New passport rules for Britain-Ireland ferries to be enforced

Published on 31/08/2026 – 12:18 GMT+2•Updated
12:59

Planning a ferry trip between Great Britain and Ireland? You might want to check your passport before you head to the port.

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From 28 September 2026, passengers on some ferry routes will need to show a valid passport before boarding, bringing ferry travel in line with increasingly strict requirements already introduced by airlines.

The UK Border Force, as well as ferry operators Stena Line and Irish Ferries, have informed passengers of the changes, saying the rules are coming into force to ensure the “accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding”.

At the current time, travellers between the two countries are not guaranteed to be asked for a passport and are instead often able to travel with other forms of photo identification.

Now, Stena Line, which operates crossings from Holyhead to Dublin and Fishguard to Rosslare, says all passengers must present a passport from the end of next month.

In a statement, the ferry company said: “Customers with existing bookings are currently being notified by the customer service team to ensure customers are fully supported during this change of operations.”

As of now, Stena Line services via Belfast, Liverpool, Cairnryan or Heysham can be travelled without a passport.

Irish Ferries, though, will require passengers to carry a valid passport on all routes between the Republic of Ireland and Britain. There are currently no passport checks in place between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Irish and British citizens don’t, in fact, legally need a passport to travel between the two nations because of the Common Travel Area agreement, which has been in place for more than a century and applies to the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, the new ferry measure comes following a similar implementation on airlines.

In February, Aer Lingus joined Ryanair in enforcing the rule that passengers between Great Britain and Ireland must carry passports to travel between Britain and Ireland.