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Common Travel AreaThe Common Travel Area or, informally the passport free zone, refers to the fact that citizens of the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey) may travel between their countries without a passport. There is no formal agreement between Ireland and UK regarding the common travel area and it is not provided for in legislation. The first legal recognition of the common travel area between Ireland and the UK is contained in the Treaty of Amsterdam 1997. History The zone is a historical artifact and is due to the fact that following Irish independence from the UK in 1921, no laws were passed requiring a passport for travel across the new border. The zone or Area was not codified, or indeed given an official name, until 1997, and then only at the EU level to distinguish it from the Schengen Treaty. Today, the zone still exists only because neither country has joined Schengen. The provisions of that treaty allow for a common visa and travel area, which, if either the UK or Ireland were to sign, would end the zone. The reasons for each country remaining outside of Schengen are different and complex. The UK Foreign Office Website says - "Maintaining the UK's frontier controls is the most effective way for us to control immigration and combat international and organised crime. Given our island status, incoming traffic is naturally channelled through our ports and airports, giving us a particular advantage in controlling our frontiers. Other EU countries, by contrast, have to police long land borders, which is more difficult, and they therefore place a greater emphasis on in-country controls (such as identity cards) rather than frontier controls."
And the Irish Centre for Migration Studies website: - "Measures comparable to the freedom of movement provided for in the Schengen acquis have been in place between the UK and Ireland from the early 1950s. UK subjects and Irish citizens have the right freely to travel between the two jurisdictions without having to carry a passport. For this very reason, it has never been viewed as practicable for Ireland to adopt the full Schengen arrangements in the absence of a British decision to do likewise, as the logical outcome would be the imposition of border controls between the UK and Ireland. In the case of the North/South land frontier this would be virtually unworkable, while enormous inconvenience would undoubtedly be caused to people in two societies which, in trading and labour market terms, are still highly integrated."
The issue of whether to join Schengen is tied up with the issue of National ID Cards. In the case of Ireland and the UK, the only government issued ID is the passport. Issuing a form of ID card would greatly simplify travel for UK and Irish citizens, and possibly allow for an easy adoption of the Schengen Treaty, there is however a good deal of domestic resistance to this plan. Details As the zone is not the result of a treaty or law, it is subject to change without negotiation. In 1997, Ireland unilaterally brought in a requirement for photo-id at ports. However, this rule is currently only enforced in airports; the land border between the Republic and Northern Ireland is open. The zone also only applies to citizen of these countries. Other nationals must show a passport or a national ID card (for EEA citizens). The zone also does not extend to a common visa system. Irish and British entry visas are separate and issued by their respective embassies. However, bilateral agreements allow UK embassies to act as an Irish consulate when Ireland is not represented in a particular country. The Common Travel Area also involves some co-operation on matters relating to immigration issues. An alien, for example, may be refused permission to enter Ireland if it is his or her intention to travel onwards to the UK and he or she would not qualify for admission to the UK under the (Aliens Amendment) Order, 1975. Since being first codified in the 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, the term has been used in new legislation by both countries to define travel abroad for the purpose of tax and immigration, see http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/laws___policy/policy_instructions/apis/travel_abroad.textonly.html http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk/page2.pdf http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw108.pdf. See Also External Links
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