US citizen -- Ireland & UK travel?
Replies: 5 - Last Post: Sep 25, 2012 1:29 AM Last Post By: battybilly
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US citizen -- Ireland & UK travel?
Hi everyone. I am planning to take a trip in January to Ireland/the UK. My plan is to spend 5 days in Dublin, Ireland, and then to fly to Scotland. I have always wanted to see Ireland, and I have a friend that lives in Scotland. I am a bit confused about how immigration works, though. I originally thought that I would have to go through immigration at both locations -- which is fine by me (and actually, that's what I was hoping for, as I want stamps in my passport!) but now I am reading that I will only go through immigration in Dublin. Is that accurate? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because Dublin is not part of the UK....I'm a little worried that not going through passport control in the UK will give me problems down the line. How will it be tracked on my passport that I spent only a week in the UK if my passport is not checked upon entering the UK?
As I said, I return the UK a few times a year to see a friend, and I don't want UK immigration thinking that I was sneaking into the country when I return in the summer time.
Edited by: ands0itg0es
1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_AreaIn theory you should find an immigration officer when you reach the UK - especially as Ireland generally gives tourists a shorter visa on entry than the UK
2
That's what I thought, but I am reading so many stories of people stating that there are no immigration officers on the UK side when traveling between the two. I'm only going to be staying in the UK for about 10 days, so I doubt it'd be a problem, but still -- would hate for not meeting with an immigration officer to cause me grief on future visits. Maybe I can request to speak to one upon entering...? shrug I just really want a stamp indicating my arrival date, so that everything is nice and clear.3
The Common Travel AreaThe immigration computer systems of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are fully harmonized.
Any disembarkation record on either country is available online/ for immigration officers of both countries.
No worries! Enjoy your trip to Dublin.
4
Thanks, Venona! I just found out my trip has to be cut down a little..and that Dublin seems to be slightly more expensive than the UK, so it looks like I'll just be spending two days/nights in Dublin, but at least I'll get to see a piece of Ireland. Interestingly, it seems to be cheaper for me to fly US --- Dublin --- UK, then it does for me to go US --- UK --- Dublin.5
Whether Dublin is more expensive than The UK, depends entirely on where you spend your money ! !
