Do you need six months on your passport to travel to Ireland?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Most airlines will require some form of ID for a flight to Dublin from the UK (levers2007/iStock)

Q My grandson, who lives in the UK, has a passport which expires in May 2019. Can he travel to Ireland on this, or does he need to renew it? I have heard conflicting information about having to have six months remaining on it from Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

Dave P

A Plenty of nonsense prevails about the travel rules that may or may not prevail after Brexit. But for journeys between Britain and Ireland, fortunately the regulations are clear. Both countries are in the common travel area (CTA), which also includes the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. There is no legal obligation for British or Irish citizens to carry a passport when crossing from one territory to another. And the government says that after Brexit there will be no practical changes to the red tape: “As now there will be no routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA to the UK.”