Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2010
56 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make representations to the airlines serving the UK market to accept driving licences or other means of identity instead of a passport in view of the ongoing work to rule at the passport office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20859/10]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware there is no legal requirement for Irish citizens to have a passport for travel from Ireland to Britain. The Common Travel Area is a passport-free zone between the two islands. The area's internal borders are subject to minimal or non-existent border controls and can normally be crossed by Irish and British citizens with only minimal identity documents. The maintenance of the area involves considerable co-operation on immigration matters between the British and the Irish authorities.
In light of the present delays in the issuing of Irish passports, officials of my Department made contact with the airlines flying between Ireland and Britain and all but one, Ryanair will accept a driver's licence, as evidence of identity for travel to Britain. Ryanair informed my Department that this is their policy for travel on all of their routes across Europe and that they will not be relaxing this policy. They said that they have received representations from other EU Member States in the past to change this requirement and that they had refused these requests and therefore will not change their policy for flights between Ireland and Britain.
In respect of flights between Ireland and Britain, carriers other than Ryanair will accept documents such as:
Driver's licence with photo
International student card
National ID card / Government issued photo ID cards
Health Insurance cards with photo / Social security cards with photo
Bus pass with photo
Work ID with photo.
Aer Lingus
Travel between Ireland and the UK or UK Domestic travel
Citizens of Ireland and the UK must carry some form of official photo identification. The following forms of photo identification are acceptable:
Valid Passport
Driver's licence with photo
International student card
National ID card / Government issued photo ID cards
Health Insurance cards with photo / Social security cards with photo
Bus pass with photo
Work ID with photo
Citizens of Ireland and the UK under the age of 16, do not need a photo ID, if travelling with their parent/guardian.
Citizens of countries other than Ireland and the UK must produce a valid passport and visa where applicable, for travel between Ireland and the United Kingdom.
British Midland
Acceptable forms of photographic ID
British or Irish customers under the age of 16 who are travelling with an adult on the same booking do not need photographic identification to travel to/from the Republic of Ireland but it is advisable that they have some form of identification for example a birth certificate, bus pass or student ID.
Acceptable forms of photographic ID include:
Valid passport
Valid photographic driver's licence
Valid photographic EU/EEA or Swiss national identity card
Valid armed forces identity card
Valid police warrant card/badge
Valid airport employees security identity pass
Valid business photographic ID (Dublin only)
If making an e-ticket booking on behalf of someone else, the traveller will need to present an acceptable form of photographic ID at the Check-in Desk.
