Guards detaining EU citizen due to no residence number

quinnray

Sorry if this is not the right forum, but I couldn't find a more relavant one.
Mods pls move if better suited forum.

My g/f has just been taken off a bus from Belfast to Dublin by the guards.
She's a Hungarian citizen, living and working here since April.
They told her she needs a residence number.
According to here you don't need a residence number.
She was able to produce her passport, and pps number.
Now she's on her way to the immigration office in Dundalk.
She's going to miss her Galway bus from Dublin and probably gonna miss work this evening as a result.
Any advice on what to do?

TIA,

Victor

I wouldn't rely on a website. If push comes to shove, she needs a solicitor.

LookBehindYou

Its only a matter of proving she is who she says she is.
Thats why a passport would be needed, or a national identity card from Hungary, or a pps number.
The Gardai are only doing their job, she would not have been detained if she had any evidence of who she was, at that time.

therecklessone

LookBehindYou wrote: »

The Gardai are only doing their job, she would not have been detained if she had any evidence of who she was, at that time.

OP:

She was able to produce her passport, and pps number.

jelly&icecream

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Thats why a passport would be needed, or a national identity card from Hungary, or a pps number.

The OP clearly stated that she had both her passport and pps number.

Yea I'd second Victor's suggestion. Sounds a bit strange.

EDIT: therecklessone bet me to it!

LookBehindYou

The are many people with bogey passports and pps numbers, ( not saying that she has bogey id ) but when they check her id is bonafide, she will be free to go on her way.

Victor

quinnray wrote: »

They told her she needs a residence number.
According to here you don't need a residence number.

My understanding was that EU citizens here strictly speaking had to register with immigration (99% don't). I've even seen the green card. Now maybe that has changed in the last few years, but that was my understanding.

ardmacha

The Gardai are only doing their job, she would not have been detained if she had any evidence of who she was, at that time.

It seems to me that they were not doing their job very well. With all of the crimes in the country harassing EU citizens going about their business is not a good use of their resources. If they lady was Hungarian then she has a right to be here, even evidence of an ability to speak Hungarian would make it very probable that she was Hungarian.

Victor

ardmacha wrote: »

even evidence of an ability to speak Hungarian would make it very probable that she was Hungarian.

Eh, what about interpreters? imagine someone saying

even evidence of an ability to speak English would make it very probable that she was English.

There are resident Hungarian communities in Serbia and Romania and probably other surrounding countries. That doesn't give them Hungarian citizenship.

LookBehindYou

Do you have any idea of the number of bogey papers are around ?
Wakey wakey, come in to the real world.
Anyone can BUY BOGEY passports, licences etc.

ardmacha

Eh, what about interpreters?

Yeah, right. The country is being flooded by Hungarian interpreters who are not EU citizens.

There are resident Hungarian communities in Serbia and Romania and probably other surrounding countries. That doesn't give them Hungarian citizenship.

OK you have a point about Serbia, but Romanians and Slovaks are also EU citizens.

On this basis any Irish person can be arrested as an illegal immigrant regardless of whatever knowledge of Ireland or Irish affairs they can demonstrate.

If the balance of probability was that the lady was an innocent citizen then she should have been allowed on her way. In the very very unlikely event that she was not she could have been sought subsequently.

Anyone can BUY BOGEY passports, licences etc.

Of course, which is why you talk to the person.

hugoline

Victor wrote: »

My understanding was that EU citizens here strictly speaking had to register with immigration (99% don't).

Can't say for EU citizens, but I am a Swiss citizen and when I moved to Ireland in 2003 I tried to register here (at the then called 'aliens' office, ). I was met with confused looks and told I could not register as there was a bilateral agreement in place between the EU and CH (regarding residency and work permits). So I imagine EU citizens do not need (or can not) register here either. That might have changed since (but I highly doubt it).

As for the OP: Sorry, but as others already said, I don't think you can do much. The Guards are within their rights to confirm the identity (although a few simple phone calls to employer, college,... could have solved that on the spot)

dermot_sheehan

She needs a solicitor if the guards are still detaining her after furnishing a hungarian passport.

A solicitor can apply to a high court judge for an order that she be released if she is illegaly detained.

Our man in Havana

hugoline wrote: »

Can't say for EU citizens, but I am a Swiss citizen and when I moved to Ireland in 2003 I tried to register here (at the then called 'aliens' office, ). I was met with confused looks and told I could not register as there was a bilateral agreement in place between the EU and CH (regarding residency and work permits). So I imagine EU citizens do not need (or can not) register here either. That might have changed since (but I highly doubt it).

You are correct. The GNIB do not care one bit about EU/EEA/CH citizens living in Ireland.