Travel information

Travel documents

Please see our 'Intra CTA travel document requirements' guidance document.

The Common Travel Area (CTA)

Isle of Man, the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands (Bailiwick of Guernsey/Bailiwick of Jersey) and the Republic of Ireland collectively form a common travel area (CTA). This means that an applicant who has entered the common travel area and who has been examined for the purpose of immigration control (for example in the UK) does not require leave to enter any other part of the common travel area. There are certain exceptions to this including those subject to deportation orders or exclusion decisions. Simply, travel between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom is an internal domestic journey and there is no separate immigration or other control.

Where 'Ireland' is referenced on this webpage this is shorthand for the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Non-British or Irish Citizens – Entry from the Republic of Ireland (ROI)

If you already hold a valid Isle of Man Immigration status, please see 'Travelling with an Isle of Man Immigration Status' section further down this page. 

The Isle of Man’s Control of Entry through Republic of Ireland Order replicates the UK’s equivalent Order and therefore reference can be made to the UKHO page: Travelling to the UK from Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey or Jersey - GOV.UK 

The sections below are for visitors to the IOM from the ROI.

People who need permission to enter the IoM from ROI

Some people automatically have permission to enter the Isle of Man when they arrive from the ROI. This permission is called 'deemed leave'. This is not applied for and no stamp will be placed in your passport showing deemed leave. You only need to get permission to enter the IOM when arriving from ROI if any of the following apply:

• you arrived in Ireland from outside of the Common Travel Area (CTA) and did not obtain immigration permission to enter Ireland
  
  
• you’re a visa national who doesn’t have a valid visa to enter the Isle of Man or a valid visa granted under the British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS)
  
  
• you entered the Republic of Ireland unlawfully from outside the CTA
  
  
• you entered the Isle of Man, UK, Jersey or Guernsey unlawfully and went directly from there to Ireland
  
  
• your permission to enter or stay expired before you left the Isle of Man and since then you haven’t been given permission to enter or stay in the Isle of Man, UK, Jersey or Guernsey
  
  
• you are the subject of an international travel ban
  
  
• you were refused admission or subject to a removal decision under specific regulations - unless you were later given permission to enter or stay

In these situations, you must either apply for:

• a visa before you travel
• a permission to enter from an Immigration Officer at the border

Example: South African Nationals are Visa Nationals in the Isle of Man. If a South African (or any other Visa National) wants to visit the Isle of Man and doesn’t already hold a valid visa that allows entry to the Isle of Man they must to apply for (and be granted) a visa that allows this before they travel to the Isle of Man. 

The vast majority of people entering the Isle of Man from Ireland will either have Deemed Leave permission (see below) or should have already applied for and been granted a valid visa allowing Entry into the Isle of Man.

In instances where entrants need (and are eligible for) permission to enter the Isle of Man from an Immigration Officer when entering the IOM from the CTA this may not be possible. This is because there are usually no immigration controls on these journeys. The Contact details for the Immigration Service can be found on our website.

You need to seek permission to enter the Isle of Man from anywhere in the CTA if:

• you are subject to a deportation order
  
  
• your exclusion has been deemed conducive to the public good and you have been accordingly refused permission to enter the UK or any of the Crown Dependencies
  
  
• you have at any time been refused permission to enter the Isle of Man and haven’t, since the time you were refused permission, been granted permission to enter or remain in the UK or any of the Crown Dependencies

People who don’t need permission to enter the IOM from ROI

If none of the criteria set out above in 'People who need permission to enter the Isle of Man from ROI' section apply to a person, they may automaticcaly have permission to enter the Isle of Man when they arrive from the ROI. This permission is called 'deemed leave'. This is not applied for and no stamp will be placed in your passport showing deemed leave.

You can enter on the basis of deemed leave when you either:

• enter Ireland from a country outside the CTA, and then to the Isle of Man
  
  
• were in the Isle of Man with permission to stay for a limited time, you went directly to Ireland and while you were in Ireland your permission expired, and you then came directly back to the Isle of Man

You can be in the Isle of Man/UK for up to 6 months on your first visit from Ireland. This time starts from the date you entered the Isle of Man/UK. You can prove the date you entered by, for example, your ticket or boarding pass.

