Crossing Irish Border with Singaporean Wife

[Manmoth]

Hi,
My wife is Singaporean and had to renew her passport recently, but she has to go to Dublin to pick up the new one. I can't find a straight answer on potential issues we may face driving down.

Details:
Me: Irish citizen.
We're both living in Northern Ireland (I from birth, which might matter in a Surinder Singh kinda way)
Her: Singaporean, holds a 5 year EEA residence permit for the UK
Purpose of trip: Pick up her new Singaporean passport
Mode of transport: car, travelling together

I've checked the Irish website, and she doesn't need an Irish visa to enter the country, but it's not clear if she still has to enter via some kind of border controlled area or if she can just go across the border.

[max307]

That's correct, she does not need a visa to enter Ireland.

There is no border between Northern Ireland and the ROI so you won’t be meeting an immigration officer or point of entry into the ROI. I heard from the news a few years ago Irish immigration officers were doing random immigration checks but I have travelled that route several times by car, bus and train and never met any random checks.

Does her current Singaporean passport still valid? If that’s the case then there is no issue because even if you encounter an immigration random check (highly unlikely!) she is allowed to enter the country on her Singaporean passport.

[Manmoth]

That's correct, she does not need a visa to enter Ireland.

There is no border between Northern Ireland and the ROI so you won’t be meeting an immigration officer or point of entry into the ROI. I heard from the news a few years ago Irish immigration officers were doing random immigration checks but I have travelled that route several times by car, bus and train and never met any random checks.

Does her current Singaporean passport still valid? If that’s the case then there is no issue because even if you encounter an immigration random check (highly unlikely!) she is allowed to enter the country on her Singaporean passport.

Her current passport hasn't expired, but if she's getting it renewed, does that mean the older one becomes invalid as soon as the newer one is issued? Bit of a catch 22 situation lol, though in practice I think it'd be easier (if technically wrong) to just say we're going for a day trip to Dublin, if that's the case.

[max307]

If her current passport hasn’t expired then nothing to worry about. If you meet an immigration officer at the border (again highly unlikely!) they just care that the passport is in date and of course the person carrying the passport matches the one in the bio page of the passport.

Don’t get too stressed out, you will be fine!

[Manmoth]

If her current passport hasn’t expired then nothing to worry about. If you meet an immigration officer at the border (again highly unlikely!) they just care that the passport is in date and of course the person carrying the passport matches the one in the bio page of the passport.

Don’t get too stressed out, you will be fine!

Yeah, hopefully. Thanks for the advice.

I'm more cautious than most, given my previous experiences with border related institutions lol. In February 2014, she tried to visit me, and was sent back at Heathrow. Then in May this year her application for Irish citizenship was rejected when she fulfilled all the criteria. Doesn't fill one with confidence.