Northern Ireland

British government urged to intensify discussions with Dublin ahead of introducing Electronic Travel Authorisation

The British government is due to introduce Electronic Travel Authorisation next year. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire
The British government is due to introduce Electronic Travel Authorisation next year. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire The British government is due to introduce Electronic Travel Authorisation next year. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire

THE BRITISH government has been urged to intensify talks with Dublin to ensure next year 's introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation does not disrupt cross-border movement for tourists and residents alike.

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry told The Irish News he was concerned that Home Office engagement with the Irish government so far had not addressed the movement of non-EU tourists wishing to travel north from the Republic.

In April, representatives of the north's tourism sector said the British government's plans to impose controls on international travellers crossing the border from the south could result in lost revenue of up to £160 million.

The proposal contained in the Tories' Nationalities and Borders Bill would require EU and non-EU citizens who are not Irish to apply online for pre-travel clearance – known as Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – before entering the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The Dublin government has already voiced serious concerns that the plans would impact on overseas tourists who arrive in the south but hope to travel north during their stay, even for a day visit.

Mr Farry asked the Home Office what discussions former minister Priti Patel had with the Irish government on the potential merits of granting an ETA exemption for visa nationals resident in the Republic.

The response from Immigration Minister Kevin Foster said visitors arriving in the UK, including those crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, would meed to obtain an ETA.

"Visa nationals will continue to require a visa for the UK when travelling via the Republic of Ireland, in order to lawfully enter the UK," he said.

"Our position is similar to the requirement set by the Irish government for visa nationals who wish to travel to the Republic of Ireland from the UK, who must seek a visa to enter the Republic before doing so."

Mr Foster said the British government currently had no plans to "operate routine immigration controls on journeys from within the Common Travel Area", adding that there would be no controls at the border.

"The UK remains committed to working with Ireland to consider whether a satisfactory data sharing agreement can be reached to exempt third country nationals who are resident in Ireland from the ETA requirement," the minister said.

"If an agreement cannot be reached, the requirement will apply to all those travelling to the UK from Ireland."

The Alliance deputy leader said there were a number of concerns about the implications of the ETA both for non-Irish and British nationals who are residents in Ireland, alongside tourists.

“In July, the Home Office published their new plan for immigration which brought forward the implementation date for the ETA to 2023, and alarmingly made no reference whatsoever to the particular challenges facing Ireland," he said.

“It would be absurd for the UK government to treat what are well established movements on the island of Ireland by some residents and tourists in the same way as the rest of the world."

The North Down MP said that while there was a commitment to no new border checks, the ETA would bring "new bureaucracy and legal jeopardy for anyone who doesn’t follow the new rules".

He said it was "imperative" that London engaged with Dublin to to ensure a "workable solution is found quickly".

“Alarmingly, discussions only apply to permanent residents of Ireland – nothing is on the table for tourism," he said.

"We have an integrated tourism product across the island, and the ETA risks causing major damage to that."