DUB-UK ID requirements - drivers license only?
 

I'm looking at flying DUB-LBA/NCL R/T in a few weeks; however I'm dropping off my passport at the US Embassy in Dublin for a visa application.

Does anyone have any experience flying DUB-UK R/T with only a drivers license as a UK citizen?

Nit sure you can as the UK isn't in the (so?) shenegan agreement.

I don't think there is any passport check by UKBA when u fly ROI to GB. There certainly is one on the return route though by Irish Immigration.

No issue at all flying EI and CTA rules apply .

Before leaving home for your trip to or from Britain, make sure you’ve got the right identification. Find out what you need to bring right here.

Acceptable Identification

If you’re a citizen of Ireland and/or Britain, you need to carry some form of official photo identification in order to be able to fly with us.

Note: To travel between Ireland and Britain with photo identification other than a passport, you must have been born in Ireland or the U.K. and also be a citizen of either country.

The following forms of photo identification are acceptable once they are in date:

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 Britain under the age of 16 don’t need a photo ID if travelling with their parent/guardian.

Citizens of countries other than Ireland and Britain must produce a valid passport and visa where applicable for travel between Ireland and Britain.

https://www.aerlingus.com/travel-inf...-from-britain/

Neither is Ireland in the Shengan Area but Ireland and the UK are in the Shenanigan's Area which permits nationals to travel free of immigration control (although not fully respected by INIS staff). An Irish or British citizen can thus use a driving licence on EI (or BA but certainly not FR).

Be careful here, Aer Lingus and other carriers, BA, Flybe are fine with a drivers licence. Ryanair will refuse travel without a passport.

I use a driving licence only on that route with EI and BA. But I am an Irish citizen. If you are NOT a UK or Irish citizen you will definitely need a passport, no question.

Aer Lingus are fine with a Drivers Licence, so long as you are an Irish/UK born Irish/UK citizen. It's relatively common for people to travel on these routes with a drivers licence. They wont bat an eyelid.

The other option would be to acquire one of the Irish passport cards, they are biometric passports in a credit card format. They are good for travel within the EU/EAA and last up to 5 years. FR do accept these for travel.

https://www.dfa.ie/passportcard/

Do you certainly need to be a UK/Irish citizen to travel with a driving licence? When do they check citizenship?

FYI - I had always been asked by INIS to present my boarding pass to prove the origin of my journey.

If you are not a UK/Irish citizen then you need a passport and if needed a visa unless you are entitled to enter under the BVIS scheme.

It is your obligation to have the correct documents. Checks are often carried out at the boarding gates and on arrival in the UK airports. I was asked for ID on arrival just last week. I have also seen people denied boarding in DUB for not having a valid visa for the UK.

UK and Irish citizens are allowed by the authorities to travel without passports between the two countries as part of the "Common Travel Area" between the UK and Ireland. But this does not apply to anybody else travelling between the two countries (i.e. people who are not citizens of either country).

Technically citizens do not even need a driving license for immigration, as long as they have some kind of ID to prove their identity, but in practice that's irrelevant because the airlines (as opposed to Immigration officers) insist on a driving license or passport or passport card.

I believe though that Ryanair won't take a driving license and insist on a passport or passport card. Again, that's an airline rule, not a legal/Immigration issue.

Citizenship is not truly checked. Driving licences state your place of birth. The assumption is that most people born in the UK and Ireland are British and/or Irish citizens. While almost everyone born in Ireland who is old enough to have a driving licence will be an Irish citizen, this cannot be assumed for British-born people since 1983.

Furthermore, even if born in the UK or Ireland, if you have another citizenship, you can renounce your British or Irish citizenship (or even have it revoked), but keep your driving licence. Or you could have been born in the UK to a foreign male diplomat and a mother who was not settled in the UK at the time.

If you were not born in the UK (or certain British territories) or Ireland then your place of birth will not provide any clue to whether you are a citizen who is entitled to use the CTA, therefore some other document will be required. If you were naturalised, you could do it with a driving licence and a naturalisation certificate. By descent is a bit harder, since you can't expect airline staff or even immigration officials to know nationality law (of a different country).

