So currently we're waiting for my wife's (VN national) Irish visa to come down. To pre-empt the news of being denied I wanted to see if there were other options. Our plans were to fly from SIN-HEL-DUB (arriving around 8am) and departing (10am next day) from DUB-PHL-DFW-HNL and v.v.

We wanted to stay overnight in Dublin to visit her friends and depart the next day. However, the consulate was extremely sceptical about our 1 night stay in their lovely island .

I've done some research and from what I can see is that she doesn't visa to transit and she doesn't mind staying in the airport if things don't work out with her visa (I'm assuming that immigration control will let her pass through and backup to departures for her transit as I've read that all arrivals transit or entering are required to pass through immigration control). However, the problematic thing that may come up is that our transit actually more than 24 hours (8am arrival and 11am next day departure). If for whatever reason my wife's visa gets denied and immigration control says no due to 26h, what other options are there other than forfeiting my tickets?

My reading of TIMATIC (use this http://www.staralliance.com/en/servi...sa-and-health/) is that you have to have a visa

A TWOV should be issued but only if you stay in the international transit facility and for less than 24hrs. If the visa dosn't come through, will you be able to bring the DUB-PHL flight forward by 24hrs?

Yeah, I thought as much. I don't think we can bring it forward 24h (last time i checked the fare rules). I can only hope that the visa does come through. Wondering if it would be reasonable to get her to fly somewhere then return to DUB?

I doubt that she will be permitted to board at SIN or HEL unless she is clear, at that point, to enter or transit DUB.

Are you asking whether you could purchase a separate ticket DUB-XXX-DUB which she would fly and thus spend <24 hours @ DUB?

Indeed. I might have to move up the flight but the costs pretty ridiculous. Since its beyond the 24 limit for TWOV then I may be reasonable for her to fly to some other EU country and fly back (same day) and with only carry-on.

Can you delay the HEL->DUB sector by a day?

Just a quick update, SIN-HEL-DUB is not changeable or delay-able. T-10 days (departing SYD and T-14 departing from SIN-DUB) and we've contacted the embassy here today and they've sent an email to Dublin where they're processing (physical passport in Canberra) to check up on it. They're saying that its a complicated case (Not sure why but it could be that shes a VN national + we're dropping the last segment instead of returning to DUB).

They'll be returning the passport on Friday via express post. They've noted that even though the passport has been returned, the visa will still be processing and if it does get approved while we're in SIN then we can get the passport stickered at any Irish embassy.

If things don't go our way, I have a couple choices, one is to fork out $300-600x2 for change fees to move up our DUB-HNL flights. Another choice I have maybe book DUB-LHR and same day return to DUB. However, the problem that may raise with this is that, SIN may not allow my wife to board her SIN-DUB flight as she does not have neither a Irish Visa nor a UK visa so even though I may have DUB-LHR-DUB return (same day) flights that may not be sufficient for the check in counter.

Its quite disappointing as we've been waiting for the visa for 3 months and we've applied according to the embassies timetable as well. Any thoughts?

Edit: Changing is NOT an option now as AA has priced it at $5800~ PP

Surely the problem here is that the UK & RoI are in the Common Travel Area so you're not going to help matters with a quick turn to the UK - you need to get out of the CTA - maybe book a refundable ticket on a late flight from DUB to the US? EI have a JFK flight about 3pm. Better still would be to bag a ticket on a 7am flight to the US but I don't think they exist in the summer ex-DUB.

To be honest, I would be preparing for the worst case scenario at Changi. Perhaps those of us living with the more visa friendly passports forget these issues...

Ah yes. You're absolutely correct regarding CTA. What would you suggest with regards to booking a refundable ticket to US? I assume you that this would allow her to stay at DUB for the 24 hours and cancel it right before hand and board our original AA/US flights?

Edit: I do have an AA option that falls 20 mins past the 24 hour mark at 8:55am which I can book on miles... But then again I don't think they will allow it.

Obviously that would be illegal & in breach of a transit visa afforded by Ireland, but...

Indeed... I've also heard that DUB isn't 24h airside so it makes that option moot. However, I do have another question regarding transits in LHR. If my wife can get a visa for turkey, would it be possible to transit at LHR on the way to turkey and back to DUB via LHR? She has a valid Australian visa.

From Timatic

Since we can depart from DUB-LHR-IST-LHR-DUB-PHL would this be okay? Or Perhaps DUB-IST-DUB to avoid LHR?