Irish Ferries & Stena Line to require passports on Ireland–UK sailings from 28 September

Irish sea-crossings are about to feel a lot more like international trips. In a move designed to align with UK Border Force data-capture requirements, both Irish Ferries and Stena Line confirmed that, from Monday, 28 September 2026, every passenger—regardless of nationality—must present either a valid Irish passport or Irish passport card (for Irish citizens) at check-in for all Republic of Ireland–Great Britain routes. Driving licences, bus passes and other photo ID that had long been accepted on Common Travel Area (CTA) services will no longer suffice. The carriers say the change is necessary to transmit Advance Passenger Information (API) in the format now mandated by the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime. Although Irish citizens remain exempt from applying for an ETA, UK authorities still require ferry operators to submit complete passport data before departure—something that cannot be gleaned from non-passport ID. The Department of Foreign Affairs quietly updated its travel advice for Great Britain on 24 September to highlight the new requirement and urge travellers to check document validity. For business-travel managers the immediate concern is ensuring mobile staff—and their accompanying family members—hold passports with sufficient validity. HR teams are being advised to audit internal travel-document records and to alert commuters on the busy Dublin–Holyhead and Rosslare–Fishguard corridors. Expedited passport renewals may be unavoidable for workers who have relied on driving licences for short-notice meetings in Britain. The policy also has implications for assignees transiting the UK en route to Ireland. Under the ETA scheme, non-Irish, non-British passengers arriving from outside the CTA must carry a passport to demonstrate their exemption at British border controls. Failure to do so could result in refused boarding and expensive itinerary changes. Ferry operators have warned that anyone turning up without a passport after 28 September will be denied travel and will have to absorb any knock-on costs such as hotels or missed onward flights. With schools on mid-term break in late October and corporate travel ramping up for Q4, companies are urged to issue immediate communications to staff and to update any internal travel-booking platforms to flag the passport-only rule at the point of reservation.