Belfast-Dublin M1 road border control

jackie.du

Hi Guys, I have a very important supplier (He's NON EU) is planing to visit our company in Dublin and catch a plane back at Dublin Airport on the second day, he'll land in belfast Intl airport ,currently he's only holding a UK Visa. we'll need to drive the company car up to the north to pick him up from there.


the question is..... have any of you ever see a border check on the A1/M1 motorway when entering the republic from north of the border when cops can pull him out to get the documents checked? if that's been the case, I have ask him to change his flight asap.

appreciate your input on this.

amacachi

Never, they do check buses and trains occasionally though. Shouldn't be any problem.

Random

there is no "border control". you'll notice the hard shoulder line change from dotted yellow to solid white as you go roi->ni and vice versa.

there is occasionally "security alerts" on the road which mean it's closed off. i'd imagine this may mean checkpoints.

in general though there's none though.

would probably checkup the legallities of it anyway though, wouldn't like to be breaking any laws

jackie.du

thanks Random,

Didn't meant to breaking the law and it's his decision and the best thing I can do is really to give him the best advise. I believe he just haven't got the time left to queue and apply for this visa in this occasion. otherwise, we have to meet him after 9 month time again. :P

Random wrote: »

there is no "border control". you'll notice the hard shoulder line change from dotted yellow to solid white as you go roi->ni and vice versa.

there is occasionally "security alerts" on the road which mean it's closed off. i'd imagine this may mean checkpoints.

in general though there's none though.

would probably checkup the legallities of it anyway though, wouldn't like to be breaking any laws

jackie.du

thank you amacachi

amacachi wrote: »

Never, they do check buses and trains occasionally though. Shouldn't be any problem.

fashionfixx

as alrady said there is no border conrol. But he WILL not be ale to ly out of Dublin as he doesnt have permissio to be in the region. Even a holiday visa might do it. A friend of mine with had a work visa for scotland and hd trouble travelling to Ireland although he had a holiday visa for Ireland. So i think it will be a problem

Victor

His problem is likely to come at Belfast when they realise that he has no flight booked to leave the UK. He may be refused entry to the UK and Ireland.

Your best option is to talk to the Department of Foreign Affairs or Garda National Immigration Bureau and see if a transit visa or similar can be arranged.

sdanseo

Victor wrote: »

His problem is likely to come at Belfast when they realise that he has no flight booked to leave the UK. He may be refused entry to the UK and Ireland.

Your best option is to talk to the Department of Foreign Affairs or Garda National Immigration Bureau and see if a transit visa or similar can be arranged.

If he's coming into Belfast it's possible - if not likely - that it will be an internal UK flight.

Still needs to sort the problem with getting out of Dublin however (although in my experience all that's ever been checked departing Dublin is my passport - do they ask for a visa if you're a non national even though you're leaving?)

jackie.du

Thank you guys. But based on my past experience I never been through departure check when boarding from Dublin airport. And he's flying back to China not to another European Country. That's why we are only worrying about the road border part. Otherwise we have to send him back to belfast and leave from there.

Victor

It may be quite easy to get a transit visa if you indicate that its for high level business.

ardmacha

It may be quite easy to get a transit visa if you indicate that its for high level business.

Unfortunately it is not easy in many cases. One simple thing the British could do if they want to help the Irish economy is sort out a proper common travel area.

BrianD

jackie.du wrote: »

Hi Guys, I have a very important supplier (He's NON EU) is planing to visit our company in Dublin and catch a plane back at Dublin Airport on the second day, he'll land in belfast Intl airport ,currently he's only holding a UK Visa. we'll need to drive the company car up to the north to pick him up from there.


the question is..... have any of you ever see a border check on the A1/M1 motorway when entering the republic from north of the border when cops can pull him out to get the documents checked? if that's been the case, I have ask him to change his flight asap.

appreciate your input on this.

He's probably more likely to get nabbed in Dublin Airport. Even though there is no exit passport control his passport would be produced for tickets.

Can he not get a transit Visa?

etchyed

As other posters have said, the road border shouldn't pose a problem, as long as there isn't some kind of random security check (still a possibility, no matter how remote).

But I'd be far more worried about flying out of Dublin Airport with a Chinese passport without permission to be in Ireland in the first place. Although there aren't any GNIB checks on departure, airline and security staff may still have to check non-EU passports more rigorously (this is pure conjecture on my part). I know nothing about this to be honest and it may well be that he'll be ok chancing his arm but it strikes me as a little risky.

L1011

etchyed wrote: »

As other posters have said, the road border shouldn't pose a problem, as long as there isn't some kind of random security check (still a possibility, no matter how remote).

