Sail Safe

In response to the identification of a new strain of COVID-19, with effect from 9 January 2021, all passengers arriving into Ireland whose journey originates in Great Britain or South Africa are required to have evidence (email, text or document) of a negative result from a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in Ireland.  Immigration officers in Ireland will be checking that passengers have evidence of a negative result from a PCR Covid-19 test.  Any passenger who arrives into Ireland without a negative result from a pre-departure test commits an offence and may be subject to prosecution resulting in fines of up to €2,500, six months in prison or both.  There are limited exemptions to this requirement which includes essential supply chain workers who hold an Annex 3 Certificate, aviation and maritime crew and drivers of heavy goods vehicles.  In addition if a citizen has a genuine humanitarian emergency requiring urgent travel, they should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate immediately for advice and consular assistance before commencing their journey.  Passengers are also advised that they should self-isolate for 14 days on arrival to Ireland and arrange through the public health system to take a further PCR test on day 5 after their arrival.  Further information in relation to this requirement along with the associated public health advice can be found on Gov.ie here. 

Advice for all passengers

You can choose to amend your booking online. Read more on how to amend your booking here.

For the most up to date Government advice on travel please visit https://bit.ly/2LJmOWe if you’re in the UK and https://bit.ly/34tFwbb if you’re in Ireland.

The quickest and simplest way to make changes to your booking is to visit the Manage Booking section of our site. Read more on how to amend your booking online.

You can also call our Contact Centre on 01 907 55 55 to assist with any changes you wish to make for your booking. However, as we are experiencing a high volume of calls and in order to prioritise those in need of immediate assistance, we kindly ask that you don't call our Contact Centre unless you're booked to travel within the next 72 hours. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation at this time.

No it's not possible to change your booking to an open ticket but you can change your booking online via the manage booking facility or you can call us on 01 907 5555.

In accordance with public health guidelines, it is mandatory to wear face coverings at our ports and onboard our ships where social distancing isn’t possible. This applies to all routes on the Irish Sea and North Sea, including our Rosslare to Cherbourg route.

The following people are exempt from wearing a mask: children under the age of 11 years, if you have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering, anyone for whom wearing or removing a face covering would cause severe distress or people travelling with, or providing assistance to, someone who relies on lip-reading to communicate.

Passengers travelling to the Republic of Ireland from Britain

In response to the identification of a new strain of COVID-19, with effect from 9 January 2021, all passengers arriving into Ireland whose journey originates in Great Britain or South Africa are required to have evidence (email, text or document) of a negative result from a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in Ireland.  Immigration officers in Ireland will be checking that passengers have evidence of a negative result from a PCR Covid-19 test.  Any passenger who arrives into Ireland without a negative result from a pre-departure test commits an offence and may be subject to prosecution resulting in fines of up to €2,500, six months in prison or both.  There are limited exemptions to this requirement which includes essential supply chain workers who hold an Annex 3 Certificate, aviation and maritime crew and drivers of heavy goods vehicles.  In addition if a citizen has a genuine humanitarian emergency requiring urgent travel, they should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate immediately for advice and consular assistance before commencing their journey.  Passengers are also advised that they should self-isolate for 14 days on arrival to Ireland and arrange through the public health system to take a further PCR test on day 5 after their arrival.  Further information in relation to this requirement along with the associated public health advice can be found on Gov.ie here.  

Please note: Travel from the Republic of Ireland to Britain is unaffected.

Passengers travelling to the Republic of Ireland from France

From 04:00hrs 15 April 2021 all passengers arriving into Ireland from France are required to quarantine at a designated facility. The quarantine facility must be booked in advance of the passenger’s arrival in Ireland.  The booking can be made here www.quarantinehotelsireland.ie and the cost must be borne by the passenger.  Any passenger who breaches the pre-departure testing or mandatory quarantine requirements may be subject to prosecution. There are limited exemptions to this requirement. Further is available here gov.ie/quarantine.

Advice for all passengers

You can amend your booking online. Read more on how to amend your booking here.

For the most up to date Government advice on travel please visit https://bit.ly/2LJmOWe if you’re in the UK and https://bit.ly/34tFwbb if you’re in Ireland.

Yes.

Passengers arriving to Ireland from overseas, including Irish citizens, are legally required by the Irish authorities to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form. It is a penal offence not to complete the form in the manner specified. It is an offence to provide false or misleading information on the form. The online passenger locator form is available here, Online Passenger Locator Form, and takes just a couple of minutes to complete on a computer, mobile phone or other device. Following completion of the Form you will be issued with an email receipt. Please note: when presented with the field titled 'Flight or Ferry number' please enter 'N/A'.

Further information in relation to the passenger locator form is available here www.gov.ie/locatorform.

Passengers will be able to fill out the form during the 48 hours prior to their arrival in the country.

You are obliged by law to present your email receipt or a completed printed version of the form to an officer at your point of entry to the State.

During the 14 days following your arrival the information on the Form may be used:

• to provide you with public health information;
• to contact you to verify that the information on the form is correct; and
• for the purpose of contact tracing in relation to confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.

Every passenger aged 16 or over is legally required to complete the online online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form. This includes Irish residents and passengers arriving from locations on the 'Green list'. Details of children under the age of 16 should be included on a form completed by an adult accompanying them.

The Irish government have defined the following as essential supply chain workers.

These workers can continue to travel from GB to Ireland during the general travel ban that is currently in place until midnight 8th January 2021.

Maritime and Shipping

1. Ship Master

2. Deck Officers

3. Engineering Officers and ETOs

4. Deck Ratings

5. Engine Ratings

6. Pursers

7. Hotel/Catering Ratings

8. Cleaners

9. Contracted technicians

10. Marine Pilot

Road Haulage

11. HGV Drivers and/or persons holding an EU Annex 3 International Transport Worker Certificate

Please see our Travel Restrictions page for the latest requirements when travelling to France.

You do not need to self-isolate if you’re travelling from within the Common Travel Area (CTA), which includes the Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and you were there for 10 days or more. If you have arrived into the Common Travel Area within 10 days of travelling to the United Kingdom, you must complete the Public Health Passenger Locator Form before travelling and undertake or continue your 10 day period of self-isolation. You must take a copy of the completed form with you when you travel and have the option to print it out or show a completed copy from your device. 

Everyone in your party must complete a Public Health Passenger Locator Form so that they can be contacted if they, or someone they may have been in contact with, develops the disease.

The following exemptions to self-isolation apply:-

• road haulage and freight workers, to ensure the supply of goods is not impacted

• medical professionals who are travelling to help with the fight against Coronavirus

• anyone moving from within the Common Travel Area, covering Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. If anyone in your party as arrived into the Common Travel Area from overseas in the last 10 days you should continue your quarantine period until 10 days of self-isolation has been completed.

• seasonal agricultural workers who will self-isolate on the property where they are working

•  

Please see our Travel Restrictions page for the latest information on travelling to Britain from the Republic of Ireland. 

From 8 June 2020 there will be new health measures in place for entering the United Kingdom because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). These measures are for all entrants, including UK residents and all visitors from overseas.

Travelling from Dublin to Holyhead or Rosslare to Fishguard:- You do not need to complete the form or self-isolate if you’re travelling from within the Common Travel Area (CTA), which includes the Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, and you were there for 10 days or more. If you have arrived into the Common Travel Area within 10 days of travelling to the United Kingdom, you must complete the Public Health Passenger Locator Form before travelling and undertake or continue your 10 day period of self-isolation. You must take a copy of the completed form with you when you travel and have the option to print it out or show a completed copy from your device.

It is your responsibility to provide these details. The UK Border Force will be undertaking checks and could refuse entry. If you are refused entry, you will be required to cover the cost of travel with us back to your port of departure at your own expense.

The latest information and guidance on these measures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control and exemptions for self-isolation are here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules.

The quickest and simplest way to make changes to your booking is to visit the Manage Booking section of our site. Read more on how to amend your booking online.

You can also call our Contact Centre on 01 907 55 55 to assist with any changes you wish to make for your booking.

Yes, we are running a full service for freight and essential passenger travel on our Dublin - Holyhead, Rosslare - Fishguard, Belfast - Cairnryan and Belfast - Liverpool routes.

We continue to take several precautionary safety measures to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for all.

Yes, you can travel as a foot passenger on all sailings except the early-morning and late-night sailings on our Dublin - Holyhead and Belfast - Cairnryan routes.

Enforcing rules on ‘essential travel’ is not the responsibility of Stena Line employees but rather the various police forces and border agencies across the UK and Ireland.

Government officials are operating at ports across the UK and Ireland who have the authority to stop, question and if necessary refuse entry to UK/Ireland to those not meeting the criteria on ‘essential travel’.

For more information visit the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs,  French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, or European Union advice webpages.

Links to information regarding other countries can be found below and on stenaline.com in the 'More Information and Further Advice' section.

To Republic of Ireland

To Northern Ireland

To Wales

To England

To Scotland

Our route network on the Irish Sea is operating as normal however there are governmental restrictions on departures from certain ports. Passenger departures from Holyhead and Fishguard are restricted to essential workers only until midnight on Tuesday 22nd December 2020.

Should circumstances change for our routes and ports on the Irish Sea, we will endeavour to transfer affected passengers on the next available sailing or on an alternative route.

Yes, we will be selling face masks for our customers at check-in for €1.

