Ryanair Visa Check, Dublin Airport

[esharknz]

It's now possible for non-EEA national to check in online with ryanair. Unfortunately you still need to queue to get a stamp to say you have been through a 'visa check'. I saw three people turned away from my flight because they hadn't done this (they show no mercy).

A word of warning - while I don't need a schengen visa, I had a hard time trying to convince the check in person that I was allowed to enter schengen without one. I had visited before, so I ended up having a thorough check of my passport pages to make sure I wasn't lying. All I was thinking was that lists of visa-free countries exist. It wouldn't be too hard to find this and provide it to staff.

[scrudu]

Details from Ryanair Site:

AIRPORT REQUIREMENTS
All passengers must present their valid passport or valid EEA issued National Identity Card which matches the document details printed on their online boarding pass, at both airport security and the boarding gate.

To ensure compliance with Visa and Immigration requirements, non EU/EEA citizens must go to the Ryanair Visa/Immigration Desk at the airport to have their travel document approved for travel and their boarding pass validated prior to entering the airport security and screening area.

Any passenger failing to present their boarding pass at airport security or at the boarding gate will be charged a boarding card re-issue fee of £40/€40 per person/per one way flight (or local currency equivalent). This facility is available only if purchased prior to the airport check-in closure which is strictly 40 minutes prior to scheduled departure.

Ryanair recommends that passengers travelling with items of checked baggage present their boarding pass and item(s) of checked baggage at a bag drop desk at least two hours prior to the scheduled departure. Self service kiosks and bag drop desks close strictly 40 minutes before scheduled departure.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION AND TO DENY YOU BOARDING IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE ABOVE AIRPORT REQUIREMENTS

That 2nd paragraph is very strange ... so if you don't get the stamp (forget to or otherwise) and turn up at the gate, you will be refused because you didn't purchase a "re-issue of a boarding card at a cost of €40 from the Airport Checkin desk"??? What the hell???!!!

[esharknz]

If you forget the stamp, but still have your printed out ryan air boarding pass, they'll seemingly let you through at security. These people were being turned around when the plane was boarding, so there wasn't a hope they'd be able to make the flight after returning to check in. Maybe after a little while, security staff checking boarding passes might wise up to this and turn the person around there, rather than have them miss their flight.


What annoyed me though is if you have someone at a visa check desk, they should have access to the immigration regulations for other countries rather than drilling people as to whether they require a visa or not

[ca.funke]

Factually nothing changed, except it is now possible to check-in online for NON-EEA citizens.

This is probably the cheaper option for FR, as the check-in charge has been refundable for quite a while now, if the fact that you are NON-EEA was the only reason for being forced to check-in at the counter. (I repeatedly got a refund)

To my knowledge the situation with AerLingus remains unchanged: CheckIn online without luggage, and it's possible to board without any checks. (Should this change I'd gladly like to hear, please post!)

Regards, Christian

[Nehro]

Guys.. why don't avoid all the headache and use Aer Lingus. I personally used both and found Aer Lingus a very good service and you don't need to check-in in the airport at all (even with luggage you can use online check in and then the drop-in area in the airport for the luggage. Nobody will check your papers and you can use the driving liscence at the gate as ID). Ryanair are a punch of blood-suckers always after every pence you are carrying, and I stopped dealing with them all toghether after so many bad experiences, the latest of which is being stranded inside the plane for 6 hours (during the snow storm days) and being refused to leave the plane to wait in the gait (you will lose your ticket without a refund) and without being allowed to buy a drink or food (they are not allowed to sell drinks or food until they are up in the sky !!!) and please note that there were at least 3 children on that flight - disgraceful.
Please try to explore other airlines with a better service than this.
Regards

[86ti]

All I was thinking was that lists of visa-free countries exist. It wouldn't be too hard to find this and provide it to staff.

A supervisor at Liverpool airport once showed me the book they use for visa checks (claimed it would be updated/replaced every month). As far as I can tell it was the print version of the timatic database (Delta allows online access. Emirates and KLM have similar services on their webpages). This database lists now almost all European countries to accept a residence card as substitute for a visa. The hard part may indeed be to show that your RC is the right one. Was that your problem?

[esharknz]

I think my problem was that the person just didn't know and hadn't been provided with the schengen visa regulations. Pretty poor for a check in desk. Incidentally this has been the first time I've been asked in my 3 years in the EU.


Main point though of this post was the number of people being turned away. It does say to go to the visa check on the printed out boarding pass, but many didn't and were refused boarding.

[tom4]

Guys...
I agree with Nehro (and others), this is just more ryanair BS. If aer lingus can manage without this "visa check" anyone can.
The interesting thing is that having checked in and being about to get on your plane, your bags are on board and they are not allowed to leave with bags belonging to someone who is not on board, do they actually bother to unload them or do they take the security risk and leave them on board???
It's pretty shabby really (but then, that's ryanair all over!), we tend to only use them if they are substantially cheaper than the alternative and/or their airport is more convenient to us and/or the other airlines' times are inconvenient. Last few flights were on aer lingus and what a difference!! They're not great, they're just not completely sh1t!
Anyone interested in paying a €10 fee to kick Michael O'Leary in the bollocks??
One final thought.. isn't this discrimination against non-EU people? Can't wait until someone wins a case on this one.