I've crossed the road border somewhere between a 4 and 5 figure number of times (about 20 - 10x each way - times this month alone, and thats lower than normal!) and never seen any security checks since the old ones came down...

ardmacha

've crossed the road border somewhere between a 4 and 5 figure number of times (about 20 - 10x each way - times this month alone, and thats lower than normal!) and never seen any security checks since the old ones came down...

I have seen a large party of Gardai surround a car full of Asians at the Drogheda toll though. Immigration Gardai are based at Larne and probably Aldergrove watching who is coming and going, but business people are not their real target.

The whole visa thing is perverse.

foggy_lad

This person must not enter the country without the correct papers otherwise he is breaking the law. there is no grey areas, if a visa is required even a transit visa it should be got and used. Immegration laws and checks are far too relaxed in Ireland.

slimjimmc

foggy_lad wrote: »

This person must not enter the country without the correct papers otherwise he is breaking the law. there is no grey areas, if a visa is required even a transit visa it should be got and used. Immegration laws and checks are far too relaxed in Ireland.

And a holiday visa is no good either as the guy is not here on holiday but on business. He'd have a hard job explaining why he came to Ireland for an overnight holiday.

jackie.du, this guy needs a Business Visa to enter Ireland, details here.

I'd be surprised if the INIS didn't check the flight manifests and would have questions as to how a non-EU resident is booked on an outward flight from Dublin without ever having entry clearance.

GerardKeating

slimjimmc wrote: »

And a holiday visa is no good either as the guy is not here on holiday but on business. He'd have a hard job explaining why he came to Ireland for an overnight holiday.

jackie.du, this guy needs a Business Visa to enter Ireland, details here.

I'd be surprised if the INIS didn't check the flight manifests and would have questions as to how a non-EU resident is booked on an outward flight from Dublin without ever having entry clearance.

Exit checks are almost unknown, also they would have no way of knowing the status of a person from the flight manifest, it would not contain much passenger info, apart from the name.

foggy_lad

Well if they enter the country illegally without being caught I do hope they are caught trying to leave, that is of course if leaving again is their intention.

ardmacha

Well if they enter the country illegally without being caught I do hope they are caught trying to leave, that is of course if leaving again is their intention.

The issue is not the ability to enter the country, but to enter the State. The point is that even if the OP is telling it straight that if a problem arises the vistor will then have problems even visiting the UK and the company won't find it easy to bring in visitors either.

monument

There are exit checks at Dublin Airport. Maybe it's not always done, but it is done.

scorphonic

I hope it's not too late for you to get this message.

You're work collegue will be royally screwed if he thinks he'll get out of Dublin airport without having his passport checked for an Irish Visa.

Best bet would be to get him from Belfast and bring him to dublin for the meeting (although its illegal and he could face having to be marked as an illegal border crosser for the rest of his life and face being interviewed in every airport he enters) and then get him back to Belfast for his flight to leave the country. If he tries to leave from Dublin he will be caught and arrested. And as said above will always be considered an illegal border crosser and face being refused visa's in the future.

His choice really. I lived in Belfast for many years and travelled back and forth quite frequently between there and Dublin. The Gardai are frequently at the border just at that crash barrier division right at the border and the PSNI also patrol the region in unmarked cars and marked motorcycles.

L1011

scorphonic wrote: »

I lived in Belfast for many years and travelled back and forth quite frequently between there and Dublin. The Gardai are frequently at the border just at that crash barrier division right at the border and the PSNI also patrol the region in unmarked cars and marked motorcycles.

Performing speed checks.

I have seriously NEVER seen a single private vehicle being stopped on the border. Buses are sometimes, but UK or Irish registered passenger cars? Never.

baalthor

ANY Garda could stop him and ask to see his ID (if they have reason to believe he is here illegally)
Also, is the OP breaking the law by bringing the guy across the border?

foggy_lad

baalthor wrote: »

ANY Garda could stop him and ask to see his ID (if they have reason to believe he is here illegally)
Also, is the OP breaking the law by bringing the guy across the border?

The op is breaking the law by assisting their friend illegally entering the state, also any Guard can ask for ID if the suspect they are not an irish citizen and id may be required to show their right or eligibility to remain in the state.

Empire o de Sun

foggy_lad wrote: »

The op is breaking the law by assisting their friend illegally entering the state, also any Guard can ask for ID if the suspect they are not an irish citizen and id may be required to show their right or eligibility to remain in the state.

I don't know how a Guard can do anything, Gardaí however can.

ID is bull, there are no identity cards, and we aren't obliged to carry one. Smells like Arizona to me