• Your deemed leave obtained on entering the Isle of Man allows travel to the UK and vice versa
  
  
• Your deemed leave ends when you leave the Isle of Man, UK, Jersey or Guernsey
  
  
• On following visits to the Isle of Man from Ireland, you can be in the Isle of Man/UK for up to 2 months on the basis of deemed leave if you haven’t left the CTA since you were last in the Isle of Man
  
  
• You cannot do any paid or unpaid work if you’re in the UK on Article 4 deemed leave except for activities allowed under Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities (except PA1, PA2 & PA 16.1 to 18) of the Immigration Rules
  
• If you want to come to the Isle of Man to do something that isn’t allowed under Article 4 deemed leave, you must apply for the relevant visa before you travel to the Isle of Man

Arriving with the intention to undertake Permitted Paid Engagement

You may be able to visit the Isle of Man for a Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) where at the time of your entry to the Isle of Man, you intend, and have a previously arranged invitation, to undertake a PPE in the Isle of Man.

If you are undertaking PPE you may remain in the Isle of Man for no more than one month from your entry. You must not engage in any occupation or employment except exempt work activity or a permitted paid engagement. This must be the previously arranged permitted paid engagement you were invited and entered the Isle of Man to undertake.

Permitted paid engagement activities are set out in paragraph V 12.3 of Appendix V: Visitors of the Immigration Rules.

If you leave the Isle of Man but not the Common Travel Area on your subsequent re-entry to the Isle of Man you may remain in the Isle of Man for no more than 7 days from entry.

PPE provisions don’t apply if you arrive and have Immigration Permission which is in force and was given before your arrival.

Travelling through the Isle of Man on your way to another part of the CTA

Even if you only enter the Isle of Man as part of your journey you must still follow the Isle of Man’s immigration laws while you’re in the Isle of Man.

You must follow the immigration laws of whichever part of the CTA that you are in at the time. This includes visa requirements, restrictions on employment and length of stay.

Initial entry to the Isle of Man from Ireland by those who have been granted Entry Clearance before travelling

Successful applicants for Isle of Man Entry Clearance will have a visa vignette added to their Passport containing the type of Leave, conditions, validity dates etc. prior to travel. When the holder of such a vignette enters the Isle of Man for the first time an Immigration Officer can stamp the vignette with a date stamp to show initial entry. However, as covered above there are usually no routine Immigration controls on journeys between the ROI and IOM so there may be no Immigration Officer present.

Immigration Officers will not backdate a date stamp. If a person with Entry Clearance arrives and is able to attend the Immigration office providing evidence of their entry that day, an Immigration Officer may date stamp the vignette. Our office has limited opening hours, with current hours found on our website. Those that enter from the ROI and are unable to attend our Office on the same day are advised to retain a record of their travel evidenced by their ticket or boarding pass for example.

Please refer to this section if you have queries about travelling with an Isle of Man Immigration Status.

The UK Home Office Common Travel Area guidance states that the Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey) do not issue visa vignettes or biometric residence permits. Isle of Man Immigration permission endorsements continue to be issued using an ink stamp along with an ink validation stamp within the holder’s passport.

These endorsements are equally valid for entry to the UK under Schedule 4 to the Immigration Act 1971 (of the United Kingdom). The UK does issue Entry Clearance vignettes on behalf of the Crown Dependencies.

Please be aware that carriers may be liable to a penalty if they carry an individual without a valid immigration document and therefore they may also ask to see evidence of your immigration status. For this reason you should ensure that you always have the passport with your wet ink stamp, as well as your Information letter, when travelling directly to the UK or Isle of Man from an international destination.

Carriers are encouraged to contact the UK Carriers Liaison Section should they wish further verification of the acceptability of an Isle of Man visa, in the form of a wet ink stamp, for an individual’s entry at the UK Border.

Guidance for travel carriers and how they may verify an Immigration status at a UK Port can be found on gov.uk.