Downsides of Irish Passport?
Discussion
Hi,
Myself and my children have dual citizenship, UK and Ireland.
I generally travel on my Irish passport, my children travel on UK passports. I have both a UK and an Irish passport.
Is there any downsides to living in the UK and travelling with an Irish passport?
I’m thinking if things go really wrong and I need consular help. If I went on my Irish passport, do I need an Irish Embassy or can I use a UK Embassy as I am a UK Citizen.
I know it’s cake and eat it but just asking.
Thanks.
Myself and my children have dual citizenship, UK and Ireland.
I generally travel on my Irish passport, my children travel on UK passports. I have both a UK and an Irish passport.
Is there any downsides to living in the UK and travelling with an Irish passport?
I’m thinking if things go really wrong and I need consular help. If I went on my Irish passport, do I need an Irish Embassy or can I use a UK Embassy as I am a UK Citizen.
I know it’s cake and eat it but just asking.
Thanks.
In reality, you can use either- you dont stop being a citizen and embassies can look up your passport info.
Practically, it's really only if you got arrested or officially detained, and you'd be treated as whatever citizen your travel passport was. But one consulate will happily contact the other
In general, British consulate assistance is much more prevalent than Irish. But there may be situations where being Irish might be more advantageous.
M.
Practically, it's really only if you got arrested or officially detained, and you'd be treated as whatever citizen your travel passport was. But one consulate will happily contact the other
In general, British consulate assistance is much more prevalent than Irish. But there may be situations where being Irish might be more advantageous.
M.
worsy said:
Just take both with you. Really you should use your UK at the border on return.
I don’t think that’s correct. I always come back in on what I went out on. Happy to be corrected but that’s what the general advice I received.
I also don’t like carrying 2 passports if I can help it.
A900ss said:
worsy said:
Just take both with you. Really you should use your UK at the border on return.
I don t think that s correct. I always come back in on what I went out on. Happy to be corrected but that s what the general advice I received.
I also don t like carrying 2 passports if I can help it.
Im a dual citizen (ire/us).
Generally, if your travel does not involved travel through/to a country for which you hold a passport, it's generally easiest to travel using the passport for the country you're traveling from.
M.
Slow.Patrol said:
Took me as a UK resident five minutes to get through passport control on Friday night.
The other queue meanwhile was snaking 30-40 deep and moving very slowly.
I had the opposite problem at Malaga airport last Summer. Easily 150 people queuing with British passports at passport control, I had both mine with me (British/Irish) but thankfully been using the Irish one, so jumped into the Irish queue and through in 5 mins. The other queue meanwhile was snaking 30-40 deep and moving very slowly.
Mr Magooagain said:
So if using a cheap airline like Ryanair, when you check in online you have to give passport details I think. What happens if you decide to use the other passport at passport control?
generally absolutely nothing.Its not just cheap airlines. Earlier this year I flew to Spain from the USA, through Heathrow. American Airlines, us passport details logged, Irish passport at Heathrow and Barcelona. Collegue with me, traveling on his us passport, was directed by security to use the EU lane in Barcelona, as we were traveling together.
M.
Mrs B and I are dual Swiss-British citizens. A few years ago a returning Mrs B used her UK passport at Geneva airport and was admonished by the control chap for not using her Swiss one.
Even a French border guard at Calais knew that we had UK citizenship when we showed our Swiss ID cards to leave France at the tunnel terminal. Then a few metres later we showed our UK passports to ‘enter’ Britain, only to be quizzed about where we had been on holiday in continental Europe. I pointed out that we were in our own Swiss-registered car and were no longer UK-resident since 1999, but were still UK citizens hence the passports she had in her hands.
The woman then asked me where we were staying in the UK and requested the address. I told her that I didn’t believe that was any business of hers or the UK government, and we were staying with friends near Cambridge. She shrugged, typed something into her computer and gave us back the documents.
We then discovered that the next train was delayed by 45 minutes and this was all obviously a stalling tactic to slow the flow of cars towards the holding area; it had taken 30 minutes to queue for French customs just before that.
So yes, we travel everywhere on Swiss ID cards (Schengen) or passports, except entering the UK when we use the British ones.
To avoid extra cost we use UK details for the additional passenger info when traveling to London, but then leave Switzerland using a Swiss ID to avoid the queues, similarly upon our return.
