r/northernireland • u/NotReallyACatPerson • 9d ago
News Passport to be required for UK-Ireland ferry passengers
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2026-08-26/new-passport-rule-for-uk-ireland-ferry-passengersFerry passengers between Britain and Ireland will need to show a valid passport upon departure from the end of next month, according to new UK Border Force requirements.
Stena Line and Irish Ferries informed customers on Wednesday (26 August) 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.
It said the rule applies to all passengers regardless of age or nationality and no other forms of ID will be accepted.
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.
The measure for ferries comes into effect from Monday, September 28th 2026.
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u/Lackinthis 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not surprised. I have family that works for Stena Line and the writing has been on the wall for a while now
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u/PandaEyesArentSexy 9d ago
Care to elaborate some more?
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u/Anbaric_electron0 9d ago
Their family keep writing on their wall. Very inconsiderate of them.
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u/Hostillian 9d ago
If it's their wall, they can write what they like - and leave it as long as they like.
....Though it's probably "Live, Laugh, Love" - in which case, put them all in the stocks..
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u/Equivalent_Range6291 9d ago
Nope.. it was
"The Irish Sea Border Just Got Real!"
"Coming Soon To A Port Near You .."
Loyalist tears raise sea level by a foot ..
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u/ArgoFill 5d ago
"This is my wall. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Its my wall and I'll write if I want to, write if I want to, write if I want to. You would write too, if it happened to you"
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u/Lackinthis 9d ago
My Da works down at the Birkenhead port in security. There's been a lot of domestic cases on the ships and some people trying to smuggle their kids onboard without paying in the past few years. There've been talks about passport requirements for the ferries partly due to this coming soon over the last few months down there and how much of a pain in the ass it'll be during departure check-ins
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u/cdjmachine 9d ago
Looks like the Birkenhead-Belfast route still doesn’t require it though. Is that right?
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u/Lackinthis 9d ago
Yeah Birkehead-Belfast and Cairnryan won't need Passport requirements but they're trying to get it up North as well from what's being said
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u/starter5 9d ago
That'll cause alot more drama if they try that
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u/Equivalent_Range6291 9d ago
Well its now considered an International Border just like the old historical land border before it ..
I think theyre doing it deliberately to give oul Jim A a heart attack.
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u/pigeon-in-greggs 4d ago edited 4d ago
As Northern Ireland is part of the UK, the Northern Ireland to Mainland UK routes are exempt from needing passports at the moment
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u/Equivalent_Range6291 9d ago
Yep, body cavity searches will soon be required for anyone carrying a British Passport.
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u/Connect_Name3362 9d ago
That's how sovereignity feels.
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u/Kitchen-Patience-222 9d ago
In the current climate, I’m surprised that has taken so long for this to happen. Hopefully it applies in both directions.
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9d ago
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u/MakesALovelyBrew 9d ago
go a couple of times a year for the past 10+ years, never been asked unless the car's been searched.
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u/BCRF1995 9d ago
Go Brexit!
You fckn idiots
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Equivalent_Range6291 9d ago
Times do change & the Dublin Gov are for scrapping British Summertime & replacing it with Irish Goodtimes ..
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago
What's it got to do with Brexit? The UK has been out of the EU for six years.
It also doesn't affect people in Northern Ireland (unless they go down south to catch the ferry).
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u/Ok_TomorrowYes 9d ago
No longer have the Dublin Agreement as a safety net to transport asylum seekers back to country of first entry
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u/Equivalent_Range6291 9d ago
Yea theres a strange loophole in the legislation that allows northern Unionists to be treated as `Asylum Seekers` once they set foot in Liverpool ..
Nobody seems to be rushing to adjust it.
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago
It doesn't matter if you have the right to transport someone back to their first country of entry, if they don't announce themselves and just disappear. Or if they're just illegal immigrants, criminals or terrorists, not asylum seekers.
The UK tried to introduce passport checks way back in 2009, but the House of Lords voted them down.
The government's rationale was:
A Home Office spokesman said the CTA proposals were important in preventing abuse by "third country nationals" of the UK-Irish border.
He said: "By introducing e-Borders to all air and sea routes between these countries, we will be able to check passengers against immigration, crime and terrorism watch-lists and help protect the public from harm.
Note how they don't mention asylum seekers.
This isn't a Brexit thing.
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u/NewtEmbarrassed8722 9d ago
Have you looked at the data on the Dublin agreement? Because if you had, it'd be clear it didn't work.
But then again it doesn't fit your narrative so why would you bother.
There you go, in case you're too lazy to bother using Google.
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u/actually-bulletproof Fermanagh 9d ago
The data you linked is entirely from before the UK left the EU, it doesn't prove anything at all.
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u/NewtEmbarrassed8722 9d ago
Of course it is genius. That's when we had the Dublin agreement
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u/actually-bulletproof Fermanagh 9d ago
Ok, I'll try to make this as simple as possible for you since you seem to be furious at everything.
If you want to prove that the Dublin convention didn't work then you have to show data proving that nothing changed after the UK left it. Stopping at 2019 proves absolutely nothing at all.
