Ryanair w/o passport to the UK

tombrown · 19-04-2014 9:55am #1

I am due to travel with my kids to UK (from Shannon) on RyanAir next Friday. My daughter's passport was out of date so I sent it for renewal a few weeks ago and it was due to be issued yesterday, but when I checked the online tracker it shows this status :-

Application No xxx. This application could not be processed. A letter outlining the reasons for this decision has been posted to you.

I rang RyanAir, expecting no sympathy, but the guy on the phone said that we can travel if I get an "emergency Travel Certificate" for her. Of course the passport office is now closed until Tuesday so I have no way of finding out about this

Does such a thing exist, if so how do I get it and will RyanAir really accept it?

K.Flyer · 19-04-2014 10:07am

Best thing to do is phone the passport office first thing Tuesday morning for an explanation and tell them you are flying on Friday and need it sorted out by then.
As far as I remember an emergency travel document can only be issued in the case of an emergency with a passport having been lost when abroad. I don't think it would be issued just for a few days away.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 19-04-2014 10:09am

Emergency travel docs are only for transport into Ireland. Not out of.

tombrown · 19-04-2014 10:31am

Damn. I suspect the Ryan Air bloke was confusing the situation - I was surprised to hear a bit of flexibility from them, but I put it down to their renewed efforts to improve their image

O well - I'll call the passport office Tuesday & see what is possible; problem is I am on vacation in Donegal this week and dont really want to spoil it by driving around the country getting paperwork

Worst comes to the worst I'll take them over on the ferry, but its a PITA

MrVestek · 19-04-2014 10:34am

You don't actually need a passport to travel to the UK as it's a common travel area.

Ryanair might only want to see your paper for ID purpose.

You should be able to get away with bringing a legal form of it such as a driver's licence.

athtrasna · 19-04-2014 10:40am

MrVestek wrote: »

You don't actually need a passport to travel to the UK as it's a common travel area.

Ryanair might only want to see your paper for ID purpose.

You should be able to get away with bringing a legal form of it such as a driver's licence.

This is NOT true! Ryanair will only accept a passport as we don't have a national ID card. While it is correct that it's not required for travel to the UK in general, and Aer Lingus don't insist you have a passport, Ryanair will not accept any other Irish ID.

munchkin_utd · 19-04-2014 11:59am

athtrasna wrote: »

This is NOT true! Ryanair will only accept a passport as we don't have a national ID card. While it is correct that it's not required for travel to the UK in general, and Aer Lingus don't insist you have a passport, Ryanair will not accept any other Irish ID.

An emergency travel cert is equivalent to a passport(as it's essentially a temporary passport) so is more than plausible that it's accepted.

Reekwind · 19-04-2014 12:08pm

munchkin_utd wrote: »

An emergency travel cert is equivalent to a passport(as it's essentially a temporary passport) so is more than plausible that it's accepted.

According to posts above, an emergency travel cert is only issued for flights/journeys into Ireland. And athtrasna is perfectly correct to point out that Ryanair will not accept driver licences

K.Flyer · 19-04-2014 12:14pm

munchkin_utd wrote: »

An emergency travel cert is equivalent to a passport(as it's essentially a temporary passport) so is more than plausible that it's accepted.

Thats not the issue.
Its whether the O.P. can optain an Emergency Travel Document to travel to the U.K. next Friday as her Passport Application in Ireland is now being delayed. And this document is generally only available in emergency situations when the holder is abroad and has lost or had their passport stolen. Also it is only vaild for one single journey.

Losing your Irish passport abroad

If you are an Irish citizen currently living abroad, travelling or on holiday abroad and your Irish passport is lost/stolen/misplaced, you mustcontact your nearest Irish embassy or consulateimmediately. You will be asked to confirm the loss in writing or, if you are applying for a new passport, to include the details in your passport application. (Applications for a new passport by those living in Northern Ireland or outside Ireland are made using form APS 2.) If you are currently in a country where there is no Irish representation, you may contact an embassy/consulate of another EU Member State who will contact the nearest Irish embassy on your behalf.You must also get in touch with the local police and request a written statement that you have reported the loss of your passport. A member of the police authority in the country in which you are staying must witness this statement. You will require this to obtain an Emergency Travel Certificate (valid for one journey) or an Emergency Passport (valid for a restricted amount of time) from an Irish embassy

highlydebased · 19-04-2014 1:56pm

I once witnessed someone try to board a flight, at Shannon and all, with an out of date passport. They asked her for another form of ID and she was let on the flight. Of course, I suspect not all staff would be as accommodating.

