Irish, UK or Chinese Passport - Pros and Cons

[Rois]

I have an irish passport which expires in a few months. I am also entitled to hold a UK or Chinese passport. I plan to do a lot of long haul travel in the next few years as well as some european travel. I am weighing up the pros and cons of which passport to apply for. I am especially interested in the benefits of holding a chinese passport as I plan to go there also. Any advice appreciated.

 

[EvilDoctorK]

Do you have to choose only one ? - Can you hold dual Chinese/UK or Chinese/Irish passports ? (I'm not sure if China have an objection to dual nationalities - I think some countries do)

If you can do this that's the best of both worlds .. if you plan to travel to China regularly then it removes the need to apply for Chinese visas but you can then also enjoy the benefits of an EU passport for visa-free travel in Europe

If you've only got a Chinese passport then you'll have to manage UK/Irish visas as well as Schengen visas if you plan to do travelling in Europe - that's a lot of hassle (and expense) I imagine .. so unless almost all your travelling was to China this probably wouldn't be the best idea.

Between UK and Irish passports honestly there's probably not much to choose really in terms of their advantages from a travel visa perspective.

So I'd guess if you have the choice to hold both Chinese and UK or Irish passports then that's the best option
Otherwise if you only could only pick one I'd pick either UK or Irish

 

[BillK]

I have a UK passport and an Irish passport.

 

[shesells]

I'd be inclined to take Irish over UK, depending on where you travel, the Irish passport is always welcome. If you can also get a Chinese one then great, if it's only 1, remember that Ireland and the UK qualify for the visa waiver programme for the US, China doesn't.

 

[EvilDoctorK]

I'd be inclined to take Irish over UK, depending on where you travel, the Irish passport is always welcome.

Yeah though I think there's a strong element of Irish people liking to think this (myself included) rather than it being the reality any longer

The only practical difference I've ever encountered is in Africa where some countries (those with Ireland Aid programmes usually like Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique) often used to let Irish passport holders in for free while they charge for Visas on arrival for many other countries - including the UK .. However this seems to have ended in some places now ..... For instance arriving in Tanzania a while ago I was unhappy to discover that it now costs $100 for an Irish passport to enter the country (used to be free) .. UK (and IIRC anywhere else apart from Pakistan who got even more ripped off than Irish passports for some reason) was significantly cheaper (maybe $50 or only even $20)

Anyway for the OPs purposes I don't think there's much difference between whether they hold a UK or an Irish passport and there'd be limited use in them having both really .. but if they could hold both a Chinese and an Irish or UK passport then that would be advantageous certainly

 

[dereko1969]

It's cheaper for Irish passport holders to get visas to China and Russia I believe, as both (and many other countries) operate on an equivalent basis to what their citizens are charged to enter here. We tend to be cheaper than the UK.

 

[EvilDoctorK]

It's cheaper for Irish passport holders to get visas to China and Russia I believe, as both (and many other countries) operate on an equivalent basis to what their citizens are charged to enter here. We tend to be cheaper than the UK.

This isn't the case actually ... The Chinese embassy in London charges Irish passport holders less than UK passport holders but the reverse holds true too in that the Dublin embassy charges UK passport holders less than Irish passport holders

It seems illogical but it is apparently true ! (Though you are supposed to apply in your home country unless you can prove you've been living and working elsewhere so you can't really "shop around" like this that easily )

 

[delgirl]

The UK passport is great for extensive travelling as there are way more British embassies and consulates (100's) around the world than there are Irish ones (55) and visa entry is generally easier.

It's better to have multiple ones and then you can use them according to what country you are travelling to. We have 3 passports and use them this way. We have lived in unstable countries where there was no Irish embassy and have registered with other embassies.

People generally don't think about where embassies or consulates are located until they get in trouble. There will usually be Irish embassies covering multiple countries, but it's harder to get help if they're not based in the country you are located in. This was our experience during the Gulf War.

 

[dereko1969]

This isn't the case actually ... The Chinese embassy in London charges Irish passport holders less than UK passport holders but the reverse holds true too in that the Dublin embassy charges UK passport holders less than Irish passport holders

It seems illogical but it is apparently true ! (Though you are supposed to apply in your home country unless you can prove you've been living and working elsewhere so you can't really "shop around" like this that easily )

My experience was based on travelling from Macau into China for a day - an English couple had passed through the border then realised they were going to be charged £40 for the day - they didn't want to pay this but had already been stamped through by Macau so getting back was going to be an issue for them as they would have no entry stamp if they didn't pay. Thoughts of Tom Hanks in the terminal sprang to mind!

The UK passport is great for extensive travelling as there are way more British embassies and consulates (100's) around the world than there are Irish ones (55) and visa entry is generally easier.

It's better to have multiple ones and then you can use them according to what country you are travelling to. We have 3 passports and use them this way. We have lived in unstable countries where there was no Irish embassy and have registered with other embassies.

People generally don't think about where embassies or consulates are located until they get in trouble. There will usually be Irish embassies covering multiple countries, but it's harder to get help if they're not based in the country you are located in. This was our experience during the Gulf War.

In most countries where Ireland doesn't have an embassy the UK embassy will by default act in loco governmentus , I think there may be an EU agreement that any EU embassy will act for other EU citizens where there is no home embassy for them. If a terrorist is looking for passports having taken people hostage like happened in Algeria, I'd rather have just an Irish one than a UK one.