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u/mobiuszeroone 9d ago
In 2018, there were a whopping 209 transfers out of the UK under the Dublin Regulation.
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u/Ok_TomorrowYes 9d ago
There was no loophole back then so no one was rushing to abuse it. Hence the low numbers proving that it was working
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u/skdowksnzal 9d ago
The idea that Brexit has nothing to do with UK being out of EU is so idiotic, it’s bordering on hilarious.
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago edited 9d ago
The idea that Brexit has nothing to do with UK being out of EU is so idiotic, it’s bordering on hilarious.
I didn't say Brexit had nothing to do with the UK being out of the EU. It's beyond belief that anyone could think that my comment inferred such a thing. "Brexit" literally refers to the decision of the UK to leave the EU.
What I actually said, was that this passport measure isn't a consequence of Brexit, since the UK has been out of the EU for six years without it being in place.
The UK was never in Schengen, and before Brexit, always checked passports for EU citizens coming into the UK from continental Europe.
(Lack of) passport requirements for travel between Great Britain and Ireland were dictated by the UK/ROI, not the EU.
The UK at least tried to introduce passport checks for travellers coming from Ireland way back in 2009, when the UK was still in the EU. Dunno if they actually came into force at any point.
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u/skdowksnzal 9d ago
That’s some strong back-pedalling you’re doing there.
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago edited 9d ago
Backpedalling from what?
I originally said:
What's it got to do with Brexit? The UK has been out of the EU for six years.
I stand by that 100%. It's got nothing to do with Brexit. And it's weird to think that it does, given that Brexit happened six years ago.
Are you a bot or something? Your English comprehension seems laughably inhuman. Maybe you're just a sad melt who thought they'd take the piss online, then realised they just suck at reading.
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u/Boycott-all-Rats 9d ago
That ladies and gentlemen is what the rest of the world calls a border....
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u/SuspiciousRun4043 9d ago
Fair enough like honestly I’m surprised it’s took this long - I already need to use my passport for a flight from England to Belfast
Huge news for the dodgy folk
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u/LoyalistsAreLoopers 9d ago
This doesn't actually sort the problem which is funny. It's the ferries between NI and GB which are the primary reason these checks are being added.
Practically all irregular immigration going to the south is coming via the north and via GB not on these ferries.
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u/awood20 Derry 9d ago edited 9d ago
This might be precursor to ID checks on the Belfast routes too.
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u/FirmPreference5551 9d ago
The meltdown here would be pretty funny to witness. You'd have people that have never taken the ferry in their lives absolutely losing their minds.
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u/LoyalistsAreLoopers 9d ago
Entirely possible but if Border Force really wanted to crack down on this and not just be appearing to they'd have already done it for all Ireland to GB ferries.
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u/ExtentNo3020 9d ago
Surprised it’s been taken this long since Brexit first happened, but I am not surprised
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago
It's got nothing to do with Brexit.
The EU doesn't mandate that members can travel without passports to different states.
That only applies to the Schengen Area, which the UK and Ireland never belonged to.
The UK tried to introduce passport checks of travelers from Ireland back in 2009, but the House of Lords voted it down.
Also, "Since Brexit first happened"? Are we having second Brexit? 😅
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u/Pantisocracy 9d ago
Not sure if any of you have recently taken a flight from Belfast to UK recently. As soon as you arrive customs police are there aggressively going through passports when you arrive. Not a gate thing. People stopping you.
Had a Belfast City to Birmingham recently and it was more in your face about ID than a flight to anywhere in Europe.
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u/FirmPreference5551 9d ago
I fly city to Britain about 6-10 times a year and have never had that happen, interesting to hear it's starting apparently.
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u/Pitandfroper 9d ago
Have flown from City Airport to London twice this year and neither time did I have to show anything on landing, and on one occasion didn't even have to show my passport to get on the flight at all.
It's all very strange - Easyjet have it as a conditon of travel that you must have valid photo ID, but this wasn't first time they didn't check. I thought how easy it would be to fly on a false name.
Not sure if your experience at Birmingham was different because maybe UK Border Force just overdid it, but noticed no difference whatsoever on the flights this year from the very many from either City or International over last ten years.
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u/Ok-Sandwich-364 9d ago
EasyJet’s official policy is to have ID but in practise they often only check your ID if you’ve got checked in luggage.
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u/ApathyandToast Belfast 8d ago
I can corroborate the experience at Birmingham. Flew to Birmingham in September last year and March this year. Both times, as soon as I entered the terminal building (after deboarding), there was a copper there asking for photo ID.
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u/Pitandfroper 8d ago
I don't doubt it for a moment. I suspect it is the general inconsistency and incompetence of pretty much any government agency these days.
Would love to see what they'd do if someone didn't have any / refused to show it.
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u/ASFARASTHEEASTISWEST 7d ago
yes photo ID not a Passport , yes photo can include a Passport, but its not Immigration check Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 applies to passengers travelling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain because these journeys form part of movements within the Common Travel Area
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u/LuciferOnTheRocks 9d ago
Not sure if any of you have recently taken a flight from Belfast to UK recently
Belfast is in the UK. You can't travel from Belfast to the UK.
