"Common Travel Area" to end

[dec]

Irish will need passports to visit Britain from 2009

The Government has instructed senior officials to prepare a plan to deal with the ending of the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Britain, which has existed since the foundation of the State in 1922, writes Stephen Collins , Political Editor.

The move follows communication between the British and Irish authorities about the development of an electronic border control system by Britain by 2009.

It means that people travelling by air or sea between the two countries will be required to carry passports, so that information about their travel plans and movements will be available to the authorities in both states.

The British have decided to develop a so called e-border system in order to track the movements of terrorist suspects, criminals and illegal immigrants.

In response to the British decision to press ahead with the implementation of the system at the earliest possible date, the Government is preparing to establish a similar system. Officials have been instructed by the Cabinet to prepare a memorandum on the formation of an Irish Border Information System and to detail how it will work with its British counterpart.

It is expected that the Irish system would be broadly similar to the British one.

Passenger information will be collected by carriers and sent to an Irish border operations centre, where it will be screened against immigration, Garda and other watch-lists.

At its weekly meeting yesterday the Cabinet was informed of the British determination to press ahead with its e-border system and Ministers were told of the potential impact of the system on travel by Irish citizens to Britain and on the operation of the Common Travel Area.

Ministers were also informed of plans, already well advanced, for the development of an Irish Border Information System. The issues will be the subject of a detailed memorandum to Government in the near future.

The British e-border system is designed to operate by electronically collecting and analysing passenger information in advance of travel to or from the country. This procedure will result in an "alert" if the person travelling is on a watch-list.

Free movement of people between Ireland and Britain has existed for hundreds of years and the Common Travel Area survived Irish independence in 1922 and the declaration of a Republic in 1949. Throughout the period since independence, even during the second World War and the IRA terrorist campaign, travel has been possible without any identity document between the two states.

The British e-border system will automatically require all air and sea passengers to be in possession of a valid passport to facilitate a journey within the Common Travel Area.

While Ryanair has required air passengers between the two countries to carry photo ID since September 11th, 2001, it is still perfectly legal to travel between the two countries without a passport.

It does not appear that the British intend to apply the e-border to the land border between the Republic and the North, as that would be impossible to police.

However, the application of e-border controls in both countries with close co-operation between the respective authorities would effectively seal off the two islands.

In July the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the cabinet secretary had been asked to report by this month on how the e-border could be implemented "very soon".

Mr Brown said the electronic screening of all passengers checking in and out of the United Kingdom was a priority. Having a system of e-borders in place by 2009 and the introduction of biometric visas by March of next year were crucial parts of that plan.

[stpauls]

and are they going to man every country/back road that runs across the border in South Armagh, South Tyrone or Fermanagh to make sure this is implemented correctly!! what a stupid idea!!

[ziggysego]

What about flying into Belfast and driving down to Dublin?

[AZOffaly]

It's only between Britain and Ireland, not the UK and Ireland. Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland, so it is 'overseas' travel

[An Fear Rua]

so will all the rangers and celtic fans heading from Larne need their passports?? I can see one of those groups being annoyed as being perceived as travelling to another country 

[Tankie]

I don't see why people are getting so upset about this, i would never leave the country without my passpost anyway. Sure every hotel you stay in always asks for a copy of your passport, same if your renting a car. I dont see what the fuss is about.

[AZOffaly]

I was wondering that myself AFR. It sepecifically mentions 'overseas' travel between Ireland and Britain. If they are being strict about it, then yes, you would imagine anyone travelling to 'Britain' would need a passport. Otherwise, as Ziggy says, you could just drive to Belfast and fly over, because they are not talking about border chekpoints again. It would be some craic alright

[armaghniac]

so will all the rangers and celtic fans heading from Larne need their passports?? I can see one of those groups being annoyed as being perceived as travelling to another country

I expect they will introduce an ID card, and you won't be able to go on a boat or plane without this particular form of identification (or a passport).

Having listened to the clip on the Pat Kenny show, Jim Allister didn't object to an ID card. However the catch is that if lots of people have ID cards they will start requiring them for other things and an ID card with your nationality on it will cause a few waves in the wee 6.

[T Fearon]

This is good news imho. I also never leave the country without my passport when travelling anywhere, the UK included. Also it will put clear blue water (in addition to the physical stuff that is discoloured by Sellafield) metaphorically between Britain and Ireland, and help emphasize the distinction in people's minds internationally. As far as I'm concerned Finchley is as foreign as France and this will help to reinforce this

[Chrisowc]

This is good news imho. I also never leave the country without my passport when travelling anywhere, the UK included. Also it will put clear blue water (in addition to the physical stuff that is discoloured by Sellafield) metaphorically between Britain and Ireland, and help emphasize the distinction in people's minds internationally. As far as I'm concerned Finchley is as foreign as France and this will help to reinforce this

Do you take your passport to the shops?

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

It does not appear that the British intend to apply the e-border to the land border between the Republic and the North, as that would be impossible to police.

Does the 'that' in that sentence refer to the border area in general?

Can't see them stopping busloads of Ulster GAA fans (including Donegal ones who travel through the north on their trips to Dublin) being stopped at Killeen or Aughnacloy to have their passports checked.

But likewise, I can't see busloads of soccer supporters being stopped by the Scottish police on their way to the East Antrim challenge cup matches in Glasgow. I think the whole story is a misnomer - you'll need a passport to fly (as it is most of the time now already) and I don't think there's any car ferry sailing currently from Belfast to England. So, the only issue will be going to Scotland by boat.