Moving To Ireland

MOVING TO IRELAND

FLIGHTS

FERRY

REMOVALS

PETS

VISA's and CITIZANSHIP

We are in the process of moving to Ireland and there are many things you will need to do and things you will need to find out. You will have many practical tasks facing you as you arrive in Ireland and begin to settle down. You will need to find a place to live and possibly you will need to find work for yourself and schools for your children. The more prepared you are, the better you will cope with the transition. Moving in itself can be a stressful experience, never mind moving to another country. But as long as you plan everything well and make use of the help and professionals available you can reduce this stress dramatically. you obviously will need to look at getting here yourself. If you are looking at importing your car which we will go into later then you can get the ferry if not you can of course fly. Arranging the travel yourself can work out cheaper try and book in advance or at least avoid holiday and events because the prices can go up a lot.

Leave your TV behind it wont tune in to Irish TV channels. If you really want to bring it you could buy an Irish video recorder to act as your tuner. The voltage is the same so your plasma screen should be OK

FLIGHTS

We now all enjoy discount airlines offering their budget services and getting to Ireland is no exception. There are a number of Airlines flying from the UK to several Irish airports including Cork, Dublin, Knock, Shannon, Galway and Belfast. Booking online you can get some great deals but don't forget Airport taxes and fees need to be added to the price of the flight. If you are bringing pets over check with the airline first they don't all offer this service. The ones that do usually charge you at their excess baggage rate.

Fly to Ireland from Coventry to Shannon and Coventry to Cork.

Fly from Exeter and Southampton to Dublin and from Birmingham to Shannon.

You might be able to find a combined flight and hotel deal in Dublin from

Also have some good deals on flights to Ireland and plenty of other destinations.

Fly to Knock from Birmingham and other UK airports.

A smaller airline flying from Birmingham to Galway as well as routes to other smaller airports . They Also will Fly pets.

Fly to most major Irish airports - from most UK airports. Can be more expensive but offers more choice

FERRY

You can travel to Ireland by car ferry which can work out cheaper if travelling with the family and of course if you need to bring a car over
There are several Ferry crossings to Ireland from the UK every day. Some ferries operate a reduced service in winter. Most car ferries depart from Wales or Scotland - there is one route from Liverpool to Dublin too. This is the longest sailing time.

you can check your Ferry sailing times and book online with most of the the major ferry companies using the link below.

Ferry crossings from Wales to Ireland

Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire with Stena Line
Crossing times - Fast Ferry 99 mins

Holyhead to Dublin with Stena Line
Fishguard to Rosslare with Stena Line
This route is a 2 hour sailing time.

Ferry crossings from England to Ireland

Liverpool to Dublin with P & O Irish Sea Ferries
Crossing time 8 hours.

Ferries from Scotland to Northern Ireland

Troon to Belfast with Sea Cat
This is a 2 and 1/2 hour sailing time.

Stranraer to Belfast with Stena Line
This is a 1 and 3/4 hr sailing time

REMOVALS

If you are looking to move to Ireland from the UK moving your household possessions is something that will have to be planned and budgeted for.

Although you could undertake this yourself making use of a professional removal company can make the process a lot smoother. There are many such companies and for the average house it can cost between £1200 and £4000 so shop around and you can even get good deals when a firm is looking for a return load, so it is worth looking at Irish companies as well as UK ones.

Well we shopped around quite a bit and it was staggering how the prices varied, we had the extra complication of some unusual items to move including 4 American Jukeboxes, a pool table and 7 cats and a car. Well we found a great company who would do the whole lot for a great price. They are Thompson International Removals We get the keys on the 27th May 2005, The removals firm are loading up in the UK on the 26th of May and travelling overnight to our house in Ireland

Removal Firms that provide a service from the UK to Ireland:

Thompson International Removals

The Removal group offers a weekly service between UK and Ireland. They can move part loads and full house loads and offer a full packing service and storage if required. Free online quotes.

Smartex Removals

Smartex offer an Express UK-Ireland and Ireland-UK Removal and Courier service. Based in Ireland. Collaborating with other companies they offer flexibility and competitive prices. Free quotes.

Irish Removal Services

Removals and Storage Specialists based in the UK. Offering house, home and office removals to and from Ireland, throughout the UK and abroad. You can request a free quote on their website.

PETS

Ireland has been free of rabies for over one hundred years. To maintain this status national legislation required all pet dogs or cats brought into Ireland, other than pets coming from the UK - which is also free of rabies, to undergo six months quarantine. More information can be found on the DEFRA website below, its more about bringing Pets into the UK but it gives you the general idea.

VISAS and CITIZENSHIP

In order to apply for an Irish passport, you must be an Irish citizen. Passports in Ireland are issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (through the Passport Office).

If you are an Irish citizen living abroad and you are applying for an Irish passport, you will need to get the appropriate application form from the Irish embassy or consulate in the country in which you are living. You can also request these forms here (see 'How to apply' below).

Your passport is an important legal document. At all times, you should ensure that it is kept in a secure place. Each Irish passport carries a unique identification number and you should keep a note of your number, in the event that your passport is lost or stolen.

Irish citizens are formal members of the Irish community, that is, the Irish community living in Ireland and the Irish community living abroad. Being an Irish citizen means that you are legally recognised as being a national of Ireland and a citizen of the European Union.

Irish citizens (in common with all citizens living in Ireland) enjoy certain rights and privileges that are guaranteed under the Irish Constitution. Some of these rights are fundamental rights that arise from living in Ireland, while other rights are natural human rights. For example, if you are a citizen living in Ireland, you are entitled to equality before the law, freedom to travel, freedom of expression, religious liberty, etc.

If you are an Irish citizen, you are entitled to carry an Irish passport and leave Ireland to travel abroad, to vote in an Irish election and to be elected to government in Ireland and in the European Union. As an Irish citizen, you are also entitled to live, travel and work within the European Union/European Economic Area.

As an Irish citizen living in Ireland, you also have certain duties and responsibilities. For example, you are expected to observe and uphold the basic rule of law in Ireland and to serve on a jury if called upon.

If you are an Irish citizen living outside of Ireland, you are also entitled to an Irish passport, as well as diplomatic supports from Irish embassies/consulates abroad, etc. With the exception of diplomatic staff and their spouses posted abroad, as an Irish citizen living abroad, you are not entitled to vote in an Irish election by post or in your nearest Irish embassy.

How can you obtain Irish citizenship?

Irish citizenship is obtained in three different ways: