If you are travelling to or from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

This section explains the arrangements for travel between the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (known as the 'Common Travel Area').

The Common Travel Area (CTA) comprises the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Isle of Man.

The CTA is an immigration arrangement, and it does not regulate the movement of goods. Customs restrictions apply on all CTA routes except those between the Isle of Man and the UK. (For customs purposes, the Isle of Man is part of the UK.)

The UK does not make routine immigration checks on passenger travel within the CTA, and passengers are not required to carry a passport or national identity document for immigration purposes. The CTA is a 'free movement' zone, based on the principle that a person who has been allowed to enter one part of the CTA will not normally require permission to enter another part of it while that permission is extent (provided they do not leave the CTA).

However, there are exceptions to this principle - for example, a visa national will need to have a visa if they enter the UK from another part of the CTA. You can find more information about visa nationals under 'More information' below.

For more information about visas and who needs them, see the Visa services section. If you are not sure whether you need a visa, you should check before you travel.

More information

  • Are you a visa national?

    Nationals or citizens of the following countries and territorial entities are known as 'visa nationals':

    • Afghanistan
    • Albania
    • Algeria
    • Angola
    • Armenia
    • Azerbaijan
    • Bahrain
    • Bangladesh
    • Belarus
    • Benin
    • Bhutan
    • Bolivia
    • Bosnia Herzegovina
    • Burkina Faso
    • Burma
    • Burundi
    • Cambodia
    • Cameroon
    • Cape Verde
    • Central African Republic
    • Chad
    • People's Republic of China (unless they hold a passport issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or Macao Special Administrative Region)
    • Colombia
    • Comoros
    • Congo
    • Cuba
    • Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • Djibouti
    • Dominican Republic
    • Ecuador
    • Egypt
    • Equatorial Guinea
    • Eritrea
    • Ethiopia
    • Fiji
    • Gabon
    • Gambia
    • Georgia
    • Ghana
    • Guinea
    • Guinea Bissau
    • Guyana
    • Haiti
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Ivory Coast
    • Jamaica
    • Jordan
    • Kazakhstan
    • Kenya
    • Korea (North)
    • Kosovo
    • Kuwait
    • Kyrgyzstan
    • Laos
    • Lebanon
    • Lesotho
    • Liberia
    • Libya
    • Macedonia
    • Madagascar
    • Malawi
    • Mali
    • Mauritania
    • Moldova
    • Mongolia
    • Montenegro
    • Morocco
    • Mozambique
    • Nepal
    • Niger
    • Nigeria
    • Oman
    • Pakistan
    • Palestinian Territories
    • Peru
    • Philippines
    • Qatar
    • Republic of South Sudan
    • Republic of Sudan 
    • Russia
    • Rwanda
    • Sao Tome e Principe
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Senegal
    • Serbia
    • Sierra Leone
    • Somalia
    • South Africa
    • Sri Lanka
    • Sudan
    • Surinam
    • Swaziland
    • Syria
    • Taiwan (unless they hold a Taiwan passport which includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)
    • Tajikistan
    • Tanzania
    • Thailand
    • Togo
    • Tunisia
    • Turkey
    • Turkmenistan
    • Uganda
    • Ukraine
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Uzbekistan
    • Vatican City
    • Venezuela (unless they hold a Venezuelan passport which contains biometric information held in an electronic chip)
    • Vietnam
    • Yemen
    • Zambia
    • Zimbabwe
    • The territories formerly comprising the socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia