
Of course its possible to circumvent this by travelling from Belfast across to Great Britain, bearing in mind there are no border checks if going by road or rail from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
A month doesn't seem enough notice at the height of the summer.
The problem with the CTA is that the passport exemption only applies to British and Irish citizens, and the best way to prove you are a British or Irish citizen is...
(I suspect in the past it was done based on some rather racist observation of those handing over other documents which is no longer tenable particularly if it means people are getting through who should not).
For a British citizen, only a passport (or a certificate of entitlement in a foreign passport) is proof of citizenship, for an Irish Citizen only Passport or a Passport Card.
Not that the CTA in reality conforms to what actually written in most cases.
Ireland has long disregarded the CTA inbound anyways, Dublin airport has no segregation (with the exception obviously of the Kerry and Donegal flights), each time I took the Holyhead ferry into Dublin, I have had my passport checked by Gardai
Ireland has long disregarded the CTA inbound anyways, Dublin airport has no segregation (with the exception obviously of the Kerry and Donegal flights)
Indeed, due to a big change to its immigration laws in 1997. Given this seems like harmonisation between the two countries' arrangements, I see no issue.
Gov must have a fairly decent reason to force such a change within a month's time frame, though it is definitely a very very short time frame for passengers. At least Stena are offering amendments and refunds
Gov must have a fairly decent reason to force such a change within a month's time frame, though it is definitely a very very short time frame for passengers.
It's impracticably short for getting a first passport as you can't fast track it. These days that won't be many people but it will be some. In the height of summer it can easily take two months end to end. (My last renewal took a week but I did do it during the height of COVID in 2020 when nobody was travelling ).
I can only assume that such a short timeframe was in response to a specific, credible threat building rather than just administrative harmonisation, as one would think 6 months or so would otherwise be a more reasonable timeframe for such a change. Possibly Russia related?
I can only assume that such a short timeframe was in response to a specific, credible threat building rather than just administrative harmonisation, as one would think 6 months or so would otherwise be a more reasonable timeframe for such a change. Possibly Russia related?
Nah, it's just UK Border Force doing UK Border Force things.
It just sums up the UK Border Force attitude to everything, really: force changes through with the minimum of notice and bugger the consequences for all the innocent people caught up in it. We saw the same thing with the changes to ETA for dual nationals and the carnage that caused.
All of it should cause more of a stink than it has, to be quite honest.
That said, it is the way things are going. BA have started requiring photo ID for domestic flights.
I don't get why other forms of photo ID can't still be accepted on the ferry though.
This contradicts what the Common Travel Arrangements (which have been in place for over 100 years) which currently says "You don’t need to show your passport to a Border Force officer when travelling from Ireland to Great Britain.
Of course its possible to circumvent this by travelling from Belfast across to Great Britain bearing in mind there are no border checks if going by road or rail from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
I know this because I was on a Translink Goldline bus from Belfast to Dublin which was pulled over by the Gardai- passports and ID were checked for all passengers and several passengers (who were fairly obviously in a group and both foreign and not supposed to be there) were frogmarched off the bus. I can only assume the Gardai knew fine well who they were looking for.
A passport is the only effective way to quickly prove your nationality. The imposition will have been something like "you're going to get fined for every non-UK/Irish citizen who gets through without showing a passport", and the only way to ensure that none do is to get everyone to show a passport.
The CTA is a bit of a paradox like that. It's not the same as Schengen which gives *everyone* free movement provided they are carrying ID, they just don't have to systematically show it. To be honest it's probably more intended for the land border, showing a passport on boarding a plane or ship is not a massive imposition, the only real imposition is only giving people a month to get one.
And if the Facebook post announcing the consultation is anything to go by there's massive support from islanders (who I suspect largely believe that stuff about London being some sort of dangerous hellhole put out by the American Right rather than the reality that it's a cleaner and more visitor-friendly city than it's probably ever been, at least in my lifetime, and thus want to protect their nice little island from those dangerous interlopers, whoever they are).
I'd be unsurprised if you got the same response from a consultation done on the Isle of Wight, to be honest, and that's just Hampshire! (Well, I think it's a unitary now, but you get the idea).
This is historically the UK way, though we're perhaps moving away from it. Most countries for instance have customs visible at the airport all the time, and you often need to give in an explicit declaration. The UK has them not there most of the time, but you can be sure they'll have looked at the manifest and worked out if there's someone they're suspicious of, and if there is they'll be there in force. The only other country I can think of that largely seems to do it that way is Switzerland.
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Presumably accepting driving licences though rather than just passports? It would not have been sensible to go to Ireland on a ferry without *any* ID before, but a driving licence would have been OK.
Generally ID on planes in the UK is revenue protection rather than security, though*, as the UK approach to airport security (unlike some other countries) isn't based on profiling or no fly lists, it's based on making sure everyone gets the same checks to get into the secure area and so whoever they are they won't have something on them they shouldn't. This is one reason the UK doesn't trust any other country's airport security whereas quite a few other countries do trust ours.
