Updated August 3rd 2021
Can UK residents travel to Ireland for a hair transplant? Yes, every week HRBR in Dublin, Ireland normally receives patients from all over the UK for surgery and consultations.
Travel between the UK and Ireland is incredibly easy. Nearly all major UK airports have direct services to Dublin (e.g. Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton, Cardiff etc). The London – Dublin air route is the busiest in Europe. All of London’s six airports have services to Dublin Airport with Aer Lingus, Ryanair and British Airways all serving the route. (As of today, not all routes are yet back to 100% capacity).
On arrival into Dublin, HRBR offers a private, complementary and discreet chauffeur service to transport patients from the airport directly to the clinic.
Travel from Northern Ireland
At the time of writing (August 3rd 2021) the Northern Ireland government advises residents to take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) before travelling within the Common Travel Area “CTA” (see below) and also upon return to Northern Ireland.
The Common Travel Area “CTA”
Between Ireland and the UK there is freedom of movement, which dates back to 1923, (pre 1972 UK/Ireland EU membership) and remains in place post-BREXIT. This is known as the ‘Common Travel Area’ “CTA”. A passport is not required for Irish and UK citizens to travel between the two countries, though some form of recognisable ID is advisable, especially if travelling by air.
Travel from the UK During Covid-19
All travellers into Ireland will need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form. Failure to complete this form is an offence.
No travel-related testing or quarantine is currently necessary for travellers from the UK with valid proof of full vaccination (NHS).
If you have valid proof of recovery from COVID in the past 180 days, no travel-related testing or quarantine will be necessary at present.
If you do not have valid proof of vaccination or recovery and are travelling from the UK you will need to:
- Present evidence of a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours prior to arrival into the country
- Self-quarantine (home quarantine)
- Undergo post-arrival testing
Travel from Ireland to the UK
When travelling from Ireland to the UK there is no requirement to provide a Covid-19 test or to fill out a passenger locator form for residents of the CTA. Ireland is an exempted country under the CTA and Irish citizens are currently exempted from any travel restrictions into the UK.
Do I Need a Visa to Travel to Ireland?
No, UK citizens do not need a visa for travel to Ireland, as Ireland forms the Common Travel Area “CTA” with the UK.
From 2022 UK citizens will need a new ETIAS visa to travel to the remainder of the EU or to the Schengen area. Visas however will not be needed for UK citizens to travel to Ireland.
ETIAS European visas for British citizens.
Before planning a trip to HRBR we recommend you check for up to date information on travel from your local government website [Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England]. Travel restrictions and advice can differ from each UK nation and can change at short notice during the pandemic.
Contact the team at HRBR who can assist with advising on the latest travel restrictions at the time of your consultation or surgery on +353 1 209 1000 or info@hrbr.ie.
Read on: practical information on travelling from the UK to HRBR. Travelling from the UK (hrbr.co.uk)
About the Author
Nicola Murray
Financial Director
BComm, MAcc, ACA, AITI
Nicola Murray is Financial Director at HRBR. She has worked with the company since 2010. She holds a first class honours degree in Commerce from UCD as well as a master’s degree in Accountancy from the Michael Smurfit School of Business. She qualified as a chartered accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2008. The following year she qualified as a chartered tax advisor with the Irish Tax Institute. Prior to joining HRBR, she has worked with some of the world’s leading firms including KPMG and Google.
