Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock: ferry check-in now scans every passenger's passport
Since Monday 28 September, every foot passenger, driver, child and lorry driver checking in at Holyhead, Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, Dublin or Rosslare must hand over a passport or Irish passport card. Stena Line swipes it at the desk to read the passenger data; if it will not scan, the details are typed in. Nothing is asked at booking, so the port is where a missing passport ends your trip. Stena Line and Irish Ferries publish slightly different small print. Here it is, operator by operator and port by port, with what happens to your ticket if you are turned away.
From booking to the ramp: what now happens, step by step
The change is at the check-in desk, not on the booking website. That means the first time anyone asks for your passport is at the port.
1. Booking: nothing changes
Stena Line says it does not ask for passport details when you book. Book as usual, but make sure everyone in the party, babies included, has their own passport or Irish passport card before the day.
2. Before you leave home: check the photo page
Stena requires every passport to have a machine-readable zone (MRZ): the one to three lines of letters and digits at the bottom of the photo page. If you need a UK ETA, Irish Ferries asks you to apply before travelling, using the same passport you will sail with.
3. At the check-in booth or desk: the passport is swiped
Stena's staff "swipe your passport to retrieve all the necessary passenger data requirements". If it will not scan, they enter the details by hand. If a name on the booking is wrong, it is corrected from the scan.
4. Groups and coaches
Stena lets a coach group collect its passengers' passports and present them together for processing.
5. Freight drivers too
Stena says anyone travelling from these ports needs a passport, and that includes freight drivers and their passengers. Irish Ferries' rule covers "all passengers".
Port by port: where your passport is checked
Five ports on two sides of the Irish Sea now check passports on every sailing between them. Ports with sailings to Northern Ireland do not.
| Port | Ferries | Passport at check-in? |
|---|---|---|
| Holyhead, Anglesey | Stena Line and Irish Ferries to Dublin | Yes, since 28 Sept |
| Fishguard, Pembrokeshire | Stena Line to Rosslare | Yes, since 28 Sept |
| Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire | Irish Ferries to Rosslare | Yes, since 28 Sept |
| Dublin Port | Stena Line and Irish Ferries to Holyhead | Yes, since 28 Sept |
| Rosslare Europort | Stena Line to Fishguard, Irish Ferries to Pembroke Dock | Yes, since 28 Sept |
| Cairnryan, Dumfries and Galloway | Stena Line to Belfast, P&O Ferries to Larne | No: Northern Ireland routes are outside the change |
| Birkenhead (Liverpool) | Stena Line to Belfast | No: Stena lists Liverpool as unchanged |
Heading for Northern Ireland? Stena Line says there is no change to ID requirements on its Belfast, Liverpool, Cairnryan and Heysham services. Crossings within the UK, like the Kintyre Express from Ballycastle to Campbeltown, are outside the rule too. See all our ferries in Northern Ireland.
Stena Line and Irish Ferries: the small print side by side
Both companies started on the same day, for the same reason. Stena has published much more detail. Where Irish Ferries says nothing, the table says so.
| Question | Stena Line | Irish Ferries |
|---|---|---|
| Routes | Holyhead–Dublin, Fishguard–Rosslare | Dublin–Holyhead, Rosslare–Pembroke Dock |
| Accepted | Passport, passport card, emergency passport | Valid passport or Irish passport card |
| Photo or photocopy | "In certain circumstances", if you tell staff at check-in | Not stated |
| Extra validity needed | "No additional months of validity are required" | Not stated. Passport must be valid |
| Children | Each child needs their own passport, any age | Passport required for children and infants |
| UK ETA | Not covered on the passport page | Table by nationality. Use the same passport for the ETA and the sailing |
| Before you travel | Customer Service team | [email protected] |
Both companies quote the same reason: UK Border Force requirements on "the accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding". This is a condition of carriage, not a change in the law. GOV.UK still says British nationals are not legally required to show a passport to enter Ireland.
Turned away at the port: what happens to your ticket
It depends on when you booked. Stena treats bookings made before the rule was announced differently from later ones.
If you booked to travel on or after 28 September before the passport requirement was communicated, Stena lets you move to another date with no amendment fee and no fare difference, or cancel for a full refund.
If you booked after the rule was announced and are refused because you have no passport, Stena's normal fare rules apply. It will not cover extra costs such as hotels or event tickets, and it points customers to their travel insurance.
Irish Ferries has not published a refund policy for passengers without a passport. It asks anyone unsure about their documents to email [email protected] before going to the port. Passengers who need a UK ETA and do not have one "may not be allowed to board".
| 26 Aug 2026 | Irish Ferries publishes its passport and ETA page (dated 26 August), with the 28 September start date. |
| Late Aug–Sept | Stena Line and Irish Ferries warn customers. Stena offers free date changes or refunds to people who booked before the requirement was communicated. |
| Mon 28 Sept 2026 | Passport or Irish passport card required at check-in on every Holyhead, Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, Dublin and Rosslare sailing between Britain and the Republic. |
Sailing soon without a passport
Three ways out, from the fastest to the slowest.
UK passport by courier in a week
GOV.UK's 1 Week Fast Track costs £192 for an adult and £156.50 for a child, with an appointment from the day after you apply. Adults renewing can use the 1 Day Premium (£239.50): appointment from two days after applying, collection four hours later.
Irish citizens: the passport card
Both companies accept the Irish passport card, but you need a valid Irish passport book, with at least three months left, to apply for one online.
Go via Belfast
Cairnryan–Belfast, Birkenhead–Belfast and Cairnryan–Larne are outside the new rule. GOV.UK says you will never go through immigration control at the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Living in Ireland but not Irish or British? You still need the passport for the ferry. For Britain, GOV.UK exempts residents of Ireland travelling from Ireland from the £20 ETA if they carry proof of residence, such as an Irish Residence Permit or Irish driving licence. So bring both documents.
Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish ferries on this site
Short crossings inside the UK, with timetables and fares from each operator. None of them is affected by the new passport check.
- Stena Line, Passport requirements on Holyhead and Fishguard routes: check-in process, accepted documents, photocopies, validity, groups, freight, refunds and rebooking, unaffected routes.
- Stena Line, What identification documents do I need to travel?: MRZ requirement.
- Irish Ferries, Passport and ETA requirements for travel between Ireland and Britain, updated 26 August 2026.
- GOV.UK: Ireland entry requirements, ETA: residents of Ireland, Travelling to the UK from Ireland, Get a passport urgently.
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Passport Card.
Published
By uk.lauttainfo.com
An independent guide to British ferry crossings, from Hebridean island runs to tidal foot ferries. Every page is dated and taken from the operator's own information.
Taken from the operators' own pages: Stena Line's passport FAQ and Irish Ferries' passport and ETA page, with UK entry rules from GOV.UK. Checked on 29 September 2026. Where a company does not say something, we say so rather than guess. If in doubt, contact your ferry company before you set off for the port.