* Aside from that with checked bags it is also about ensuring the person who checked the bag is the same person who boards, which is a post Lockerbie measure. I wonder if BA's change is just to make that a bit easier as then it's just muscle memory to check ID of everyone at the gate rather than having to look who needs a check and who doesn't.
There is also the carrier's interpretation of the laws and regs
You don't need a passport to travel on Expressway Eurolines Dublin-London as per their T&C
You do need a passport to travel from Ireland to the UK on Aer Lingus since February this year but you don't need a passport to travel on BA metal (despite them being the same airline group and basically being interchangeable on DUB-LHR...)
And if the Facebook post announcing the consultation is anything to go by there's massive support from islanders (who I suspect largely believe that stuff about London being some sort of dangerous hellhole put out by the American Right rather than the reality that it's a cleaner and more visitor-friendly city than it's probably ever been, at least in my lifetime, and thus want to protect their nice little island from those dangerous interlopers, whoever they are).
There are the usual Facebook racists but, no, it's really more about the Liverpool drug gangs. County Lines is becoming a real issue here and, understandably, they use the ferry to get here. The first stage last year was that the Steam Packet no longer accept cash for purchasing tickets at the ticket office, mandatory ID is just the second stage of that.
A passport is the only effective way to quickly prove your nationality. The imposition will have been something like "you're going to get fined for every non-UK/Irish citizen who gets through without showing a passport", and the only way to ensure that none do is to get everyone to show a passport.
There is also the carrier's interpretation of the laws and regs
You don't need a passport to travel on Expressway Eurolines Dublin-London as per their T&C
You do need a passport to travel from Ireland to the UK on Aer Lingus since February this year but you don't need a passport to travel on BA metal (despite them being the same airline group...)
Presumably Eurolines will need to update their own T&Cs to reflect the fact that you'll need a passport, given that they use Stena or Irish Ferries to get the coach from England to Ireland.
But yes, there might be a bit of the ferry companies reacting to pressure by going too far the other way and only accepting passports. I don't see why they can't accept any sort of official photo ID to maintain the "accuracy and integrity of passenger data." A UK, Irish (or Manx/CI) driving licence isn't going to be issued to someone who doesn't have the right to be in the UK or Ireland.
The CTA only applies to British and Irish nationals, so if you have photo ID from somewhere else in the world you won't be able to prove that the CTA applies to you.
But yes, there might be a bit of the ferry companies reacting to pressure by going too far the other way and only accepting passports. I don't see why they can't accept any sort of official photo ID to maintain the "accuracy and integrity of passenger data." A UK, Irish (or Manx/CI) driving licence isn't going to be issued to someone who doesn't have the right to be in the UK or Ireland.
But might be issued to someone who doesn't have the right to use the CTA no-ID provisions which are exclusively extended to British or Irish citizens, not others who have the right to long term residence in one of the two. Such as my Polish best mate.
I suspect this is the sticking point and is why it's passports rather than any photo ID, rather than accepting things being a little porous.
But might be issued to someone who doesn't have the right to use the CTA no-ID provisions which are exclusively extended to British or Irish citizens, not others who have the right to long term residence in one of the two. Such as my Polish best mate.
And they'll still be valid if the person's status expires, though travelling with expired status means you can't really go back if you leave. Some US states cap non-national DL validity to the expiry of immigration status.
The sticking point is that not everyone applies the same rules and not at the same time.
For example, If there was a UK BF change in February, why didn't it apply to everyone? There's no reason why the UK gov would force rules onto Aer Lingus but not BA. Especially when BA uses Aer Lingus to deal with their ground operations in DUB. Unless IAG (the parent owner of BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus...) wants to be really careful and shield Aer Lingus from the wrath of the UK Gov for some reason?
Reading what Stena have put out, I did wonder whether or not the UK government will be getting the ferry companies (and airlines) to capture advance passenger information data (API) for journeys between RoI and GB.
There will be a massive loophole if travelling via NI (eg Dublin - Belfast - Liverpool), as passports won't be needed. The same applies to this ETA for the UK. A non-Irish/British citizen could have their ETA application declined online. However, nothing to stop them flying into Dublin and then travelling to NI and of course GB.
I agree. Six months would be a reasonable amount of notice. One month is insufficient unless it was in response to specific threat intelligence, and in that case there should be prioritisation of new passport applications for anyone who can prove they have an affected journey booked that was booked before the announcement.
As to the rest of it there's a lot of complex politics surrounding Northern Ireland. The solutions to Brexit have been complex enough!
I'd be unsurprised if you got the same response from a consultation done on the Isle of Wight, to be honest, and that's just Hampshire! (Well, I think it's a unitary now, but you get the idea).
