Travellers using several ferry routes
between the Republic of Ireland and Britain now face stricter identification
requirements following new rules that took effect on 28 September 2026.
On the affected Irish Ferries services,
passengers must present a valid passport or Irish passport card before
boarding. On the affected Stena Line services, passengers must present a valid
passport at check-in.
The change affects routes linking Dublin
and Rosslare with ports in Wales. Driving licences, national identity cards and
other forms of photographic identification that were previously accepted can no
longer be relied on for travel on these services.
Which Britain–Ireland Ferry Routes Are
Affected?
The new requirements apply to:
|
Route |
Operator |
|
Dublin – Holyhead |
Irish Ferries |
|
Rosslare – Pembroke |
Irish Ferries |
|
Dublin – Holyhead |
Stena Line |
|
Rosslare – Fishguard |
Stena Line |
For Irish Ferries, the requirement
applies in both directions on the Dublin–Holyhead and Rosslare–Pembroke routes.
All passengers must present a valid passport or Irish passport card before
boarding.
Irish Ferries states that no other form of
identification is accepted on these routes, including for Irish and British
citizens, and that the requirement applies regardless of age.
For Stena Line, passengers
travelling from Dublin, Holyhead, Fishguard or Rosslare on its affected routes
must present a valid passport at check-in.
This means travellers should not assume
that identification accepted on a previous ferry journey will still be
sufficient.
Driving Licences Are No Longer Enough
One of the most important practical changes
concerns passengers who previously travelled with a driving licence or another
form of photographic identification.
On the affected routes, those documents are
no longer sufficient in place of the travel document now required by the ferry
operator.
For Irish Ferries, passengers need a valid
passport or Irish passport card.
For Stena Line's Dublin–Holyhead and
Rosslare–Fishguard services, passengers need a valid passport.
Arriving at the terminal with only a
driving licence could therefore leave a passenger unable to board.
Why Have the Ferry Requirements Changed?
The new identification requirements are
intended to ensure compliance with UK Border Force requirements relating to
the accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding.
The change affects the ferry operators'
identification rules for these particular routes and should not be confused
with the separate immigration rights that British and Irish citizens have under
the Common Travel Area.
The Common Travel Area Still Exists
The new ferry requirements do not
mean that the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the United Kingdom has
ended.
British and Irish citizens continue to
benefit from Common Travel Area arrangements, including the right to travel
freely between the UK and Ireland, subject to specific immigration restrictions
that can apply in exceptional cases.
UK government guidance states that British
and Irish citizens travelling from Ireland to Great Britain are not required to
present a passport to Border Force as evidence of their identity and
nationality, although they may be asked for another document that establishes
those details.
British nationals do not generally need a
passport as an immigration requirement when travelling to Ireland, although
carriers may impose their own identification rules.
A ferry company can therefore impose
stricter identification requirements as a condition of carriage.
That is the important distinction for
travellers: the Common Travel Area remains in place, but the ferry operator
can still require a passport before allowing you to board.
What About the UK Electronic Travel
Authorisation?
The ferry identification change is separate
from the UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, system.
British and Irish citizens do not need an
ETA to travel to the UK.
There is also an exemption for people who
live legally in Ireland, are from a country whose nationals would normally
require an ETA, and travel to the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle
of Man.
Travellers aged 16 or over who rely
on this Irish-resident exemption need to carry qualifying evidence that they
live in Ireland.
People from countries whose nationals
require a UK visa still need to follow the relevant visa rules.
Because ETA and visa requirements depend on
nationality and immigration status, travellers who are neither British nor
Irish should check the official UK requirements that apply to them before
departure.
What Travellers Should Do Before Their
Ferry
If you are travelling between the Republic
of Ireland and Britain with Irish Ferries or Stena Line, check the
identification requirements for your exact route before travelling to the port.
Do not rely on a driving licence simply
because it was accepted on an earlier journey.
On the affected Irish Ferries routes, every
passenger needs a valid passport or Irish passport card, including children and
infants.
On the affected Stena Line routes,
passengers need a valid passport at check-in.
Travellers who may also be subject to UK
visa or ETA requirements should check those separately, as the ferry company's
identification requirement does not replace UK immigration requirements.
The Common Travel Area remains in place,
but the practical effect of the new carrier rules is clear: on these ferry
routes, arriving without the document required by your operator could mean you
cannot travel.
Official Travel Information
Irish Ferries – Passport and ETA
requirements for Ireland–Britain travel
https://help.irishferries.com/en/support/solutions/articles/80001220830
Stena Line – Identification documents
for travel between Britain and Ireland
https://www.stenaline.co.uk/customer-service/pre-travel/what-identification-documents-do-i-need-to-travel/britain-and-ireland
UK Government – Travelling to the UK
from Ireland and the Common Travel Area
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travelling-between-the-uk-and-ireland-isle-of-man-guernsey-or-jersey
UK Government – ETA exemptions
https://www.gov.uk/eta/when-not-need-eta