We would like to share some of the steps we have taken for you to continue to feel safe at the ports and onboard and to rely on Stena Line to provide a reliable and comfortable journey.

Safety always comes first

In an extraordinary situation like this we rely on the manuals and routines we have for this kind of situation. Our crews are trained for many different types of situations, including diseases. In addition to that:

• We are in touch with local authorities in the 10 countries where we operate and ensure to follow restrictions from them and established health organisations.

• On-board our ships and in our terminals, we are taking precautionary measures to prevent any spread of the Coronavirus including:

• Stena Line's employees on-board are trained in how to deal with suspected cases of illness and our ships are equipped with medical equipment.

•  

• For more information please visit our Sail Safe page.

There is plenty of space onboard our ferries to implement social distancing.

According to Irish Government advice regarding Social Distancing, 'there is very little risk if you are just passing someone, but try to keep a distance of 2 metres as much as possible.' As an example, newsreaders on television now sit apart and we implement the same approach in our bars, restaurants, crew messrooms and other areas where people may gather but not for walking/going somewhere/passing people.

Irish Government advice on social distancing

Drivers will be accommodated in single cabins as far as circumstances may permit but cannot be guaranteed. Local variations may apply on certain routes.

Unfortunately no.

During the period of restriction due to the coronavirus pandemic, for reasons of hygiene, we have been forced to suspend our normal lost property handling procedure. This is due to possibility of cross contamination via the handling of personal property.

No property left behind on our vessels will be retained including, but not limited to, items of clothing, spectacles and phones. All items will be disposed of in line with Government guidelines.

Please take ALL your belongings with you when leaving the vessel or port.

Passenger Notice from the Government of Ireland

Ireland is part of the European Union's traffic light system whereby countries and regions are categorised as red, orange or green depending on the Covid-19 risk levels. People arriving to Ireland from overseas are required to restrict their movements on arrival for 14 days unless they have arrived from a location with a 'normal precautions' ("green") security status rating. People arriving into Ireland from a country from a 'green' country should still adhere to the generally applicable public health measures.

The advice to restrict movement does not apply in the following instances:

• Travellers with an essential function or need while exercising this essential function for example, a pilot, seafarer or a haulier.

• An arrival from an EU 'orange' region subject to the person having a negative/not-detected result from a Covid-19 PCR test taken no more than three days before the day of departure.

• From midnight 29th November, arrivals from an EU 'red' region will not be expected to restrict movements following receipt of a negative/not-detected result from a Covid-19 PCR test taken a minimum of five days after arrival in Ireland. This provision will also be available to arrivals from orange regions who may not have availed of a pre-departure test.

The approach to third countries, notably the US, will be kept under review – for the present, arrivals from third countries will be treated on the same basis as arrivals from 'red' regions, including exemptions from advice to restrict movements for the purpose of performing an essential function.

The proposed measures for arrivals from orange, red and grey regions, once implemented, will be reviewed fortnightly.

It remains a requirement for intending arrivals to Ireland to adhere to the guidance set out in the Air and Maritime Travel Protocols, available on the Department of Transport website, specifically in relation to the enhanced self-declaration of COVID-19 status required pre-boarding, i.e. that:
1. They are not symptomatic for Covid-19 and have not tested positive in the last 14 days;
2. They are not a close contact of a confirmed case of Covid-19, and
3. They have not been advised by doctors to restrict their movement.

It remains a mandatory requirement for arrivals to Ireland (excluding essential transport workers) to correctly complete a Passenger Locator Form.

All arrivals are expected to follow the prevailing public health advice in Ireland upon arrival. The information and guidance concerning public health measures and international travel are available on Gov.ie. Currently, public health advice is that there should be no non-essential international travel.

Inbound travellers from Denmark must self-isolate for 14 days even if they are  travelling for an essential function.

Guidance on how to restrict your movements is available from the Irish health service.

Travel from Ireland to France

Our ferry services continue to operate to France. Passengers must provide evidence of their reason for travel but do not need to self-quarantine. Non-essential travel is not permitted.

If you are travelling to France then every person travelling in your party must complete this certificate of exceptional travel and sworn statement of health(.docx, 18kb), and have it with them for inspection on arrival. 

This page explains the circumstances under which people are allowed to travel within France – please check carefully before travelling to Rosslare, you may be turned away by the French Authorities if you don’t have a good reason to travel within France.

The French Authorities have advised us that they will only allow travel for the following reasons:

• Going home

• Travelling to your main residence

• Working in France

• Medical

• Imperative family reasons e.g. provision of health care

Please note: holidays or social visits are NOT permitted

.

Travel from France to Ireland

There are quarantine restrictions when you are travelling from France to Ireland. Please click on the link below for further information.

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/coronavirus/

Information on the coronavirus pandemic's implications for Allianz's insurance cover can be found on their information pages