Entry rules · Ireland passport
Do Ireland passport holders need a visa for the United Kingdom?
No visa needed. Ireland passport holders have freedom of movement in the United Kingdom: they can live, work and travel there without a visa.
Checked against official sources on 7 Oct 2026. Two independent checks agreed.
The rule
- Entry
- Freedom of movement. Live, work and travel without a visa.
- Status
- Verified 7 Oct 2026
- Applies to
- A short tourist visit with an ordinary Ireland passport.
What the official sources say
The passages the two checks relied on, with where they come from. Quotes are shown as published, in the source’s language.
Entry: freedom of movement
(1)An Irish citizen does not require leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, unless subsection (2), (3) or (4) applies to that citizen.
Immigration Act 1971, Section 3ZA is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 04 October 2026.
Under the CTA, British and Irish citizens can move freely and reside in either jurisdiction and enjoy associated rights and privileges, including the right to work, study and vote in certain elections, as well as to access social welfare benefits and health services.
More quotes (5)
British citizens in Ireland and Irish citizens in the UK hold a unique status under each country’s national law. You do not need permission to enter or remain in the UK, including a visa, any form of residence permit or employment permit.
There are some people who do not need an ETA, for example if you have: - a British or Irish passport
What’s your nationality as shown on your passport or travel document? Ireland
You do not need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to come to the UK
You cannot travel freely within the CTA if you’re subject to either: a deportation order an exclusion decision an international travel ban You’ll need to apply for permission to come to the UK if any one of these apply to you.
United Kingdom for other passports
- eTAUp to 6 months per entry
- Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City
- Visa required
- Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How this rule was checked
On 7 Oct 2026 we checked this rule against the official sources that govern entry to the United Kingdom, chiefly UK Visas and Immigration — GOV.UK 'Check if you need a UK visa'. Two independent checks reached the same result.
Before the check, public visa data (as of 17 Feb 2026) said: visa-free. The official source shows: freedom of movement, and that is what this page shows.
See this check in the log of checks and changes, and how verification works in the methodology.
Something here is wrong or out of date? Report a wrong rule.
Government travel advice for the United Kingdom
- United States
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- United Kingdom
- No advice published
- Canada
- Exercise a high degree of caution
What these governments tell their own citizens about travel to the United Kingdom as a whole, as of 30 Sept 2026. It is not about visas, and it reflects each government’s relations and consular reach as well as conditions on the ground.
Plan your trip
- Check a trip with more stopsRoute check: the best passport at each stop
- Compare the Ireland passport with anotherWhat a second passport changes, destination by destination
- See what a second passport addsCombine passports and count the destinations they open together
- United Kingdom visa requirements for every passportThe full table for this destination
- All destinations for Ireland passport holdersRank, map and every rule for the Ireland passport
Before you travel
This page answers whether you need a visa and how long you can stay on a short tourist visit. It does not cover passport validity, other documents or permission to work. Entry rules change, sometimes without notice, and border officials make the final decision: confirm the requirements for your trip with the official immigration website or embassy of the United Kingdom.