If You’re Taking the Ferry Between Wales and Ireland, Your Driving Licence Won’t Get You Onboard Any More

Since Monday 28 September 2026, a driving licence or other photo ID is no longer enough to board the ferries between Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Stena Line says every passenger on its Dublin, Holyhead, Fishguard and Rosslare crossings must show a valid passport at check-in, and Irish Ferries has made the same change on its Dublin to Holyhead and Rosslare to Pembroke services. The rule covers children, and it covers British and Irish citizens who have never needed a passport for this trip before.

Why does the ferry now want a passport?

The operators link the change to UK Border Force requirements for accurate passenger data before boarding. A passport with a machine-readable zone gives them the same standardised data for every traveller. It is a boarding rule set by the ferry companies, not a change in law: the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland still exists, and British and Irish citizens are still not legally required to carry a passport to cross the border.

That distinction matters in practice, because the ferry company decides who boards. Airlines moved first. Aer Lingus has asked for passports on Ireland to Britain flights since February, and Ryanair already did too.

Which crossings are affected and which are not?

The rule applies to the four Welsh and Irish ports named above, in both directions. The northern routes through Belfast are untouched for now.

What happens if you turn up without one?

You can be refused boarding. Stena Line also says the name on your booking must exactly match the ID you present, and that a mismatch can mean denied boarding with the passenger carrying the costs. That is the expensive scenario for a car passenger: a fare, a pre-booked hotel and possibly a rebooked crossing, all lost over a document sitting in a drawer at home.

Check the small print before you travel. Stena Line asks for a passport with an MRZ, which every modern British and Irish passport has, but an old or damaged one is worth a look. Irish Ferries is reported to accept a valid Irish passport card. Stena Line’s own wording on passport cards is less clear, so if a card is what you normally carry, confirm with your operator before you go.

What should travellers do now?

Look at the expiry date and the booking name today, not on the morning of the sailing. If anyone in the party, children included, has no passport, a new one is the only fix, and standard processing takes weeks. Stena Line says it is notifying customers with existing bookings.

Planning something longer than a ferry crossing? Our 12-day Everest Base Camp trek is the one we recommend first-timers start with.

Cover photo: Павел Хлыстунов via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Frederick Adegoke Snr. via Pexels (Pexels licence); Kenneth Surillo via Pexels (Pexels licence); Joaquin Carfagna via Pexels (Pexels licence); Ciprian Andrei Pavel via Pexels (Pexels licence); Marta Branco via Pexels (Pexels licence).