Nayef

I'm traveling later in the year, and I can't apply for a visa earlier than three months prior to traveling. I also can't apply for an Irish transit visa without having a visa for my next destination, which is the UK in this instance. And I can't apply for a UK visa earlier than three months, either. So if I have a delay in getting a UK visa, I most certainly won't have time to get an Irish visa. I'm trying to plan things out. You haven't given me information that I don't already know.

Nayef

Here's the exchanged that just happened between me and BMU:

Me:
BMU:

Me:

BMU:

Am I wrong to interpret this as meaning I don't require a transit visa?

VitaliU

While it appears that you are not wrong, their responses are vague enough that I would not travel through Dublin if I were you. It is just not worth it. I am sure you can find a flight connecting to Edinburgh somewhere in the Schengen area or fly to London and buy a separate cheap flight to Edinburgh from there

Nayef

I tried looking through those options but it doesn't work for me, and it's cheaper if I go through Aer Lingus.

My plan is to visit Scotland then Ireland and then return to the States from Ireland, and I looked into tickets from here to Scotland through London or Amsterdam, bit costs a lot more (about $400-500 per person) and the return flights would take much longer, and we want to save as much as we can.

And yes, I know there's a small risk that I might be denied in Dublin Airport which could incur more money and whatnot, but I haven't thus far seen anything reasonable from anyone aside from scaring with what the airlines may or may not think because of Timatic and others.

VitaliU

It's your funeral

UKtravelbear

you seem a bit blasee about 'whatnot'.

It's not just money you would lose.

If denied entry your passport will more than likely get a 'denied entry' stamp and will also be recorded. You won't just be let back into departures to board the next flight back with a cheery wave and a mild telling off. You and anyone you are travelling with will be detained until you are escorted to the flight

That's if the airline you are using to fly you into Dublin lets you even board if it has doubts you will be able to land there (because they use Timatic).

Sometimes people with less than simple visa needs have to take a more expensive flight routing to avoid any immigration issues.

garykung

Note - you can transit at DUB, but you can't really enter Ireland, as you need a travel visa.

Not trying to piss off the Irish, but IME, INIS does not work as good as most imagined. At least to me, I was wrongfully processed by INIS when I entered Ireland last time. I was supposed to be processed as a tourist. I ended as a resident with freedom of movement.

IMHO - if you have time (and money) as well, the safest way is to have the Irish visa even you are only transiting.

I won't say that far. But paperwise, everything seems to be in order for OP.

So unless OP is flagged for something else, OP's current documentation should have no issue at all.

highpeaklad

Nayef

I'm going to give them a call some time this week. Though if I have the time, I might go to IAD in the hope they'll do a TIMATIC search for me even though I don't have a boarding pass; because I'd be standing in line wasting the time of actual travelers. They ought to be able to look up TIMATIC on the phone.

Often1

Why go to IAD? Anyone with internet access can access TIMATIC, plug in the details and see what an EI (or any other carrier's agent) will see. Here is one link. There are many others: The key to TIMATIC is that one must read the entire entry. It may look as though one requires a visa, then does not, and then does. Until one has read the entire entry, one can't be sure.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/app...aspx?i=TIMATIC

Note that the following warning appears for a Saudi national flying USA-UK with a transit at DUB. This applies as an addendum to the general T2 transit "exemption."

Flights between Ireland (Rep.) and the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are treated as domestic flights and passengers are subject to Irish immigration control before continuing to the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Even if OP can get some random EI agent to look at TIMATIC and tell him that he does not need a visa, the next EI agent (at the real check-in) or worse yet, Irish border, may read the provision.

Nayef

And I'll deal with it at the time if it's an issue with Aer Lingus and the judgement of their employees. So far from everything I asked about, including people who have that trip themselves or travel agents who deal with Aer Lingus, none of them have had issues checking in or with transiting in Dublin. I know this doesn't mean I'm 100% in the clear, but if it's an issue of an employee's judgement I'll deal with it accordingly; they're not the only airline with confused employees and issues, and I'm confident it'll go well (knocks on lots of wood).

As for transiting in Dublin, after asking numerous people and scouring the web, it seems like the Common Travel Area makes it a "pseudo-domestic" flight in the sense that people connecting through to the UK are checked by Irish controls on behalf of the UK, which doesn't necessitate allowing a person into Ireland itself. Again, with the terminal 2 and time exemption, that is.

I don't know how reliable SkyTeam's TravelDocs is, but here's what it showed me (I put it as a 6-hour connection):

garykung

As I have repeatedly said - you want 100%, an Irish travel visa will do the job.

Other than that, I see that all your papers are in order. So visa or no visa, it is up to you.

Nayef

Believe me I'm not delusional or insisting things will 100% be fine. It's just not feasible for me to get an Irish visa or another flight (although who knows maybe there will be flights cheaper than Aer Lingus in the coming months, though I won't hold my breath).

Nayef

I also have the emails from BMU just in case the airline employees get difficult, which I hope won't be the case.

stc

I was going to suggest that. What I would do is
(1) print out the emails and bring them; don't ask to show them on your computer, tablet, etc.
(2) be polite and if necessary sound confused and apologize for the problem