I suggest you ring Ryanair again.

Amirani · 19-04-2014 2:03pm

highlydebased wrote: »

I once witnessed someone try to board a flight, at Shannon and all, with an out of date passport. They asked her for another form of ID and she was let on the flight. Of course, I suspect not all staff would be as accommodating.

I suggest you ring Ryanair again.

I've seen similar on Ryanair a few times. I'd say you have at least at 50:50 chance of getting away with some other legal ID and an out of date passport. That said, I wouldn't really risk it myself.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 19-04-2014 5:44pm

K.Flyer wrote: »

Thats not the issue.
Its whether the O.P. can optain an Emergency Travel Document to travel to the U.K. next Friday as her Passport Application in Ireland is now being delayed. And this document is generally only available in emergency situations when the holder is abroad and has lost or had their passport stolen. Also it is only vaild for one single journey.

The other problem, of course, is that this isn't an emergency. OP could still make the trip by other means without a passport

Gatica · 22-04-2014 10:42am

MrVestek wrote: »

You don't actually need a passport to travel to the UK as it's a common travel area.

Ryanair might only want to see your paper for ID purpose.

You should be able to get away with bringing a legal form of it such as a driver's licence.

Apart form the fact that Ryanair ONLY accepts passport, since it's the OP's daughter's passport that's not available (although OP doesn't mention her age, but my bet would be that she's too young to have a driving licence) I doubt there would be many other forms for ID for someone that young.

Your best bet to still get that flight would be to get the missing documents required as per the info supplied by the passport office and go there with proof of travel and hope and beg that they'll issue you an "emergency" passport as you're due to travel soon.
Otherwise, the Ferry or AerLingus would be your only other options really.

tombrown · 22-04-2014 10:56am

I got onto the passport office today & apparently the application was rejected as they could not contact the doctor who witnessed our consent form - they had no further details and said it would be clarified in the letter (that I have not yet received), but it sounds like, after the application had sat in the inbox for 12 days, they went to process it, called the doctor and, as she was unavailable to take a call at that precise moment in time, refused the application - seems a bit crap to me, but I guess I am making some assumptions there ...

RyanAir then confirmed that under no circumstances would they make an exception to their passport rule, and then proceeded to remind me that their T&Cs do not allow for refunds, but maybe I could change the dates. Telling them it was not possible to change the date of my fathers anniversary did not elicit any sympathy,

So Plan B - ferry bookings, long drives for a weekend & €400 down

schemingbohemia · 22-04-2014 11:06am

In fairness to the passport office it does state categorically on their website what contact information is required.

The witness must:
•Complete, sign and stamp Section 7, including a work landline phone number - mobile phone numbers will not be accepted
•Sign each column separately if they witness both parents/guardians’ signatures

From www.passport.ie

So I'm afraid it looks like the Doctor's proper contact details weren't included.

Eponymous · 22-04-2014 1:26pm

schemingbohemia wrote: »

So I'm afraid it looks like the Doctor's proper contact details weren't included.

How can you say that? The OP has stated that the Dr wasn't available when the PO called. NOT that the details weren't correct.

I don't know about you, but I have yet to ring my doctor's clinic and be put straight through. In this scenario I can only imagine that the doctor either didn't get the message, if one was left, or couldn't be bothered to respond. Hardly the fault of the OP.

I used a solicitor in work once, they queried her status as a solicitor as she didn't use a practice stamp but a stamp from the office, however she's a qualified and paid up solicitor with the Law Society and can, therefore, perform any function of a solicitor working out of a practice. Once that was confirmed everything was fine. Since then, I just use the Gardaí and it causes less confusion and annoyance all-round.

highlydebased · 22-04-2014 1:59pm

OP if you're going to have to travel by sea and road you could also fly with Aer Lingus from SNN. Probably v. expensive at this short notice however a passport is not needed.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 22-04-2014 2:08pm

tombrown wrote: »

I got onto the passport office today & apparently the application was rejected as they could not contact the doctor who witnessed our consent form - they had no further details and said it would be clarified in the letter (that I have not yet received), but it sounds like, after the application had sat in the inbox for 12 days, they went to process it, called the doctor and, as she was unavailable to take a call at that precise moment in time, refused the application - seems a bit crap to me, but I guess I am making some assumptions there ...