Is it such a big deal? I take the car by ferry to Dublin once a year and me and my fellow passengers always have a passport as ID. Only been asked for ID once (Dublin) in last three years but we live in different times now as witnessed by German Police joining trains at border crossings.
Requiring passports to go to the RoI: not really a big deal
Only allowing people a month to get one: definitely a big deal, it's very difficult to get a new passport in that time as a new passport can't be fast tracked.
I don't think the EU typically has any customs formalities on arrival, beyond walking through a "nothing to declare" door?
Arriving in Brindisi from Albania I did have my luggage x-rayed after passport control, but I've never had to do anything like that arriving from the UK.
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From what I've seen the main difference is that the EU red channels are usually staffed, while the UK ones are more often than not empty with just a phone.
Is it such a big deal? I take the car by ferry to Dublin once a year and me and my fellow passengers always have a passport as ID. Only been asked for ID once (Dublin) in last three years but we live in different times now as witnessed by German Police joining trains at border crossings.
The German border controls are an entirely political thing that doesn't accomplish much, apart from inconveniencing people (on trains and on the roads) and causing accidents.
Carrying a form of ID on the other hand is not a big deal IMO but opinions may differ.
For a British citizen, only a passport (or a certificate of entitlement in a foreign passport) is proof of citizenship, for an Irish Citizen only Passport or a Passport Card.
Not that the CTA in reality conforms to what actually written in most cases.
Ireland has long disregarded the CTA inbound anyways, Dublin airport has no segregation (with the exception obviously of the Kerry and Donegal flights), each time I took the Holyhead ferry into Dublin, I have had my passport checked by Gardai
I think with one exception, Gardai have been present every time I've arrived into Dublin on the ferry, often with dogs too.
But they just want ID, I pretty much always show my driving licence and they wave me past no issue. One of my mates showed his PRIV once to see if they'd accept it, and they did! Another time I arrived into Rosslare, Gardai got on the foot passenger bus asking for ID. An Irish guy sat behind me went into his bag looking for his passport but couldn't find it. Told the officer he couldn't find it and got the reply "Ah you're grand, there's no way you're not Irish with that accent!"
North Wales Police are pretty much always at Holyhead checking arrivals, usually a couple of coppers in the booths, flash your ID and they're happy.
Same at Birkenhead too, and I've seen non British/Irish citizens getting taken aside and asked why they're coming to Great Britian, how they arrived into the CTA and so on. I've seen UK Home Office doing random checks at Belfast Grand Central too for the Dublin arrivals. Which I did wonder how they'd react to someone claiming to have travelled from Portadown or Newry.
Carrying a form of ID isn't an issue per se and I doubt many would consider it so when getting on a boat or plane. Indeed most people would assume you needed ID to board a boat or plane as you generally do!
Carrying a passport with just one month's notice may be because they may not have one (or more likely their kids might not) and to get your first typically takes more than a month at busy times.
The UK doesn't have ID cards. For Irish people (who do) this is a non-issue, of course, and you'd similarly be used to having one. But we don't - driving licences are de facto ID cards but are not going to be valid for this travel, presumably as they don't say anything about your citizenship or immigration status.
The UK doesn't have ID cards. For Irish people (who do) this is a non-issue, of course, and you'd similarly be used to having one. But we don't - driving licences are de facto ID cards but are not going to be valid for this travel, presumably as they don't say anything about your citizenship or immigration status.
Ireland also doesn't have ID cards for its citizens, but does have ID-sized passport cards. But you can only apply for Irish passport card if you hold an Irish passport (and the expiry date is 5 years or the expiry date of the full passport, whichever is earlier).
As an aside, I travelled by plane last year from Gothenburg to Prague (intra-Schengen), fully expecting to have to present ID, but I didn't. Just a self-scan of the boarding pass to enter the terminal and at the gate. And of course no checks on arrival in Prague.
Ireland also doesn't have ID cards for its citizens, but does have ID-sized passport cards. But you can only apply for Irish passport card if you hold an Irish passport (and the expiry date is 5 years or the expiry date of the full passport, whichever is earlier).
Most passports are electronic now, it'll be a much easier way to stop people with a warrant out for their arrest. I wonder whether Labour are looking to make amendments to the good friday agreement by tightening up the loopholes to go (by the back door) after ex IRA? The main title headline will be to stem the flow of migrants, but it has no effect as they can still come through NI.
Ireland also doesn't have ID cards for its citizens, but does have ID-sized passport cards. But you can only apply for Irish passport card if you hold an Irish passport (and the expiry date is 5 years or the expiry date of the full passport, whichever is earlier).
You don’t need to show your passport to a Border Force officer when travelling from Ireland to Great Britain. However, you may be asked to show a document that confirms your identity and nationality.
In other words, if the OP has not omitted any other relevant information, the ferry companies decided to interpret "a document that confirms your identity and nationality." as "passport", which is clearly nonsense.
Easily fixed. Try to board a ferry without a passport, then take them to court. This is a civil matter, nothing to do with the government.
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