Is the new passport card any use?

SNNUS

I travel all over Europe and UK with just the card, you do not need both! The card is so handy as it just fits in the wallet, I don't bother with E gates anyway so just go up to the immigration booths.

Jafin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120346184#Comment_120346184

It was at Charles de Gaulle airport.

xabi_a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120347344#Comment_120347344

Are you placing the card photo down, or photo up? I just tried it quickly this morning on arrival at Dublin airport, and it didn't even recognise anything - it just displayed "Place your passport on the glass". I tried both sides quickly but I had to rush as I was holding people up. I used the book and it worked straight away.

ohnonotgmail

The passport card should work in the eGates at dublin airport

https://www.merrionstreet.ie/en/news-room/releases/minister_flanagan_officially_opens_new_egates_in_dublin_airport.html

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, has today officially opened new eGates for passport control in Dublin Airport. The eGates are up and running in Terminal 1 and will shortly be operational in Terminal 2. The new eGates feature flatbed scanners which allow for the use of the Passport Card for the first time.

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353604#Comment_120353604

I've used my passport card loads of times at the e-gates at Dublin Airport. You have to put the card photo side up at the rear left corner of the reader. Last year a staff member saw me with the passport card and tried to send it me to the booths instead, insisting it wouldn't work. I just ignored them and went through anyway. Obviously the standard of staff training isn't great.

I don't think they work at e-gates at any other airports. I haven't bothered trying for years.

VG31

The passport card can also be used to the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein & Norway) and Switzerland. I've also used it in Gibraltar.

The only time I've had a slight issue with the passport card was from Madrid to London this year. Most EU citizens cannot use national ID cards to enter the UK anymore. The passport card does look like a national ID card. A gate agent asked me if I had a passport and I just said it was an Irish passport card and she was satisfied (and impressed!) with that.

It's worth having this page handy just in case if flying to the UK from Europe: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/before-you-leave-for-the-uk It explicitly mentions the Irish passport card.

Nigel Fairservice

I used mine to enter Albania strangely enough even though it isn't in the EU or EEA. I had my book on me as well but didn't show as they didnt look for it. I think it was more a case of the lads at the immigration desk not being too bothered.

Nigel Fairservice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120355125#Comment_120355125

I tried the egates in Vienna recently out of curiosity with the card and it didn't work.

finbarrk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342524#Comment_120342524

Same here.

munchkin_utd

I do it the other way, have the card as the primary ID at checkin/ manned border points/ final ID check at the gate but have the book passport in the rucksack should I need it for one of those automatic gates for Schengen <-> non schengen journeys.

The card is also useful to have just as an ID if youre in a country where 100% of local adults have an actual ID so its built into their day to day life, for instance picking up a parcel or using rail tickets requires a passport or ID - and a drivers licence, gun licence or any other random card you may have with your name on it is simply not "an ID" so liable to be not accepted.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353604#Comment_120353604

Down with metal up

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356278#Comment_120356278

Worked in Las Palmas airport last October

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342524#Comment_120342524

There's nothing to stop you using your passport book details for online check-in and using the card for the flight. The gate agents only check your name matches the boarding pass and that the document hasn't expired. They aren't checking the passport number.

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358551#Comment_120358551

You have to put the card photo side up at the rear left corner of the reader.

Economics101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120344551#Comment_120344551

If I were in that position, I would have said that it was Ireland's form of a National Identity Card (which it is, in effect). He would have understood that as most EU nationals have to carry one.

Having both the Passpost Book and Card is a great enhancement to personal security providing they are stowed appropriately and separately. I know there are problems at e-gates, but on aoocaion I have found issues with the Passport Book as well.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359189#Comment_120359189

The security thing is the reason I usually still bring both - one can stay in the hotel "safe" (they are far from safe, but often just enough to stop a light-fingered cleaner. Anyone who wants in to them can get in to them. Most have a pathetically insecure backup key slot behind the logo sticker, for instance) in case I'm mugged; meaning I can still get back to Ireland on my original flight.

Quick night away somewhere and I'll just use the card. Have a thing of making sure to use my driving licence when going to the UK on proper airlines (I don't want that to suddenly be disallowed with a dodgy stat claiming everyone is using passports), but considering its in the same wallet as the passport card it doesn't actually reduce complexity.

Aurelian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359137#Comment_120359137

Bit of a risk travelling on a different document though. Also it doesn't work in the eGates when you land.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359227#Comment_120359227

The passport cards do work in the eGates at Dub.

yagan

The only time I had a problem with the card was arriving into Britain from Spain. It didn't take long for a supervisor to verify it as an accepted document.

Interestingly the last time I arrived in Spain we guided towards the new E gates where there was a very slow queue of Brits, but anyone with an Irish Passport Card could go to a passport booth. It was much quicker.

SNNUS

I don't understand why you would travel in Europe with both a card and passport, defeats the purpose. You should take a picture of your main passport and email it to yourself should you ever lose your card or passport, least you have that for the authorities also.

Naked Lepper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120344356#Comment_120344356

poppycock

Redsoxfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359150#Comment_120359150

Is 'rear' the end closest to you or closest to the gate?

Tried and failed to use the card at the e-gates in Dublin a few weeks ago. Determined to get it to work.

Nigel Fairservice

Place card face up in the top left corner closest to the gate. Photo side facing up.

munchkin_utd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191262#Comment_121191262

also failed to get the thing to work.

In general the irish e-gates are useless. Firstly they are buggy/ dont work reliably with the card and secondly they are slooooooooooow and dont allow 2 people to be processed at a time, i.e. some setups on the continent allow one person to scan their passport whilst the person before them is already in the middle bit getting their photo taken

>>Place card face up in the top left corner closest to the gate. Photo side facing up.

actually, that sortof makes sense as the back is where the machine readable data is. But... ffs the yoke has a NFC chip in it anyhow so why do they even need to visually scan it at all? It should be as quick as tapping on to the Luas or london underground.

Redsoxfan

Anyone have any issues with Ryanair staff rejecting Irish passport cards at the gate?

Have used my card regularly with Aer Lingus but haven't flown Ryanair in a while.

Found this story (from 2022) which concerned me a little - although Ryanair did admit (after the fact) that they should have accepted the passport card.

https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2022/06/20/confusion-about-documents-as-air-travel-takes-off-again/

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121625698#Comment_121625698

No, I haven't had any issues. I've used it all over Europe both in airport and for general ID requirements and no one has ever questioned it.

The only time I ever had a slight issue was flying from Madrid to London last year. The Iberia gate staff thought it was an EU ID card at first (you require a passport now for travel to the UK, with some exceptions and not including Ireland). I pointed out that it was an Irish passport card. I have this page boomarked now just in case https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visiting-the-uk-as-an-eu-eea-or-swiss-citizen#:~:text=Irish%20citizens%20can%20continue%20to%20use%20a%20passport%20card%20to%20travel%20to%20the%20UK

Kevrano

I use my passport card for my travel. As I don’t have a full driving licence yet, it’s handy to have the card as photo ID. it’s an alternative (not a replacement) to the passport book and has a different ID number

Ryanair are fine with it and it’s added to my travel profile in addition to the passport book. When I check in, I have to choose either the book or card as my ID for that particular flight.

I have managed to use it in the eGates at Dub, but it is a faff, and usually quicker to go to the manned booths instead.

CR 7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121625698#Comment_121625698

I had the same experience trying to use a passport card flying from Gdansk to Dublin with Ryanair in 2021, I also had the book with me packed away in a bag so eventually gave up on trying to convince them the card was a valid passport and showed the book instead. This was with Ryanair ground staff too, not Lauda Air. Maybe I should have filed a complaint at the time and gotten that €250 compensation!

VG31

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637552#Comment_121637552

If you'd been denied boarding with a valid travel document you would have been entitled to €400 compensation as GDN to DUB is over 1,500 km.

What did they think the card was exactly? You can use EU national identity cards for travel to Ireland, I'd understand it more if you couldn't.

CR 7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638009#Comment_121638009

They just said they'd never seen one of them before so it wasn't a valid passport, and they needed to see my "actual" passport...

I haven't bothered using the card since then just to avoid that hassle of arguing with them.