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As far as I knew, an EU ID card from any EU member state that issues them should be sufficient documentation to enter any other EU member state directly by air. I recently pointed this out on a different site whereupon a friend answered:

National ID cards doesn’t work in all EU countries, Sweden–Ireland being a good example (speaking from experience). [sic]

I asked him (Swedish national) about the details of this travel because it goes against my expectations. Apparantly, he was flying from Arlanda to Ireland with Aer Lingus and the check-in staff at the airport requested to see his passport, were not satisfied with his (Swedish) EU ID card.

Is this a general policy of Aer Lingus not to accept European travellers with ID cards into Ireland? Was it the desk agent’s bad day? Or is an EU ID card really not a sufficient document to enter Ireland on?

Within this post, EU ID card is taken to mean national identity card issued by an EU member state to this country’s citizens.

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    Are you sure they haven't used their driver's license? In my experience Swedes often refer to them as ID cards and they are fine to use as ID within the Nordic countries.
    – neo
    Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 23:35
  • @neo I’m not sure. I would have to ask them to be perfectly safe.
    – Jan
    Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 23:37
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    "A friend told me a vague story" is not a clear question. Please clarify what kind of ID he had and when it actually happened.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 23:59
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    Whatever regulations and policies are valid will unfortunately not protect you against untrained or plain stupid employees at the check-in. Been there, missed flight, and they are 'so sorry' afterwards. Can always happen.
    – Aganju
    Commented Jan 27, 2017 at 0:33
  • 1
    @Aganju The closest thing to a protection you can get is being well-versed with Timatic
    – Crazydre
    Commented Jan 28, 2017 at 17:15

3 Answers 3

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If he held a national ID card, the check-in agent was simply wrong, and he should immediately request compensation from Aer Lingus, as well as from Aviator, the handling agent responsible for Aer Lingus at Arlanda (in other words, the person denying him boarding was an Aviator employee)

Aviator can be contacted at [email protected]

Swedish ID cards are valid across the EU (not to mention across Europe, save for 3 countries).

Are you sure, though, that it was check-in that turned him away, and not Swedish border police?

Because until summer 2015, Swedish law stated that ID cards are only valid in Schengen - as such Swedish immigration would not have let you board a direct flight to Ireland, despite Ireland accepting them for entry

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    He confirmed it was pre-2015, so this is most likely the cause.
    – Jan
    Commented Feb 9, 2017 at 18:04
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    @Jan: then please correct the question, because it has nothing to do with Aer Lingus. It does have to do with non-Schengen though.
    – smci
    Commented Jan 31, 2018 at 21:36
  • This is an excellent answer because highlights the slight difference between European Union and Schengen Zone
    – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ
    Commented Oct 28, 2019 at 10:28
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Is this a general policy of Aer Lingus not to accept European travellers with ID cards into Ireland?

Aer Lingus policy for travel within the EU is:

Policy

(There are slightly different provisions for "To and from Britain" but these appear to cover only between UK and Ireland for those born in Ireland or the U.K. and also a citizen of either country.)

Timatic

/ 26JAN17 / 2345 UTC

National Sweden (SE) Destination Ireland (Rep.) (IE)

Ireland (Rep.) (IE)

Passport required. - Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be valid for the period of intended stay. - Passports issued to nationals of Sweden must be valid on arrival. Passport Exemptions:

  • Nationals of Sweden with a national ID card.

  • Passengers with an emergency or a temporary passport.

Visa required, except for Nationals of Sweden.

Minors: - Children up to/incl. 16 years of age For details, click here - WARNING! In accordance with European Union (EU) Legislation, all minors who are nationals of Sweden will be expected to hold their own passport or National ID Card (where applicable) when departing from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania or a Schengen Member State For details, click here. - A separate visa is required for children up to/incl. 16 years of age if For details, click here Additional Information:

  • Visitors holding passports containing a British inadmissible stamp could be refused entry. Warning:
  • Immigration controls apply for visitors arriving from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, For details, click here

Timaticweb Version 1.3 26 January 2017

Wikipedia

Freedom of movement; ID card valid

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  • good, timatic says national ID card accepted. Personally I believe timatic not always upto date :)
    – Ali Awan
    Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 23:41
  • @pnuts Which one?
    – Crazydre
    Commented Jan 27, 2017 at 12:32
  • What many fail to realise is that airline policy means piss if their staff aren't the ones actually checking you. Instead, the one at fault is the ground handling agent at the departure airport
    – Crazydre
    Commented Jan 27, 2017 at 12:46
  • @pnuts Really now? Ryanair's requirements as stated on the website seem to be roughly in line with Timatic. Although it implies ID cards aren't valid for travel to Montenengro and Serbia, this is not actually enforced
    – Crazydre
    Commented Jan 28, 2017 at 20:21
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I have traveled with SAS from Arlanda to Dublin. I went through smoothly with my Swedish national ID card (checking in and border control). But at the boarding gate, the SAS staff asked me for my passport. I asked for the reason and she replied that Ireland does not accept National ID. Fortunately I did have my passport with me. I haven’t tried to use my national ID at Dublin airport.

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  • They should not have asked for your passport and if you had not had it with you they should still have let you in, but your personal experience answer shows that the OP's friend was not the only one to whom this happened.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 18:04
  • If you hadn't had your passport, you should've asked them to check TIMATIC (the database they're meant to rely on), and if they refused, to summon their supervisor. Personally I would raise this with the station manager of SAS Ground Handling at Arlanda. Personally I think such staff members ought to be sacked.
    – Crazydre
    Commented Jun 17, 2018 at 22:22

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