Passport required - or will a driving licence suffice?

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mothercourage
mothercourage

My friend has received an invitation to her school reunion in Dublin. But it's in two weeks' time and her (Irish) passport has expired, leaving her no time to get a renewal.
She is of the opinion that she can take the ferry with her car and just present her (UK-issue) driving licence. It would be a great pity if she was turned away. I think she'll be ok with it as she lives in England and her car is also registered here. But she's in her 80s and has no internet, so I said I'd check with you lovely people on here.

I'll also double-check with the embassy on Monday, unless I get a definitive answer here, so no need to reply if that's what you would say.
Thanks in advance ...

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” - William G.T. Shedd
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lennythelion
lennythelion

No need for a passport, but picture (photo) ID is mandatory. It 'must be a photo licence and not just the paper one.
If she's got that, everything'll be fine.

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mothercourage
mothercourage

Thanks, Lenny. :>)

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” - William G.T. Shedd
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neverwinter
neverwinter

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_abroad/freedom_of_movement_within_the_eu/common_travel_area_between_ireland_and_the_uk.html

but obvious check - make sure her driving licence is in date!

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mothercourage
mothercourage

Even better! Thanks, Neverwinter.
xx

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nice_but__
nice_but__

Assuming she lives in the UK, then UK and Ireland are a 'common travel area'.

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iviehoff
iviehoff

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_abroad/freedom_of_movement_within_the_eu/common_travel_area_between_ireland_and_the_uk.html

That is the legal situation but some transport operators apply different rules - Ryanair won't let you on with a driving licence for example. So check what the specific transport operator you are using requires. Last time I took ferries between London and Dublin no one checked any identity documents.

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lennythelion
lennythelion

iviehoff: The traveller is going by boat, so no passport is needed.
On the ferries only a driving licence is needed, nothing more.

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mothercourage
mothercourage

Lenny, I have passed on the earlier answers so that's taken care of already - thanks.
iviehoff's information is useful for possible future flights - and could also be useful to anyone else with a similar query.
So thanks, iviehoff. :>)

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iviehoff
iviehoff

The traveller is going by boat, so no passport is needed. On the ferries only a driving licence is needed, nothing more.

No passport is legally required when going by plane either, the fact that in practice one (or equivalent) may be required is due to the airline's own rules.

In the case of the ferries, they aren't very specific. For example, this is what Irish Ferries say.
http://www.irishferries.com/uk-en/faq/passports-identification/

And P&O are even vaguer. http://www.poferries.com/tourist/content/pages/template/routes_travel_information_kbyg_kbyg_checklist.htm

My experience is that in reality id documents are not inspected when travelling by ferry between Britain and Ireland, which is probably why the ferry companies aren't very clear about it.

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