Is it worth getting an Irish passport?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

After Brexit, anyone who qualifies for a passport from a European Union country will be better off than those who don’t (Getty/iStock)

Q Our son travels to Europe extensively for business currently on a British passport. He is entitled to an Irish passport – his grandmother is Irish. In your opinion would it be worth him obtaining one in view of UK leaving the EU at the end of March? And if he has two passports can he travel out of the UK on his Irish one and return on the British one?

Rosemary W

A Anyone who qualifies for a passport from a European Union country, and who intends to travel to the EU after Brexit, will be far better off than those of us who regrettably do not qualify. With Brexit, the UK is giving back control – surrendering the freedom that its citizens have to travel within Europe, with significant impacts.

First, there will be no automatic right of entry to the EU as there is now. Frontier officials will be able to decide whether or not to allow British passport-holders in, depending on whether they feel the traveller could pose a threat or become a burden to the nation.

The right to live and work in the European Union will be sharply curtailed. Lengths of stay are likely to become restricted, and new rules will be imposed on the minimum validity of passports – the UK government is currently advising that six months could be necessary.

Yet someone who has an Irish passport will continue to enjoy all the benefits of EU membership, which is why there has been a surge in demand for Irish travel documents issued by the country’s embassy in London.

Once your son has the Irish passport, he will be able to travel on either. It will make sense for everyone with both a British and an EU passport to carry both on journeys between the UK and Europe. As you suggest, when arriving at an EU frontier, your son can use the Irish passport and therefore choose the fast-track control. And returning to the UK, he can deploy the British document. Either can be used for the Advance Passenger Information (API) required by airlines, so long as the traveller is carrying the document used for that booking.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder