The UK Home Office will move to 100 per cent enforcement of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme at 00:01 GMT on Wednesday, 25 February 2026. From that moment, airlines, ferry companies and rail operators must deny boarding to any non-visa national who has not obtained an approved ETA linked to the passport presented. Britain and Ireland’s Common Travel Area means Irish citizens are exempt, but the policy still has major operational implications for Irish departure points.
Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock handle more than 320 daily seats to the UK for travellers who *do* require ETAs – notably US, Canadian, Australian and EU passengers resident in Ireland. Carrier liability fines of up to £10,000 per passenger mean airlines will take a zero-tolerance stance; check-in agents have been instructed to run real-time Home Office database queries before issuing boarding passes.
Travel-management companies report a spike in frantic client e-mails as passengers realise that “visa-free” no longer means “paperwork-free.” Corporate mobility teams are urging travellers to apply at least 72 hours in advance via the ETA app (£16, roughly €18) and to re-check that renewed passports have been re-linked. Families with mixed citizenship are a high-risk group for denial-of-boarding scenarios.
![Full UK ETA enforcement on 25 February to tighten carrier checks at Irish airports]()
For anyone unsure about the new rules, VisaHQ can step in with practical, step-by-step support. Its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) guides users through the ETA application, validates passport data and issues real-time status alerts—helping travellers avoid costly last-minute surprises at the check-in desk.
Dual Irish-British nationals must travel on a British or Irish passport; presenting a third-country passport and an ETA is explicitly prohibited from 25 February. The UK is also switching most physical visit-visa vignettes to eVisas on the same date, further embedding digital-status checking at the airline desk.
Airports Council International’s regional office warns that the convergence of Aer Lingus’s new passport-only rule and first-day ETA enforcement could create bottle-necks at Dublin’s Terminal 2 this week. Employers are advised to circulate an urgent travel-checklist bulletin and to consider flex-working arrangements for cross-border commuters who might miss morning flights.
Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock handle more than 320 daily seats to the UK for travellers who *do* require ETAs – notably US, Canadian, Australian and EU passengers resident in Ireland. Carrier liability fines of up to £10,000 per passenger mean airlines will take a zero-tolerance stance; check-in agents have been instructed to run real-time Home Office database queries before issuing boarding passes.
Travel-management companies report a spike in frantic client e-mails as passengers realise that “visa-free” no longer means “paperwork-free.” Corporate mobility teams are urging travellers to apply at least 72 hours in advance via the ETA app (£16, roughly €18) and to re-check that renewed passports have been re-linked. Families with mixed citizenship are a high-risk group for denial-of-boarding scenarios.
For anyone unsure about the new rules, VisaHQ can step in with practical, step-by-step support. Its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) guides users through the ETA application, validates passport data and issues real-time status alerts—helping travellers avoid costly last-minute surprises at the check-in desk.
Dual Irish-British nationals must travel on a British or Irish passport; presenting a third-country passport and an ETA is explicitly prohibited from 25 February. The UK is also switching most physical visit-visa vignettes to eVisas on the same date, further embedding digital-status checking at the airline desk.
Airports Council International’s regional office warns that the convergence of Aer Lingus’s new passport-only rule and first-day ETA enforcement could create bottle-necks at Dublin’s Terminal 2 this week. Employers are advised to circulate an urgent travel-checklist bulletin and to consider flex-working arrangements for cross-border commuters who might miss morning flights.
