Hey Need a little help here.

I am a citizen of the United States of America, and I attempted to visit my boyfriend in the UK under the Visitors Visa program back in December, unfortunately Customs would not allow me into the country due to the time I was attempting to stay there. My question is, will I be allowed to enter Dublin, Ireland for a two week holiday WITH him? I will have proof of return tickets etc etc

Thanks

Any denied entry stamp in a passport does not go down well with immigration officials anywhere. I'd suggest applying for a visa, explain your situation, and the circumstances under which you were denied entry and show that you are a bona-fide tourist. The other thing to remember is that Ireland and the UK have an open border policy so they would likely see you attempting to enter Ireland as a backdoor way into the UK.

I have seen reports that this is a very common practice, especially as in some parts of the border between Northern Ireland and Eire, you can simply walk across the boarder without checks being made.

Toss the old passport, get a clean one and go in (to Ireland and only Ireland) without mentioning the denied entry into the U.K. This is not a way to circumvent the denied entry, but rather a way to enjoy another country until the matter is resolved.

Separately write a letter to the British Consulate in the US and explain the circumstances of the denied entry and express that you are sorry and that you hope to have your record cleared and wish to go again to the U.K. on such and such a date.

Although the immigration officials are tasked with and empowered to guard the borders the decisions made at the border are reversible and erasable. The denied entry decision may have been right at the time for that official, but upon review they government may well find that you are not a risk and should be allowed in.

Been there, done all of this. It is something that can be handled legally and with a happy ending. A bit frustrating at the time (understatement of the world) but it is a situation where cooler heads prevail.

The UK & Irish governments do share this sort of information for the reasons stated earlier. In any case the "denied entry" stamp is rather a large giveaway and may lead the airline to deny you boarding.

I wouldn't risk travelling to Ireland until you sort this out as being denied entry a second time will really make a mess of your passport - as well as thoroughly destroying any chance of being allowed to live in the UK in the future if you do get married.

Note that if you eventually do get married then you will have, under EU law, the right to live and work anywhere in the EU EXCEPT the UK - assuming your BF is a British citizen. For the UK you would need a visa

Surprised you were refused entry...just how long were you planning on staying?

I think this is excellent advice. Was the period you wanted to enter the UK for consistent with the time scale you originally stated when you applied for the visitor's visa? If so, then I think you have some cause to complain, and should definitely contact the British embassy/consulate about this, and what to do to get the decision reversed,

At a guess no money, no job in the US, vague plans as a tourist, no return date, possibly even evidence - like a CV - of plans to work illegally. The existence of a British based boyfriend will have sent warning signals to immigration

Slightly OT, but there is no such place as "Eire"! It is the Republic of Ireland or various derivations, like "Irish Republic". "Eire" is on the country's stamps. It's like calling Germany "Deutschland". Technically you can walk across the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic and vice versa. And locals do. You can cross on many small rural country roads. Some of these crossings are used for smuggling (of fuel, cigarettes etc) and other nefarious activities. Also walking across the frontier on one of those roads could also mean you make the acquaintance of heavily armed police officers on either side of the border . These will not be your average "beat" officers but counter-terrorism or undercover/the equivalent of plainclothes SWAT officers (if you want a US reference point). And these officers would have lots of questions for you -- rather more than an immigration officer .

OT also: Everything you say is true, but "Eire" is a good compromise on nomenclature. The Brits (and being one I entirely agree with them) object to the designation "Ireland" on the basis that it implies a claim to the six counties and that "Ireland" is a political rather than a geographic designation. And apparently some in the Republic objects to "Republic of Ireland" for the same reasons in reverse (although that is that state's official designation in UK law) . So "Eire" (even though it means "Ireland" in Gaelic) works as an intellectually messy compromise. or so I think anyway.

Don't know where you got that from? There is of course a place called �ire, it is the name (in Irish) of the state occupying 26 of the 32 counties of the Island of Ireland. I suggest you look at Article 4 of the Constitution of Ireland and that sets it out pretty clearly. Under this Article "Ireland" is simply the English translation of "�ire." However, as the term "Ireland" was/is unacceptable to some British polititians you are right in pointing out that "�ire" has often been used in English as a reference to the 26 county state, excluding Northern Ireland.

"Republic of Ireland" is the official description of the 26 county state recognised under the Republic of Ireland Act of 1949. However this has been used on and off by the UK (and indeed other nations) as a de facto name of the Irish State in a similar fashion to the use of the word "�ire" in the English language.

By the way, the police in the border counties are much more concerned about Dissident Republican activities than a few US tourists taking day trips across the border.

THanks BHDBOY for saving me having to spell it all out. ^

As someone whose work brings him in contact with the immigration systems of both Ireland and the UK, I can tell you that there is sporadic immigration checking at the border and at train stations both north and south of the border.

To the OP, a refusal by the UK Border Agency does not bode well for arrival in Ireland. As mentioned above, due to the common travel area, there is a great deal of shared information between both jurisdictions. That said, it does not preclude entry. You'd need to have all your ducks in a row and a pretty convincing story, with sufficient backup available. Applying for an Irish visa, might be indicated - why not contact your nearest Irish embassy?

Very good points all. I was little too imprecise and shorthand with my "no such place" comment. "Eire" rubs me the wrong way when it's used by the UK and others in the manner you describe. That's what I reacted to. Perhaps my (Republic of) Ireland-ness got the better of me .

What annoys me (not that I'm Irish!) is the way that people pronounce "Eire". For English-speaking people, suffice to say that it ought to rhyme with "Sarah". That is the closest native English pronunciation to how an Irish speaker says "�ire". Yet I've heard it pronounced in the most extraordinary ways...

Well in fairness, if someone has never heard it pronounced before & is just reading "Eire" I can understand how it might be pronounced in 'the most extraordinary ways' Heck, I've been in some places in London that the pronouncination in no way shape or form matches the spelling! I give people a break on stuff - unless they've been told the correct way & then continue to do it the wrong way. That's just bad form.

To the OP, I'd echo GoldCircle and mjm's advice. Good luck.

Cheers.