Travel from Bangkok to the UK via Dubai

[chris9111]

Hi,

 

We are currently on holiday in Thailand and returning back to the UK soon. I am a British citizen and my wife has a Thai Passport with a UK spouse visa. We have two children and have been living in the UK for 4 years. When we first flew to Bangkok from the UK we went to Ireland, Dublin and then Abu Dhabi. When we entered Ireland when had to go through immigration as they don’t have a transit facility which meant we needed to exit into Ireland and come back into the airport. As my wife has a Thai passport she was give a warning and let through as she is required to have an Ireland visa. I didn’t realize this. Now I have to pay for another flight just for her travel alone back to the UK. If she travels from Bangkok to Dubai and then to Manchester, are there any issues with this?

 

Hope you can help?

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

[wgdanson]

Not unless she stops over, ie goes through Immigration/Customs. You still need to go through Security....pain in the bum.

 

Surely there is transit at Dublin, they cannot want everyone with a passport from Thailand or other changing planes to have a Schengen Visa for an hour or so.

 

If it is all with Emirates, can they not sort something?

Edited July 30, 2019 by wgdanson

[chris9111]

Thanks for the quick reply,

 

So she will next to go through security again, which is fine. Yep everyone is required to have an Ireland visa from Thailand who have a UK spouse visa, it’s insane. I will ring Etihad just now.

 

Just to confirm, she will go to Dubai and stay in the airport and fly to UK. So she will need to go through security again but doesn’t need to go through immigration?

 

Regards,

 

Chris

 

 

[chris9111]

It was with Etihad and they have confirmed it is my responsibility to make sure which ever country we fly to allows you to go to the next. Also, a 620 gbp transfer fee is the only option given.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[BLACKJACK2]

Going via Dubai you do not pass through immigration again only security.

[BobbyL]

No. My wife has flown through Dubai many times with Emirates. 

[durhamboy]

Rep. of Ireland is not in the schengen area so I don't think a schengen visa applies in this case. 

 

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf/Files/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf

It appears that if you have a short-stay UK visa (i.e. less than 180 days) you do not need a visa to visit Eire. However, if you have a long-stay UK visa you do need a visa. Can anyone explain this craziness?

 

Also, how does all this square with EU Directive 2004/38 concerning free movement in the EU?

[blackcab]

On 7/30/2019 at 5:15 PM, chris9111 said:

Just to confirm, she will go to Dubai and stay in the airport and fly to UK. So she will need to go through security again but doesn’t need to go through immigration?

 

Correct.

[7by7]

3 hours ago, durhamboy said:

Rep. of Ireland is not in the schengen area so I don't think a schengen visa applies in this case

A Schengen visa is not valid for the RoI. A Schengen visa is only valid for the Schengen states.

 

3 hours ago, durhamboy said:

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf/Files/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf

It appears that if you have a short-stay UK visa (i.e. less than 180 days) you do not need a visa to visit Eire. However, if you have a long-stay UK visa you do need a visa. Can anyone explain this craziness?

Ask the Irish government; but I assume it's to encourage tourists to the UK to nip across the Irish Sea for a bit.

 

3 hours ago, durhamboy said:

Also, how does all this square with EU Directive 2004/38 concerning free movement in the EU?

If a non EU/EEA/Swiss national is travelling with or to join their EU/EEA/Swiss national qualifying family member, e.g. spouse, and can prove it, then on entering a EU/EEA state or Switzerland other than that of which their EU/EEA/Swiss spouse is a national without having obtained any necessary visa in advance they should be issued with any necessary visa on the spot by that state's immigration. 

 

@chris9111, did you and your wife have your marriage certificate, with an English translation if married in Thailand, to show Irish immigration? If so, then they should have issued her a visa as above.

 

Of course, the directive almost certainly won't apply to British citizens and their non EU/EEA/Swiss family members after Brexit.

 

 

[Mattd]

On 7/30/2019 at 6:15 PM, chris9111 said:

It was with Etihad and they have confirmed it is my responsibility to make sure which ever country we fly to allows you to go to the next. Also, a 620 gbp transfer fee is the only option given.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

If your wife is flying with Etihad, then it must be via AUH (Abu Dhabi) as this is their main base / hub. Emirates use Dubai.

She will be in Transit, so she should just follow the signs for transit, where she will have to go through a security check, this is just to check hand baggage etc. there is NO passport control for international transit passengers and no requirement for a transit visa.

Your wife has the UK spouse visa, which is the ultimate destination.

What are Etihad trying to charge you 620 GBP for?

Note that they will, if the transit is more than 4 hours, TRY to sell you on going in to Abu Dhabi for tourism, with recommended tours, this is NOT mandatory, your wife can just stay in transit.

This is a journey I have done well over 20 times.

[chris9111]

So to close this topic out, my wife was required to obtain a transit visa on her way back through Ireland. It's an absolute joke how the capital city of Ireland's main airport doesn't have transit. So I paid for her to come through Dubai via Emirates and she traveled back to the UK on her own. Summary: Don't fly via Ireland, get British Passport as quick as possible as the Thai passport is useless. Rant over :) Thanks for the replies.

[tso310]

Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area which means the UK and NI, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Balliwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. No passports are needed between these places. No idea what happens after 31 Oct.

[rasg]

It might be for us but for a Thai to visit they need a visa. Yes, it's possible to just drive south but being stopped without a visa could be an issue.

[theoldgit]

Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area which means the UK and NI, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Balliwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. No passports are needed between these places. No idea what happens after 31 Oct.

Yes Ireland is in the Common Travel Area but Irish Immigration carry out passport checks on those arriving from mainland Britain by air or sea and, very occasionally, by land.

Some visa nationals can enter Ireland if in possession of a short term UK Visa, Thai nationals are not included in that scheme.

 

 

[macahoom]

Yes Ireland is in the Common Travel Area but Irish Immigration carry out passport checks on those arriving from mainland Britain by air or sea and, very occasionally, by land.

Some visa nationals can enter Ireland if in possession of a short term UK Visa, Thai nationals are not included in that scheme.

 

 

When I researched this about a year ago, I was pretty sure that Thais could take advantage of the visa waiver which allows the holder of a UK visa to travel to ROI?

 

[theoldgit]

When I researched this about a year ago, I was pretty sure that Thais could take advantage of the visa waiver which allows the holder of a UK visa to travel to ROI?

Yes you're correct, sorry, I should have read 7by7's earlier post before I responded, it wouldn't have helped the OP as I don't think she had the correct visa, though, as 7by7 added, she could have entered under the Freedom of Movement Directive.

 

[rasg]

I have read about this before. If I have read the following link correctly, it only applies to a Thai who has a visit visa (C type) to the UK. Not a Thai who is living in the UK on a settlement visa.

 

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Irish+Short+Stay+Visa+Waiver+Programme

 

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf/Files/visa-waiver-programme-oct2016.pdf