Sailing Into Trouble: What Irish Ferries’ Passport Crackdown Means for You

By Lily Crawford

You’ve booked the ferry. You’ve packed your bags. But have you packed your passport?

From 28th September 2026, anyone travelling with Irish Ferries, regardless of age or nationality, must show a valid passport or Irish passport card before boarding. No exceptions. For passengers used to the relatively seamless movement between Ireland and Britain, the change raises questions: Who will this hit the hardest, why is it happening now, and is this a necessary border protection or a bureaucratic overreach?

Checks will now occur in both directions on journeys from Dublin, Rosslare, Holyhead, and Pembroke. Unlike other border control measures, alternative forms of identification will not be accepted for travel. This includes driving licences, national identity cards and other forms of photographic identification, so QUB students using their provisional licence to board the ferry will no longer make the cut.

In some circumstances, Non-British or Irish travellers staying in the UK for up to six months may also need to secure an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This digital clearance covers standard visits like tourism, family trips, brief business travel, or transit. Failing to obtain an ETA could result in passengers being turned away at the Irish Ferries terminal.

Furthermore, children and infants are not exempt, sparking vocal condemnation from Independent Senator and former Minister for Justice Michael McDowell. He asserts that the cost of securing passports for every child in a family could be “prohibitive or penal” [1] for those who rely on ferry travel. Under these new guidelines, routine crossings could suddenly cost hundreds more than anticipated. For a family of four, that’s potentially four new passport applications before September 28th, on top of the crossing fare.

In an official statement, Irish Ferries affirmed they are “introducing this requirement to comply with UK Border Force requirements on the accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding.” [2]

Reactions to the changes have been divisive. Sinn Féin has welcomed the gathering of more data about passengers travelling to Britain, yet also criticised the exclusion of Northern Ireland services, such as Belfast to Cairnryan or Liverpool [3]. The party argues that the tightening of passenger data checks across the Irish Sea should be applied consistently and include scrutiny of Northern Ireland services, as inconsistent application breeds confusion for travellers and border staff.

British travel journalist Simon Calder goes further, bluntly labelling the new entry requirements  “completely pointless.” [4] His reasoning points to the open land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic under the Good Friday Agreement, meaning that anyone intent to circumnavigate the new rules could easily cross the Irish border by car, plane or boat without passport restrictions. In fact, some UK airports do not require passports at all when arriving from Ireland. A determined individual could literally walk straight around this new restriction, causing doubt about how effectively it can be enforced.

Only weeks earlier, Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Belfast and sparked controversy, declaring an Irish unity referendum “off the table.” Amid heightened scrutiny surrounding border enforcement, immigration policy, and constitutional affairs, his Labour government has already come under significant pressure. Ireland, meanwhile, has faced continued pressure of its own to tighten immigration enforcement after being named the tied 3rd-highest EU country for asylum applications per capita in 2024. [5] With this context, the new Irish Ferries requirement begins to look like a policy that benefits both governments’ immigration goals; however, it leaves open the question of how it sits alongside the Common Travel Area (CTA).

The CTA  is a long-standing arrangement which has granted British and Irish citizens the right to free movement between the UK and Ireland since 1922, as well as the right to live and travel in either jurisdiction without a “visa, any form of residence permit or employment permit.” [6] It is one of the oldest arrangements of its kind anywhere in the world, but arrangements built on informality struggle once formal checks start to creep in. If today’s ferry passport requirements are followed by further border measures, the CTA is at risk of becoming less of a lived reality and more of a dead letter.

For QUB students coming over for the beginning of term, it’s one more thing to check before you pack. But the bigger issue this raises is the indication of the direction of border control measures to come. Whether this is remembered as a sensible tightening of security or an early misstep in a longer trend will depend on what comes next, and how it will play out is still very much up for debate.

References:

[1] Dublin Gazette. “Mandatory Passport to UK Makes No Sense – McDowell.” September 6, 2026. https://dublingazette.com/main-feature-dg/mandatory-passort-to-uk-makes-no-sense-mcdowell/.

[2] Irish Ferries. “Passport and ETA Requirements for Travel Between Ireland and Britain.” August 26, 2026. https://help.irishferries.com/en/support/solutions/articles/80001220830-passport-and-eta-requirements-for-travel-between-ireland-and-britain.

[3] Belfast Telegraph. “Ferry Passport Rule Change Should Include Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin Says.” August 26, 2026. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/ferry-passport-rule-chantse-should-include-northern-ireland-sinn-fein-says/a/160544564.html.

[4] Telegraph. “Simon Calder: ‘These New Passport Rules Are Completely Pointless.'” August 28, 2026. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/simon-calder-new-passport-rules-completely-pointless/.

[5] Eurostat. “Decline in Asylum Applicants and Temporary Protections.” June 20, 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250620-2.

[6] UK Government, Cabinet Office and Home Office. “Common Travel Area Guidance.” January 1, 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-travel-area-guidance/common-travel-area-guidance.