RyanAir then confirmed that under no circumstances would they make an exception to their passport rule, and then proceeded to remind me that their T&Cs do not allow for refunds, but maybe I could change the dates. Telling them it was not possible to change the date of my fathers anniversary did not elicit any sympathy,

So Plan B - ferry bookings, long drives for a weekend & €400 down

Ouch... Bit ****ty of the passport office to only try once (assuming the did only try once) but I'd always go to the guards to get it verified. Not much use now, I know, but always someone in the police station.

schemingbohemia · 22-04-2014 2:10pm

Eponymous wrote: »

How can you say that? The OP has stated that the Dr wasn't available when the PO called. NOT that the details weren't correct.

I don't know about you, but I have yet to ring my doctor's clinic and be put straight through. In this scenario I can only imagine that the doctor either didn't get the message, if one was left, or couldn't be bothered to respond. Hardly the fault of the OP.

I used a solicitor in work once, they queried her status as a solicitor as she didn't use a practice stamp but a stamp from the office, however she's a qualified and paid up solicitor with the Law Society and can, therefore, perform any function of a solicitor working out of a practice. Once that was confirmed everything was fine. Since then, I just use the Gardaí and it causes less confusion and annoyance all-round.

Maybe you ought to read what the OP stated, which was that s/he could have been making assumptions - they don't have the official reason yet.

tombrown · 22-04-2014 2:23pm

@Eponymous @schemingbohemia @Princess - its true I was just assuming what happened so could well be mistaken; all will be revealed when the letter comes; whatever the cause it is frustrating.
PS the OP is a "he", the clue being in the name

@highlydebased - the reason I was booked onto Ryan Air in the first place was they were €180 vs €500+ with Aer Lingus & that was weeks ago. The ferry ticket is €380 and I save car rental, so probably still better than Aer Lingus despite the long drives

Eponymous · 22-04-2014 5:53pm

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Maybe you ought to read what the OP stated, which was that s/he could have been making assumptions - they don't have the official reason yet.

Yes. I should do precisely what you also didn't do.

tombrown · 23-04-2014 10:10am

Just to add insult to injury - as we all know Ryan Air do not provide refunds for flights, however they are obliged to refund any airport taxes that are part of the total ticket price.

So, I went looking how to reclaim the €45 taxes that I paid and found out I have to do it in writing and there is an admin fee of €20 per person to process the refund. As I had booked for three of us (myself, son & daughter) my simple maths tells me paying €60 to get a €45 refund is probably not worth it

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 23-04-2014 7:00pm

tombrown wrote: »

Just to add insult to injury - as we all know Ryan Air do not provide refunds for flights, however they are obliged to refund any airport taxes that are part of the total ticket price.

So, I went looking how to reclaim the €45 taxes that I paid and found out I have to do it in writing and there is an admin fee of €20 per person to process the refund. As I had booked for three of us (myself, son & daughter) my simple maths tells me paying €60 to get a €45 refund is probably not worth it

Think its 20 per booking, so you only pay once. Still a ripoff though.

Boombastic · 23-04-2014 7:05pm

good luck with the passport office, I need an emergency passport, they made an appointment to see me next week, so just, a week of emergency waiting then...

tombrown · 23-04-2014 11:30pm

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Think its 20 per booking, so you only pay once. Still a ripoff though.

Government Tax Refund Administration Fee - Per Passenger Not Available Online €20 / £17

From http://www.ryanair.com/en/terms-and-conditions/regulations-tableoffees/

schemingbohemia · 24-04-2014 10:19am

What did the letter state?

tombrown · 24-04-2014 2:45pm

No date on the doc's signature, so they tried to phone her to confirm & couldn't get through. I really thought I had checked & double checked everything, but must have missed that

doh!

Hoolagal · 07-06-2014 11:51pm

I recently got my passport application returned as it cannot be processed bug they said they will try there best to get it to me before I go on holiday, before I made the application I was 2 weeks away from turning 18 and the passport was meant to be issued on my birthday, now I have to resend forms but do I apply for an adult passport since it's only changing the application?

Hoolagal · 08-06-2014 12:18am

sugarman wrote: »

You may as well anyway, as you would get a 10yr passport as an adult.

I would but the only thing is I don't have time to re apply and my passport application is already registered therefore I'm unsure if they will decline it again

Ryanair w/o passport to the UK

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