| Common Travel Area |
Article Index for Common |
Website Links For Common |
Information AboutCommon Travel Area |
|
The zone is similar to other areas such as the Nordic Passport Union and the Schengen Treaty . HISTORY The zone is a historical artifact and is due to the fact that following Irish Independence from the United Kingdom in 1922, no laws were passed requiring a passport for travel across the new border. The zone or Area was not codified, or indeed given an official name, until 1997, and then only at the EU level to distinguish it from the Schengen Treaty . Today, the zone still exists only because neither country has joined Schengen. The provisions of that treaty allow for a common Visa and travel area, which, if either the United Kingdom or Ireland (but not both) were to sign, would end the zone. The reasons for each country remaining outside of Schengen are different and complex. The British Foreign Office Website says :"Maintaining the UK's frontier controls is the most effective way for us to control immigration and combat international and organised crime. Given our Island status, incoming traffic is naturally channelled through our ports and airports, giving us a particular advantage in controlling our frontiers. Other EU countries, by contrast, have to police long land borders, which is more difficult, and they therefore place a greater emphasis on in-country controls (such as identity cards) rather than frontier controls." And the Irish Centre for Migration Studies website :
The issue of whether to join Schengen is tied up with the issue of National ID Cards . In the case of Ireland and the UK, the only government issued ID is the Passport . While issuing a form of ID card would greatly simplify travel for UK and Irish citizens, and possibly allow for an easy adoption of the Schengen Treaty, there is a good deal of domestic resistance to the idea.
DETAILS As the zone is not the result of a treaty or law, it is subject to change without negotiation. In 1997, Ireland unilaterally brought in a requirement for Photo ID at ports. However, this rule is currently only enforced in airports; the land border between the Republic and Northern Ireland is open. The level of enforcement of the photo ID requirement is also very varied. Officially, a bus pass with a photo is enough to enter, but in practice, you will be asked to state your nationality as you enter. It is also known for groups of people to be waved through regardless of their nationality - which creates its own problems if someone must have documentary record of when they left and entered the UK. The zone also only applies to citizens of these countries. (Technically, the zone also only applies to citizens born in Ireland or the UK. Persons who have aquired citizenship but were born elsewhere still have to carry a passport. The enforceability, and even constitutionality, of this aspect of the zone is questionable.) Other nationals must show a passport or a national ID card (for EEA citizens). The zone also does not extend to a common visa system. Irish and British entry visas are separate and issued by their respective embassies. However, bilateral agreements allow UK embassies to act as an Irish consulate when Ireland is not represented in a particular country. The Common Travel Area also involves some co-operation on matters relating to immigration issues. An alien, for example, may be refused permission to enter Ireland if it is his or her intention to travel onwards to the UK and he or she would not qualify for admission to the UK under the '' (Aliens Amendment) Order, 1975 ''. Since being first codified in the 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, the term has been used in new legislation by both countries to define ''travel abroad'' for the purpose of tax and immigration, see [http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk/page2.pdf [http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw108.pdf]. British and Irish citizens may live and work freely in each other's countries. This is possible both because both countries are EU member states and because the nationality laws of the two countries do not consider citizens of the other country to be 'Aliens'. Under Irish law, this applies only to British citizens, rather than the broader definition of 'British national'. ( British Overseas Territories Citizen s, British Overseas Citizen s, British Subject s, British Protected Person s, British National (Overseas) are excluded) Also, citizens of Ireland and the UK may vote in General Election s of either or both countries, although British citizens in Ireland may not vote in presidential elections or referendums unless they become Irish citizens. This is because British citizens do not elect their head of state and vote in referendums only exceptionally, whereas referendums are a regular feature of Irish politics. Other EU nationals may only vote in local and European Parliament elections while resident in either the UK or Ireland. Maltese and Cypriot citizens have full voting rights in the UK (but not Ireland) on the basis of being Commonwealth citizens. In the UK, the Terrorism Act 2000 requires the pilot of a private aircraft to notify police Special Branch as to the identity of all on board the aircraft, the departure point, and the destination, at least 12 hours prior to departure, for all flights from Great Britain to both Northern Ireland and the Republic, and vice versa. VISAS Unlike the Schengen Agreement , the Common Travel Area provides no mechanism for a common visa system. The UK and Ireland operate entirely separate visa systems with different, though similar, entry requirements. A UK visa will not allow a traveller entry to the Republic of Ireland, nor will a Republic of Ireland visa allow entry to the UK. In addition neither visa will allow entry to any other EU member state or the Schengen area. (Although Switzerland does allow entry of holders of UK residency visas). The Channel Islands and the Isle Of Man generally do allow entry to holders of UK visas, but there are some cases when a special visa is required. Such a visa would be issued by a British Embassy. A Republic of Ireland visa does not allow entry to the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. Enforcement of these rules is sporadic. Currently, there are no border checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There are also no checks when travelling by sea to or from Britain, or in British airports when arriving from the Common Travel Area. However, there are passport checks in all airports in the Republic of Ireland. When travelling between the Republic of Ireland and the UK it is the legal responsibility of the foreign traveller to ensure that their passport and visa is checked at the border. This can present certain difficulties if the traveller arrives to a small airport or port or a crossing point from Northern Ireland which does not have passport facillities. SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|