FERRIES: Passports to be compulsory for Ireland crossings from Fishguard and Pembroke Dock

Ferry passengers sailing to Ireland from Fishguard and Pembroke Dock will need a valid passport from 28 September, the operators of both routes have announced.

Stena Line says every passenger travelling through Fishguard, Rosslare, Holyhead or Dublin ports will have to present a passport at check-in from Monday 28 September, with no other form of ID accepted.

The company says the rule applies to all passengers regardless of age or nationality.

Irish Ferries, which sails between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare, said all passengers travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Britain in both directions will need to carry a valid passport, “including Irish and British citizens”.

The operator is urging passengers to check they have an in-date passport, or Irish passport card, before arriving at the port.

Both companies say the change is needed to comply with UK Border Force requirements on the accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding.

No passport has ever been legally required, and that has not changed

The shift will be felt most by regular travellers. Under the century-old Common Travel Area agreement, British and Irish citizens do not legally need a passport to travel between the two countries.

That legal position is not changing: it is the ferry companies’ boarding requirements that are.

Until now, passengers at the ports have not always been asked for a passport, with other photo ID sometimes accepted instead.

Airlines flying between Britain and Ireland have long required passports for boarding despite the same legal position.

There is no change to ID requirements on Stena Line’s routes from Belfast, Liverpool, Cairnryan or Heysham, the company says.

Both operators say customers with existing bookings are being contacted, and anyone booked to sail after 28 September will need an in-date passport before travelling.