[archigabe]

Every check in staff should have access to web timatic database...if they can't be bothered to even run a basic check, maybe you can ask to speak to their supervisor and complain. They have a duty to listen to complaints,make sure you get the staff member's name and employee number.

[robby1]

hi lads,
i flew from cork to berlin on 4th of this month with aerlingus, i printed boarding pass from their kiosks installed in departure lounges but still they checked my visa just before boarding to d plane.that means aerlingus also do immigration checks even u have printed your boarding and u are going straight to d gate.
thanks

[LuasPassenger]

What about trips to the UK?

I'll be travelling in 2 weeks to the UK and I will be checking in online. Do I still have to go to the Ryanair Visa/Immigration Desk?

And by the way, where is this desk located in Dublin airport? Do they have this desk in all airports that serve RyanAir flights? Are they clearly signed/marked?

Thanks,
LP

[86ti]

Do they have this desk in all airports that serve RyanAir flights? Are they clearly signed/marked?

At the (small) airports I have used it's simply the check-in counter for the destination.

[86ti]

I agree with Nehro (and others), this is just more ryanair BS. If aer lingus can manage without this "visa check" anyone can.

The problem for the airlines is that they can be fined if their passengers do not hold proper entry documents on arrival. Have a look at the timatic database how much that would be.

[esharknz]

From memory, the ryan air visa check desk was in row 7, end closest to security. I missed it but was directed there. It does have 'Visa Check' but you could easily miss it.

[pahadia]

To ensure compliance with Visa and Immigration requirements, non EU/EEA citizens must go to the Ryanair Visa/Immigration Desk at the airport to have their travel document approved for travel and their boarding pass validated prior to entering the airport security and screening area.

Folks,
Anyone knows where is this Ryanair Visa/Immigration Desk loacted ?

[wet26]

Does anyone know what the case would be for a domestic flight in Spain. I want to fly from Valencia to Madrid and I am non EEA, but I have overstayed in Spain. Considering I'm not leaving the country, would it be a problem to get on the flight. I need to get on the flight to make a connection to the US.

Perhaps it would be better to drive to Madrid.

[Ben]

Does anyone know what the case would be for a domestic flight in Spain. I want to fly from Valencia to Madrid and I am non EEA, but I have overstayed in Spain. Considering I'm not leaving the country, would it be a problem to get on the flight. I need to get on the flight to make a connection to the US.

Perhaps it would be better to drive to Madrid.

Passengers of internal flights within Ireland or within the UK can fly carrying photo ID, such as a work ID or a bus pass. This is to satisfy the airline's requirements, and not for immigration purposes at all (since such passengers do not pass any international borders).

It's probably the same in Spain. Probably better to ask in the Europe immigration forum.

[wet26]

Does anyone know what the case would be for a domestic flight in Spain. I want to fly from Valencia to Madrid and I am non EEA, but I have overstayed in Spain. Considering I'm not leaving the country, would it be a problem to get on the flight. I need to get on the flight to make a connection to the US.

Perhaps it would be better to drive to Madrid.

Passengers of internal flights within Ireland or within the UK can fly carrying photo ID, such as a work ID or a bus pass. This is to satisfy the airline's requirements, and not for immigration purposes at all (since such passengers do not pass any international borders).

It's probably the same in Spain. Probably better to ask in the Europe immigration forum.

Thanks for that, will do.

[shazza]

Sunday 31st May, flying from Dublin to Edinburgh, was turfed off the plane and had to fork out €120 for a ticket on the next flight.

I had done exactly the same thing at Lutin, but they stamped my boarding pass at the gate and never warned me that I had done anything wrong!

I am sonwhat upset, not to mention out of pocket. Ryanair need to get their act together!

[Ben]

Sunday 31st May, flying from Dublin to Edinburgh, was turfed off the plane and had to fork out €120 for a ticket on the next flight.

1. What is your citizenship?
2. Where do you reside?
3. What residence card / permission do you have?

[esharknz]

Sunday 31st May, flying from Dublin to Edinburgh, was turfed off the plane and had to fork out €120 for a ticket on the next flight.

I had done exactly the same thing at Lutin, but they stamped my boarding pass at the gate and never warned me that I had done anything wrong!

I am sonwhat upset, not to mention out of pocket. Ryanair need to get their act together!

Yeah, they seem to be ruthless at Dublin airport, last time I flew, I saw three people being turned away for not having the visa check stamp, and I was close enough to the front of the queue!

[Buzz]

Hi, i am travelling from cork to dublin by ryan air i,m non eea do i need to have my passport checked. or want form od id do i need to go through security.

[Darkhorse]

if you are flying from cork, I don't think you have to.
a lot of people now turning away from Ryanair, not just because this visa check. Last year I was flying to and from italy, luckily no visa stamp required at that time. But the boarding process was a mess for both way. I was bringing 6 years old boy and I have enoughed.
I'd rather pay more money with aerlingus to safe the hassle. No more ryanair for me anyway.

[archigabe]

Ryanair defends visa check for non-EU citizens

[esharknz]

Last time I flew ryanair (just over a month ago now), I had to line up with those who had checked baggage. Took about 25 minutes to be seen. Again, they weren't sure my passport allowed me into the UK without a visa.