Passport to be required for UK-Ireland ferry crossings
Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
Ferry passengers between Britain and Ireland will need a valid passport from the end of next month, according to requirements of the UK Border Force.
Stena Line and Irish Ferries informed customers on Wednesday that the change is due to UK Border Force rules on “accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding”.
Currently, passengers are not always asked to show a passport but have sometimes been required to have another form of photo ID.
Stena Line said all passengers travelling between Holyhead and Dublin or Fishguard and Rosslare will now need to show a passport on departure and no other forms of ID will be accepted.
It said the rule applies to all passengers regardless of age or nationality.
It added: “Customers with existing bookings are currently being notified by the customer service team to ensure customers are fully supported during this change of operations.”
There is no change to the ID requirements for business or leisure passengers travelling with Stena Line from Belfast, Liverpool, Cairnryan or Heysham.
In a similar statement, Irish Ferries said: “All passengers, including Irish and British citizens, travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Britain (both directions) will be required to carry a valid passport.”
The operator encouraged all passengers to check they have an in-date passport or passport card before arriving at the port.
Under the century-old Common Travel Area agreement, Irish and British citizens do not legally require a passport to travel between Ireland and Britain.
However, certain airlines have required a passport for boarding and the measure for ferries comes into effect from Monday September 28.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Get more trusted Welsh news
Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.
This seems a bit odd. Passports are required on sailings which go to the Irish Republic but not to Belfast. Obviously Belfast is part of the UK – but (I believe) there are no checks at the RoI/NI border so surely anyone could just drive down or get on a train or whatever!
You are entirely correct. You can walk, drive or take the train across the border and nobody will stop you.
That’s what I will do until such time as things change back or I get another passport.
Even less chance of the Swansea to Cork ferry returning now.
Presumably this is part one of a two part plan. The second part being the difficult bit of requiring a passport to move within the UK which they hope to delay until after reunification.
That IS annoying. I wasn’t going to bother renewing my passport as I’m not planning to travel much but Ireland is the one place I would go to, and renewing a passport would add a lot to the cost of the trip.
So you need a passport to catch a ferry to Dublin from Holyhead, but no passport required to travel from Cairnryan to Belfast then catch a train or drive to Dublin.
The photo is an explanation from the UK border agency on how the new rules will work.
Is this just another none benefit from that ridiculous brexflop decision that keeps on failing to deliver in all aspects, and still the zombies vote for Mr brexaholic himself Farage, tragic .
Track and trace…..