immigration control at airports

heggie

Not quite sure where this should be posted, but I was on a flight back from holidays yesterday and cannot believe what I saw!

3 people queing infront of us at the gate - boarding, they were asked for their passport and boarding pass, the first girl had the pass, and some strange looking non photo id (which I saw all 3 people look at beforehand and smiling, so I had a feeling it was a bit dubious). The airline staff at boarding says you need photo ID, but looked at it, and muttered something 'you have your boarding pass so on you go'. The girl then proceeded ahead, and then smiled back to the other 2 guys once she got through.

After the flight I thought there's no way dublin airport would let someone through from central europe with NO photo ID or passport whatsoever. The 3 hung back until everyone went through passport control, I had assumed they got turned back, but no! while waiting for baggage they came out.

Did I get it totally wrong? is there some ID you can travel with that doesnt have your photo, looks a bit like a large plastic card you can use within the EU?

Manic Moran

I'm not sure what Irish immigration law says, but just bear in mind that a passport does not confer citizenship or a right to be in a country per se, it is merely a simple and commonly accepted proof of such. I would submit that if someone can prove that they are legally resident in Ireland, or at the very least, an Irish citizen, that there is an onus on the government to let them in with or without a passport.

Another possibility may be that they were military travelling on orders, and thus may not require a passport. For example, might they have been Irish soldiers coming back from Kosovo on leave? I have absolutely no idea if Irish troops are issued passports when sent abroad, but I've flown commercial air from the US to the UK with nothing more than a military ID and a copy of my international travel orders printed out at home. I guess it's possible that the card you saw was a Defense Forces one, they're probably not often seen.

NTM

sovtek

heggie wrote:

Not quite sure where this should be posted, but I was on a flight back from holidays yesterday and cannot believe what I saw!

3 people queing infront of us at the gate - boarding, they were asked for their passport and boarding pass, the first girl had the pass, and some strange looking non photo id (which I saw all 3 people look at beforehand and smiling, so I had a feeling it was a bit dubious). The airline staff at boarding says you need photo ID, but looked at it, and muttered something 'you have your boarding pass so on you go'. The girl then proceeded ahead, and then smiled back to the other 2 guys once she got through.

After the flight I thought there's no way dublin airport would let someone through from central europe with NO photo ID or passport whatsoever. The 3 hung back until everyone went through passport control, I had assumed they got turned back, but no! while waiting for baggage they came out.

Did I get it totally wrong? is there some ID you can travel with that doesnt have your photo, looks a bit like a large plastic card you can use within the EU?

It was obviously good enough for immigration control so it's more than likely legite. You don't get through immigration control lightly I can tell you that much. One possibility is an emergency passport. Anyway it's hard to tell from a related incident from a person that "overheard" a conversation.

Victor

Sorry your post seems a little bit confusing. Were you all boarding at the Eastern European airport in the second paragraph and the third paragraph is in Dublin?

Was it a GNIB card? It is (or was) a black and white credit card sized plastic card.

Mick86

Manic Moran wrote:

Another possibility may be that they were military travelling on orders, and thus may not require a passport. For example, might they have been Irish soldiers coming back from Kosovo on leave? I have absolutely no idea if Irish troops are issued passports when sent abroad,

Irish troops in Kosovo must carry their passports with them.

Manic Moran wrote:

but I've flown commercial air from the US to the UK with nothing more than a military ID and a copy of my international travel orders printed out at home. I guess it's possible that the card you saw was a Defense Forces one, they're probably not often seen.

NTM

Travelling from Lebanon we used get by with our UN ID card. You could even enter Israel with it. One time though I presented it at passport control when leaving Tel Aviv for London and was asked for my passport. When I told the young lady I didn't have anything but my UN ID she nearly had a canary about how I entered Israel. That said she still left me through without double checking.