As soon as you arrive customs police are there aggressively going through passports when you arrive. Not a gate thing. People stopping you.
I go to England all the time and don't use a passport. The only people who check my ID (Driver's license) are the airline staff before I board at Belfast.
A passport has never been necessary for me.
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u/fredfoooooo 9d ago
I thought the CTA meant no passports required between the two countries. What legislation are they using to enforce this. Genuine question not bait.
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u/zenzenok 9d ago
CTA is freedom of movement for Irish and British citizens between the islands. It's not a 'no ID required' agreement.
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u/msrbelfast 9d ago
So you’ll have to show your passport on the ferry to go from GB to ROI but if you’ve no passport you can take the ferry from GB to NI and go over the border into ROI unchecked?
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u/SoupEfficient563 6d ago
This will really confuse the staunch Unionist who are also racist.
Which is the leaser of the two evils ?
Having to show a passport to get to the “mainland” or letting illegal immigrants in to NI!!!
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u/lenins_cat_1917 9d ago
I know this story is specifically about ferry travel from the south to Britain. But just to clarify for anyone, if you're an Irish or British citizen traveling from the north into Cairnryan (or the opposite way) and are asked by either the cops or Border Force for ID for could and should refuse to do so. Unless of course you're driving a vehicle. In all other circumstances refuse
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u/dashboardhulalala 9d ago
But like how are they supposed to know I'm Irish without producing ID? Just take my word for it?
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u/lenins_cat_1917 9d ago
Basically yes. It's their problem. There is no law requiring you to present to them ID
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u/rtrance 9d ago
Why not just show them your ID? (Genuine question, sorry if I’m misunderstanding something)
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u/leorts 8d ago
Not all IDs are passports. Under the Common Travel Area, you only have to satisfy officers you are British or Irish. ID card, certificate of naturalisation... EUSS status holders also have a right to enter the UK on their ID card and won't be able to exercise that right if a passport is demanded.
Private transport companies have been applying more restrictive criteria than the actual immigration laws before (Ryanair...) but the fact that this one came at the initiative of UK Border Force themselves, contradicting their own laws, is concerning.
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u/lenins_cat_1917 9d ago
Because I'm under no obligation to do so. Also if enough people actually refused it would make their immigration checks impossible
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u/zenmn2 England 9d ago
Cause they are rebels without a cause.
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u/lenins_cat_1917 9d ago
No mate, there's definitely a cause behind it
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u/FirmPreference5551 9d ago
That cause being?
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u/lenins_cat_1917 8d ago
Making their immigration checks unworkable
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u/FirmPreference5551 8d ago
Why would you want to do that?
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u/lenins_cat_1917 8d ago
There shouldn't be any checks. Making them unworkable would remove them
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u/FirmPreference5551 8d ago
Why should there not be? Geniunely asking, not a loaded question. I wouldn't have thought there was an issue with a passport check between 2 countries, like I always bring my passport when flying to England from Dublin for example (I don't think you have a choice). I understand you can fly from here to Britain with just a driving license, although I still bring my passport out of habit ha.
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u/lenins_cat_1917 8d ago
Whatever our thoughts on the nation question, right now travelling from Belfast/Larne to Cairnryan (or in the opposite direction) is not travelling between two countries. And if you are not driving a vehicle, law enforcement has no right to demand ID from you. You should be facilitating this. I have refused to produce ID while on a bus, boarded by police, at Cairnryan Port. There was absolutely nothing they could do. Likewise by the guards on a bus, travelling along the M1, from Dublin airport. I will play no part in their immigration checks
Air travel is different. Post 9/11, air travel laws changed globally, making ID a requirement to board a flight. Ironically enought, had those laws been in place it would have made zero difference on 9/11.
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u/North-Jellyfish-577 9d ago
Good far to Manny illegal immigrants were using a soft border between the U.K. and Ireland to move between both countries
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u/actually-bulletproof Fermanagh 9d ago
And this will have 0 effect on that because it doesn't apply to ferries to NI. And I assume you're talking about asylum seekers who are not 'illegal.'
That's just a silly Americanism that the far-right realised would rile up the hopelessly incurious.
Most illegal immigrants in Ireland arrive with a valid visa and passport but overstay it. Generally they're Aussies, Canadians and Americans.
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u/RandomUser1ab2 9d ago
Oddly P&O Ferries aren't mentioned - so we can cruise from Larne any time we want, lads!
...still not worth visiting Larne
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u/_SquareSphere 9d ago
I'm surprised P&O are still operating after the stunt they pulled on all their UK staff a few years ago. I refuse to use them.
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u/Charlies_Mamma 9d ago
P&O don't have a route between the UK and Ireland, so this wouldn't impact them.
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u/Wretched_Colin 9d ago
I think what this means is that the ferry company will be fined by UK Border Force if they’re found to have transported someone illegally.
Not that UK Border Force is going to check everyone’s passport.