However even if you lose your passport you can probably blag your way in anyway after the immigration officials run a few electronic checks, it's all risk-based rather than absolute strictness.

Yes, this is indeed rather worrying. I was going to fly into LBA, but instead chose MAN for the better flight times.

I'm still going to go ahead and at least attempt the flight. I'll have my old passport with me, along with all my documentation (as a result of going to the US Embassy). Hopefully it'll work out at MAN.

I am more worried about coming back (LBA/NCL-(LHR-)DUB). Turning up in another country without a passport makes me a little nervous, but I'll be flying into DUB a few days before and so will confirm with an officer there just to make sure. I'll also have all my BPs, so I'll be able to show I was already in Ireland. Worst case, they deny boarding and then I hop on a flight to Belfast and take the train down instead.

Thanks everyone!

FR, as is it right, does not accept any form of ID other than a passport on international services. The FR website makes an express mention of the Ireland-UK situation.

This has nothing to do with requirements of either country. Simply a corporate policy.

Yep, it's unfortunate because FR has the most convenient flight times for me - and it's a lot cheaper. Instead, I've booked myself onto EI which doesn't have the same restrictions.

No need to worry I know people that fly EI to various UK airports and back to DUB on a regular basis and only use their driving license as ID. You will always get these isolated incidents usually by staff who either are ignorant of the rules or on a power trip. Either way it never fails to shock me how ignorant people are outside of ROI/NI about the CTA.

If you did happen to get someone who wants to make an issue of it just tell them you checked the rules with the airline and authorities before traveling. The problems from the isolated incidents seem to be on arrival back in the UK.

Bump.
I've got a couple of LHR-DUBs coming up, including on EI, possibly while my passport is in for a visa application. Has anyone got recent IRL experience of using a UK driving licence on this route post-pandemic? Any issues at DUB immigration?

Niche, off topic follow up question... is it better to check in early or late for a decent seat if you haven't prepaid?! I'm not particularly bothered, just curious...

Flying EI nothing has changed for UK/IRL citizens.

https://www.aerlingus.com/prepare/pa...-from-britain/

Thanks... Oh wow, what a list, guess I could even show them my photo work ID... But how would they know I'm a UK citizen?!

They check your knowledge of Cockney rhyming slang.

They do have access to a database if your provided documents don't match or they have suspicions. Failing that you will end up in Kigali ;)

On an LHR-DUB Aer Lingus will accept various identification including student cards, bus passes, work ID etc.

INIS (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service) will be less willing to do so. A driving licence with a place of birth in the UK or Ireland will generally satisfy them, as will a reasonably genuine looking photo ID accompanied by a UK/Irish birth certificate. (This is still the case despite the fact that since 1/1/1983 being born in the UK does not by default give you citizenship.)

If you can't produce something along these lines, you may be delayed at the border. If you have been before they will probably eventually find you on the system and let you through, but expect to be told off and advised to "bring proper ID next time".

On DUB-LHR there is no passport control upon arrival so there are no issues.

Great thanks, so full UK photo driving licence showing the UK as place of birth should pretty much cover it then

(As an aside, I've just checked, and my driving licence shows UK as place of birth... which it isn't, but I have no idea how to change it)

Considering you're BA Gold, one assumes you will also have a Passport of some description.

You might want to bring it with you just on the off chance something goes wrong, but by all means, try with your licence.

Yes, see upthread, I've always used a passport in the past for DUB. But it may be unavailable for an upcoming trip due to being in for a visa application, hence asking the question

Yes, fly this route regularly with a driving license, last flight a few weeks ago. Absolutely no problem whatsoever, never even a raised eyebrow.

Just hang onto the boarding pass on arrival into Dublin as immigration will ask to see it along with the driving license to prove you came from within the CTA.

When you check in the prices of the seats remain the same, so if you don't want to pay you'll have to take a random allocation if all the free seats are gone. Given most LHR-DUB flights I've been on the last 2 months have been wedged I'd suggest picking in advance if you want a decent seat

Might be an idea to take a colour photocopy of your passport and take a photo of the back page on your phone too . Carry it with you .

I used my driving licence a few months ago at DUB. It was actually quicker than using a passport as they can't scan them. They just glanced at it for a second. I wasn't asked for a boarding pass.