Transit visa?
 

Hi All,

Not sure if this is the best forum to post, but I could really use an advice from the experts. I will be flying from Chicago to Dublin on Aer Lingus. Then, I will be spending the night in Dublin before flying out from Dublin to Faro, Portugal on RyanAir. This is my honeymoon trip.

I am not a US citizen, and I falsely assumed that my schengen visa would allow me to enter Ireland. My trip is at the end of August, and I still need to get the schengen visa first then get the Ireland visa. Schengen takes a week or two, but the Ireland visa takes 8 weeks!! I don't have enough time to get both.

1. If I abandon my one night in Ireland and book a new flight leaving to Faro from Dublin on the same day, would I need a visa? I know I wouldn't need a visa for a connection on one ticket stock, but ryanair and aer lingus are in a different terminal. Is there a way to transit without clearing immigration?

2. The visa processing time is 6 weeks after submitting the application. I dont think I have enough time since I need to get my schengen visa first. What's your experience with getting a visitors visa to Ireland?

Thanks for the help!

Transit from Aer Lingus to Ryanair isn't technically allowed

Also Ryanair will require you to present at check in as you are a non EU citizen, so you have to exit and reenter

Thanks for the response!

What if I abandon my ryanair flight and buy a new ticket to faro with aer lingus? Would that solve the problem? Would I be able to transit without a visa? Getting an ireland visa is shockingly time consuming.

Are you sure you need a transit visa Transit Visas ? its not a very long list.

If you have two back to back tickets Aer Lingus will per policy check your luggage through to final destination and you should be fine

Bear in mind you are likely to be refused permission to board in the US without the correct documentation, two separate tickets might present a problem or might not

Call the Irish Embassy/Consulate

I don't need a transit visa, but I am confused at the Dublin airport layout in general. I read that everyone goes through immigration before they connect. Let's say if I do have a connecting flight on the same ticket stock (ORD -> DUB -> FAO), what documentation would I present when I go through immigration? Once I get through immigration, wouldn't I be able to just exit the terminal and go landside thus entering Ireland without any visa since i would have already gone through immigration/security. The set up is a little untraditional where you can't just say air side without going through immigration.

Right now I think I have 2 options. Try to get an Ireland visa in 7 weeks or buy a new flight from DUB to FAO and ask them to add it to my existing reservation.

I'm going to call the consulate later today when they open. This makes me very nervous because this is my honeymoon. I can't believe I overlooked the visa requirement.

Thanks for the response. Sorry I was not being clear enough.

I hold a Thai passport, but I live/work in the US. Currently, I have a flight from Chicago to Dublin on Aer Lingus. Then, I have a one night stopover in Dublin. After that night, I will be flying from Dublin to Faro, Portugal on RyanAir. The main attraction is Portugal/Spain where we will be spending 2 weeks for our honeymoon. We just decided to fly to Dublin and have a one night stopover there to break up the flights since flying from Chicago to Faro requires a minimum of one connection.

I have two options:
1. Abandon my one-night stopover in Dublin and flying to Faro immediately after arriving in Dublin. That means forfeiting my pre-booked RyanAir flight and my Dublin hotel. This also means I will have to book a new flight (probably on Aer Lingus). I will not be needing a visa since I will be transiting. The question is, would I get in trouble since I will be self connecting on two separate tickets?
2. Stick with the current plan and try to get an Ireland visa before my trip. I am skeptical of this plan because of the time constraint.

Thanks for all the input so far. I appreciate them.

If you intend to fly Ryanair or stay the night no matter when the flight is you need a visa as you do not remain airside

If flying onwards same day with Aer Lingus, assuming the connection is legal your bags should be checked through you can use flight connections

There is an immigration check at connections due to some complexity around some local Irish/UK agreements, domestic passengers etc, all you need is a passport and visa valid for destination and the boarding card

Simply recognize that Aer Lingus will most likely not allow you to board unless you have a valid document to enter Ireland. Aer Lingus will not be able to see the other onward flight in the system as it is on a totally different record, irrespective of whether you show them a printout etc. so they will consider Ireland your final destination.

When you turn up at the Aer Lingus counter in the US, you are presenting a ticket that has you arriving in Ireland as your final destination. As such, you must be able to show the airline that you are entitled to enter Ireland. If you do not have the necessary visa or a passport that allows you to enter Ireland, then Aer Lingus will almost certainly refuse to carry you. Having a separate ticket on the same or next day is beside the point; as far as Aer Lingus are concerned, you are a customer that is flying to Ireland and therefore if you are not able to enter Ireland they cannot legally transport you.

(Not that it really matters, but all arrivals in Dublin - whether transferring to another flight or ending their journey at DUB - have their passports checked)

Yes, booking another flight doesn't get over the fact that you are travelling on two separate tickets. You will still need a visa, even if you show a second ticket on Aer Lingus for DUB-FAO. You are still travelling on a first ticket that has you ticketed to DUB as your final destination. Therefore, you must meet the entry requirements for DUB or face being refused carriage.

In the "normal" case - meaning if you were travelling on a single ticket - the airline and the authorities consider you as a transit passenger, and if your first flight was delayed, the airline would still be obliged to get you to the final destination. However, if you travel on separate tickets - even with the same airline - you are NOT a transit passenger, but have two separate contracts and two separate tickets, and must meet the entry requirements for both an ORD-DUB and a DUB-FAO trip separately. You also run the risk of being "stranded" in DUB if you miss that second flight. What would happen then? You would not be allowed to enter the country, and would be sent back to the airline that transported you to Ireland, who would be required to transport you back to where you came from. The airline would also be fined - and they will attempt to recoup all these costs, and possibly additional penalites, from you. And be warned that the charge for a last-minute ticket on the next departing ORD flight, which would eventually be passed back on to you, will probably be many multiples of the price you have already paid so far.

This is why you must have an entry visa/a passport that allows entry on arrival, if you persist with the "separate tickets" strategy.

If you really don't want to get the visa, then the only watertight solution would be to contact Aer Lingus (or the agent that sold you the ticket, if you didn't buy direct from Aer Lingus), and have them change your ticket such that you add a new DUB-FAO segment to your existing ticket; thereby, you will be (legally, as well as technically) only in transit in DUB and won't need a visa. Beware, though, that as others have pointed out upthread, that this will likely be a very costly change to make to the ticket.

Full Article here

https://www.lexology.com/library/det...06-25&utm_term=


Transit

In what circumstances is a transit visa required to pass through your jurisdiction? How is it obtained?

Certain non-EEA nationals need an Irish transit visa when transiting in Ireland before travelling to another jurisdiction. An Irish transit visa permits the holder to enter Ireland for transit purposes only. The holder cannot leave the relevant port and must have a relevant visa (if required) for the country to which they are travelling. The application for an Irish transit visa is made online and submitted to the nearest Irish embassy for processing with the required supporting documentation. The Department of Justice and Equality recommends that transit visa applications (and all other Irish visa applications) be submitted eight weeks before travelling; however, in practice, applications are processed more quickly.

Interesting, but the OP - on a Thai passport - does not need [and therefore cannot obtain] a transit visa. Also, as the OP is on separate tickets, they require an entry visa (until such time as they change their ticket such that it is a connecting journey, rather than 2 separate tickets)

Transit Visas

Everyone.

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate them.

I ended up applying for the Irish visa. The person at the consulate assured me that I will get it before my honeymoon and that I can later send in my passport after I get the Schegen visa.

Thanks again!