Flying US to Belfast -- immigration arrangements?

n97 mini

I'll be making that trip later this year. I want to get a train from Belfast to Dublin when I arrive... does anyone know what the story is upon arrival in Belfast? Do I just flash my Irish passport and walk on through?

Victor

They mostly don't care. There are rarely checks. Indeed, don't show it unless asked by someone in a police / border agency uniform.

coylemj

Victor wrote: »

They mostly don't care. There are rarely checks. Indeed, don't show it unless asked by someone in a police / border agency uniform.

They mostly don't care

OP is asking about flying from the US - not the UK, surely he will have to show his passport?

Anyone arriving into Belfast International with an Irish or UK passport won't have a problem. Would also apply (for the moment) to someone with an EU passport.

Jamie2k9

Exact same procedure as if you were arriving into DUB or any airport, use the EU line and show passport.

XPS_Zero

Remember two things:

1. Under the Good Friday Agreement, anyone on the island of Ireland may hold an Irish or GB or both passport(s) legally. So it would be the same as you arriving into Belfast with a UK passport.

2. Despite their (somewhat hysterical and irrational) desire to leave the EU, they won't actually be leaving until 2019 so any EU passport landing in Belfast will be fine.

There are no immigration checks of any kind within the island of ireland other than very odd random stop and searches on roads, I've never seen them on the train.

Fred Swanson

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LXFlyer

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

And on coaches too.

Isambard

don't forget there are Customs to clear coming in from the US

Victor

coylemj wrote: »

They mostly don't care

OP is asking about flying from the US - not the UK, surely he will have to show his passport?

Anyone arriving into Belfast International with an Irish or UK passport won't have a problem. Would also apply (for the moment) to someone with an EU passport.

Apologies, wrong end of stick.

coylemj

Isambard wrote: »

don't forget there are Customs to clear coming in from the US

You have to go through customs coming from any country. After you collect your bags, you have to walk through the blue, green or red channel, regardless of where you are coming from.

LXFlyer

I'm not quite sure what the OP expects?

They will be an EU citizen arriving into a UK airport on an international flight.

It'll be no different to arriving at any other UK airport on an international flight.

Full passport check and customs.

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what the OP expects?

They will be an EU citizen arriving into a UK airport on an international flight.

It'll be no different to arriving at any other UK airport on an international flight.

Full passport check and customs.

I basically want to know how long it will take to get through. The train I get will depend on it. Arriving 11.50am.

coylemj

n97 mini wrote: »

I basically want to know how long it will take to get through. The train I get will depend on it. Arriving 11.50am.

Depends on ...

1. how many other international flights arrive at the same time
2. how many immigration agents are on duty
3. whether your bag comes out first or last
4. whether your flight departs and arrives on time

Oiriallach

With no undue delays, you'll make the 1405 train to Dublin. The previous one is at 1235 and the next one at 1605 (Mondays to Saturdays). If you take a bus from the airport to the city centre, it might be easier to take the 1340 train from Great Victoria Street to Portadown and change to the Dublin train there.

schemingbohemia

A lot of flights I've taken from the States tend to arrive in earlier than advertised. Might be worth keeping an eye on arrival times in the weeks coming up to the flight.

trellheim

If you are arriving on the United into Belfast be aware it lands at Aldergrove not City and it is a long way into Belfast from there.

this can be a very expensive cab ride , there are bus services now and then as well

Depending on where you are going to in Dublin it may well be better/cheaper/faster to get the Aircoach/Translink/Expressway , they leave extremely frequently from Gt Victoria St

JCX BXC

trellheim wrote: »

If you are arriving on the United into Belfast be aware it lands at Aldergrove not City and it is a long way into Belfast from there.

United flight gone with months, currently no US flights at Belfast, Norwegian begin in July.

BoatMad

n97 mini wrote: »

I'll be making that trip later this year. I want to get a train from Belfast to Dublin when I arrive... does anyone know what the story is upon arrival in Belfast? Do I just flash my Irish passport and walk on through?

you will clear into the UK at Belfast , in exactly the same way as you would landing in London or Dublin ,

You then have no futher issues as there is a CTA between the UK and Ireland for irish passport holders

BoatMad

coylemj wrote: »

You have to go through customs coming from any country. After you collect your bags, you have to walk through the blue, green or red channel, regardless of where you are coming from.

the EU channel is not customs clearance , you are not subject to custom clearance travelling between EU counties

You can be inspected , but thats different


walking through the green or red channel is a specific statement in relation to customs clearance ( you have nothing to declare, or you have ) ,walking through the blue channel, indicates that you are not subject to customs clearance as you are transiting between EU countries ( you are also declaring that you are in compliance with the rules for such transit )

coylemj

BoatMad wrote: »

the EU channel is not customs clearance , you are not subject to custom clearance travelling between EU counties

You can be inspected , but thats different

That's a pretty serious exercise in hair-splitting. And of precisely zero value to the OP.

I never mentioned customs 'clearance', I simply said 'you have to go through customs' meaning (as you admit) that you could be pulled over and questioned.

Regardless of where you're coming from, when you arrive in an international airport you have to walk through one of the coloured channels and while transiting through any of them, you could be stopped and asked questions as to what you have in your bags. Call it what you like, it amounts to the same thing if you have nothing illegal in the bag.