Are visa-free visitors to Ireland less likely to be denied entry when compared to the UK?
We have an extensive database of questions on this site about various problems when crossing the UK border. Citizens of nationalities who are visa-free for both Ireland and the UK might therefore consider entering the Common Travel Area through an immigration point in Ireland, especially if they've previously had issues with border control in the UK. Some people might also believe that they might "obfuscate" their problems with the UK authorities by entering through Ireland.
Would this strategy make sense, considering whatever statistics are available about denials of entry at Irish and British borders?
Best Answer
UK entry refusals are marked in passports, using a date stamp across which two lines are drawn.
When Irish officials see this, if they suspect the passenger could be using Ireland as a mere backdoor, they will refuse entry.
Even stated in Timatic:
Visitors holding passports containing a British inadmissible stamp could be refused entry.
That said, in my experience Irish border officials are way more lax than their British counterparts, and may well not notice a UK refusal stamp.
So all-in-all, this backdoor strategy could work (if you get on the plane in the first place - a meticulous check-in agent could refuse boarding to someone with a UK refusal stamp), but it's not guaranteed to.
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