Hello and welcome to today's independent travel podcast with me, Simon Calder. It's Wednesday the 25th of February.

And for many British travellers who plan to travel to Ireland, or who happen to be dual nationals,

red tape has become a lot more complicated from today.

Air Lingus, yes, the Irish National Airline now insists that passengers flying between Great Britain,

as England, Wales and Scotland, and the Republic carry passports.

Until now, all kinds of ID, including a bus pass, have been accepted.

And also, any British citizen who's also got a passport from another country

faces tougher controls when entering the UK.

And today, I want to try and make sense of it all for you.

So let's start with those flights to Ireland and what exactly has changed.

Well, the UK Ireland, the Island Man, Channel Islands, they comprise the common travel area.

That's been around for over a century.

It's the original free movement area. Think of been around for over a century. It's the original free movement

area. Think of it as a Schengen area for the British Isles. And it means that Irish and British

citizens don't need a passport to travel between each other's countries. The government says

you may be asked to show a document that confirms your identity and nationality,

but there's no fixed rules about that ID.

From today, though, Air Lingus joins Ryanair in demanding that all passengers carry a valid passport.

Until now, they've allowed, for instance, work ID,

international student card, pretty much anything,

as long as it's got a photograph of you, not your cat.

So, where does that leave people who've got no passports

...