Passport requirements on entering Ireland as a citizen
Basic premise of this question is what are usual requirements for entering Ireland through Airport Immigration - and does this change based on where you departed from?
Basically - I'm a citizen and resident of Ireland - I was travelling back to Ireland last week from the United States and as I was going through Immigration check in Dublin Airport I presented my Passport Card.
This card, in general - I've used multiple times for travel between Ireland and the EU without any sort of problems - and it's far easier for me to access in my wallet than to dig out my physical passport book out of my backpack.
However, when I was going through Immigration in Dublin Airport on arrival from the US, I presented the passport card and was then asked where I was coming from.
When I replied that I had departed from the United States the immigration officer requested my actual physical passport.
I didn't really mind - nor did I want to argue the point - so I produced my passport from my backpack.
However it got me thinking and my question I guess -
- For what reason would Irish Immigration need to see my Passport to enter the country of my citizenship - provable via the Passport Card.
- What would have happened if I refused or lost my actual passport?
- As a citizen of the country, am I obliged to tell the immigration official where I was arriving from?
Best Answer
As an Irish citizen, you have the absolute right to enter Ireland. The immigration officer cannot possibly deny you entry, as long as you produce a document that shows you're in fact an Irish citizen - and the passport card clearly shows that. Therefore you have the absolute right to only produce your passport card and refuse to provide any other document. It might delay your border crossing though, so personally I'd just show my passport if I actually had one with me.
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Answer 2
The Passport Card is valid only for travel WITHIN the EU/EEA/CH.
I've had this same issue. Was returning to Dublin on a flight from Moscow. Was asked where I was coming from (which was fairly obvious as there was only one flight coming in at that time).
I'm a Canadian dual-citizen, so it would be handy to travel to there or the US on my Canadian passport and return to Ireland with the card that lives in my wallet. Pain in the backside, and I don't really understand the point of it, but that's the way she goes.
EDIT: Here is the link to the DFA page stating the same: https://www.dfa.ie/passportcard/
Answer 3
The officer you dealt with was wrong, and based on the answers and comments, this is depressingly common. It's also happened to me (I'm on a Swedish national ID card) when departing Zurich airport for Moscow (in transit to Tbilisi): I said out loud to the border police (well, in German) "why do you even care? I can exit Switzerland after all", whereby she said they'd be in trouble if I was refused entry to Russia. I then said "well how can I be refused entry without trying to gain it to begin with?" and that it's the Airline that's responsible, not Swiss police. She then got so irritated at me that she simply sent me on.
An Irish passport card proves your Irish citizenship, so you have the absolute right to enter from anywhere using it alone, and you're not required to even bring your passport book.
•What would have happened if I refused or lost my actual passport?
Nothing should happen, but clearly a lot of INIS agents are ignorant and may be bamboozled at it and possibly leave you standing there for a minute or two, but nothing else.
•As a citizen of the country, am I obliged to tell the immigration official where I was arriving from?
No you're not
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