Travelling to UK without a passport

artvanderlay

Hi,


Quick question: can I travel to the UK with my driver's license instead of my passport? I have to send my passport off to support an application I am making, so potentially won't have it for a few weeks, and there's a chance I may have to travel to the UK in that time.


Thanks and sorry if this is the wrong forum.

Riskymove

if you are flying with Aer Lingus you can use other ID than passport. However other airlines require a passport



you could apply for a passport card and use that (not sure how long it takes at present but I got mine in a week previously)

Ficheall

I've taken a Dublin<->Holyhead ferry with just proof of address before. The ferry+train combo can be cheap.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Yeah, ferry is best bet.

BetterThanThou

Riskymove wrote: »

if you are flying with Aer Lingus you can use other ID than passport. However other airlines require a passport



you could apply for a passport card and use that (not sure how long it takes at present but I got mine in a week previously)

I think a week or so is typical for the passport card, I got mine in that time and most people I know who got one did too. However, you need a valid passport to get one.

Hector Bellend

Sometimes they check for passports in Holyhead but it depends on how you travel onwards.

If you travel by bus there is a fair chance that youll be asked for a passport. You might be ok if you get the train

loalae

They don't check passports in the UK of flights from Ireland but getting back in to Ireland could be a problem without a passport! They always check passports at Dublin airport. I don't remember my passport being checked when I came in on the ferry though.

munchkin_utd

Hector Bellend wrote: »

Sometimes they check for passports in Holyhead but it depends on how you travel onwards.

If you travel by bus there is a fair chance that youll be asked for a passport. You might be ok if you get the train

if you're irish or british you do not need a passport to enter or be in or to work in the other country.

this is evident when you cross the IRL-UK border by land, and a sea or air border is EXACTLY the same

Ryanair require you to have a passport, but they are NOT the immigration authorities and make up their own rules as they go along

Riskymove

BetterThanThou wrote: »

However, you need a valid passport to get one.

yes he has one

Mean Laqueefa

Ive went Holyhead>Dublin and back about 16 times in the last 2 years via car and never once was asked to show any form of ID. We got stopped at some ****e checkpoint in dublin just last week in an english reg car and garda asks us, what nationality are we, we say Irish, on yous go says him.

oneilla

loalae wrote: »

They don't check passports in the UK of flights from Ireland but getting back in to Ireland could be a problem without a passport! They always check passports at Dublin airport. I don't remember my passport being checked when I came in on the ferry though.

Driver's licence has place of birth and anyone born in Ireland before 2005 is Irish citizen so using it is fine.

artvanderlay

Thanks to all for replying