There are large numbers of Irish citizens living and working in the UK, and British citizens living and working in Ireland, and this will continue to be the case post-Brexit.
The Irish and UK Governments are working to minimise any disruption for these citizens.
Due to the Common Travel Area (CTA) there are also a number of important areas, where there will be no change. The Common Travel Area allows Irish and British citizens to move freely and reside in either jurisdiction and enjoy associated rights and entitlements including access to employment, healthcare, education, social benefits, and the right to vote in certain elections.
The Common Travel Area pre-dates Irish and UK membership of the EU and is not dependent on it.
The Government of Ireland and the UK Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 8 May 2019, reaffirming their commitment to maintaining the CTA in all circumstances. Irish and British citizens continue to enjoy the right to travel, live, and work, between the UK and Ireland in the same manner as before.
There are no requirements for passport controls in operation for Irish and British citizens travelling between Ireland and the UK.
However, as regular passengers will be aware, all air and sea carriers require some form of identification and some carriers regard a passport as the only valid identification.
Immigration authorities may also require you to have valid official photo-identification, which shows your nationality.
Therefore, please check that your passport is valid and in date. For more information on passports, please see the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Immigration requirements, as appropriate, will continue to apply to non-EU and non-UK citizens. For further information, please see the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service website.
For journeys on the island of Ireland, British and Irish citizens do not require any travel documents when crossing the land border.
Non EEA nationals should be in possession of a valid travel document and, if required, an Irish entry visa or transit visa for the State.
For further information on travelling and related matters, please see travelling and visiting.
If you are an Irish citizen living in the UK, or a British citizen living in Ireland, your social welfare rights have not changed.
You are entitled to access social assistance schemes, including pensions and child benefit payments in either jurisdiction, just as before.
This also includes social insurance entitlements where British and Irish citizens living in Ireland maintain the right to benefit from social insurance contributions made when working in the UK and to access social insurance payments if living in the UK and vice versa.
Access to social housing
The Common Travel Area affords Irish citizens residing in the UK, and British citizens residing in Ireland, the right to access social housing including supported housing and homeless assistance on the same basis as citizens of that state.
Both Irish citizens in the UK and British citizens in Ireland continue to enjoy these rights.
Both the Irish and British Governments are committed to maintaining, in so far as possible, the current healthcare arrangements under the Common Travel Area (CTA) . Under the CTA, Irish citizens and British citizens who live in, work in, or visit the other state have the right to access publicly funded health services there. Other North South cooperation arrangements remain on the island of Ireland.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK provides a new framework for the continuation of access to healthcare for persons resident in Ireland who are working, visiting or residing in the UK. The scope of these arrangements includes planned treatment and necessary healthcare.
Further information on health after the end of the transition period is available in the section on daily life and from the Department of Health.
After Brexit, Irish students will continue to be able to study and train in the UK and vice versa.
For further information on education and studying, including the recognition of professional qualifications, please see the studying section on this website.
Irish citizens resident in the UK, and British citizens resident in Ireland, have the right to vote in local and national parliamentary elections.
Under EU law, only citizens of EU Member States have the right to vote in, or stand for, European Parliament elections. This means that British citizens residing in Ireland no longer have a right to vote in, or stand for, European Parliament elections in Ireland.
For more information on voting, check out Citizens Information and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
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