Even a French border guard at Calais knew that we had UK citizenship when we showed our Swiss ID cards to leave France at the tunnel terminal. Then a few metres later we showed our UK passports to ‘enter’ Britain, only to be quizzed about where we had been on holiday in continental Europe. I pointed out that we were in our own Swiss-registered car and were no longer UK-resident since 1999, but were still UK citizens hence the passports she had in her hands.
The woman then asked me where we were staying in the UK and requested the address. I told her that I didn’t believe that was any business of hers or the UK government, and we were staying with friends near Cambridge. She shrugged, typed something into her computer and gave us back the documents.
We then discovered that the next train was delayed by 45 minutes and this was all obviously a stalling tactic to slow the flow of cars towards the holding area; it had taken 30 minutes to queue for French customs just before that.
So yes, we travel everywhere on Swiss ID cards (Schengen) or passports, except entering the UK when we use the British ones.
To avoid extra cost we use UK details for the additional passenger info when traveling to London, but then leave Switzerland using a Swiss ID to avoid the queues, similarly upon our return.
Back on the late 1970s I had 2 British passports. I travelled a lot for my job including to countries where a visa was necessary. I entered Spain on one passport & attempted to leave on the other. Was asked how I had entered Spain as the passport I presented had no Spanish entry stamp. I was held for 2 hours & the intervention of a senior officer & a phone call to the British Embassy was necessary before I was released. Missed my flight but fortunately another was leaving fairiy soon.
I ended up momentarily with three UK passports in the early 90s, after living/travelling in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, and taking a permit to cross occupied territory into Israel proper, in the days that Amman claimed sovereignty over the West Bank.
The Syrians wouldn t let me in with a previous Egyptian residence visa, plus an entry Jordan stamp but no exit, so I got a second passport to go and study in Aleppo. There were no diplomatic relations with the UK at the time, I was supposedly looked after by the Australians
After graduation I had a business trip to the US with my first job, so got a third for a few months before the first expired.
I retained two for a while, as I was often travelling to UAE/Saudi Arabia on the first leg of trips, then overnighting in Larnaca, from where I d send my Arab suitcase/passport back to London and pick up my other suitcase/passport and fly to Tel Aviv for another 3-4 days business in Israel.
I just applied in writing each time saying why I needed a new one but wanted to retain the other(s), and the passport office would send me a new one a few weeks later.
The Syrians wouldn t let me in with a previous Egyptian residence visa, plus an entry Jordan stamp but no exit, so I got a second passport to go and study in Aleppo. There were no diplomatic relations with the UK at the time, I was supposedly looked after by the Australians
After graduation I had a business trip to the US with my first job, so got a third for a few months before the first expired.
I retained two for a while, as I was often travelling to UAE/Saudi Arabia on the first leg of trips, then overnighting in Larnaca, from where I d send my Arab suitcase/passport back to London and pick up my other suitcase/passport and fly to Tel Aviv for another 3-4 days business in Israel.
I just applied in writing each time saying why I needed a new one but wanted to retain the other(s), and the passport office would send me a new one a few weeks later.
Edited by Michael_B on Monday 28th July 22:59
I hold UK and Irish passports, I now only use my Irish passport to leave and re-enter UK as Irish citizens have the right to live and work in the UK, there are no stamps / visas involved, it makes travel much simpler to just use the one passport You can thank the Good Friday agreement for that one.
fooman said:
I hold UK and Irish passports, I now only use my Irish passport to leave and re-enter UK as Irish citizens have the right to live and work in the UK, there are no stamps / visas involved, it makes travel much simpler to just use the one passport You can thank the Good Friday agreement for that one.
Irish citizens had automatic rights to enter / live / vote / work in the uk long before the GFA.
A900ss said:
worsy said:
Just take both with you. Really you should use your UK at the border on return.
I don t think that s correct. I always come back in on what I went out on. Happy to be corrected but that s what the general advice I received.
I also don t like carrying 2 passports if I can help it.
You travel on the same passport everywhere once on your trip, with the 2nd only being used in emergencies (Or if one particular country has issues with your nationality - but see above point)
A practical downside to only holding an Irish passport is that you can't renew your driving licence online, as they can't pull your photo from your passport. It's not too much of a pain to have to do it in a post office, but it's not as straightforward as if you were a UK passport holider.
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