Non-EU vs EU Queue at the Airport

[sakin]

Hello,

I've checked several pages but couldn't find a relevant answer.

I become Irish citizen with the last ceremony at April 2019. After that, we applied to change my wife's stamp and now she has Stamp 4 (not Stamp 4 EUfam). She also has Schengen visa in her passport.

Questions:

1) While we travel together with my wife, can we use EU queue together while we enter to Ireland?

2) What about when we travel together to other Schengen countries? Can we walk through EU entrance together?

Thank you for the answers.

[Finepaddy]

U both use different q, according to displayed signs. It will waste ur time cause they will send u back in end. Happened with me last year when I travelled with family.

[water_tank1]

Sakin

Can I ask how you changed your partners stamp from stamp 4 Eufam to stamp 4 based on a Irish citizen?

was the process difficult?

Cheers

[sakin]

@water_tank1: My wife never had Stamp 4 EUfam. She had Stamp 3 before I was Irish citizen. After my citizenship, she switched to Stamp 4.

@Finepaddy: Did sending you back to queue happened in Ireland or any other country? I've just talked to a colleague who is in the same position with me (Irish citizen, wife has Stamp 4) and he said they always use EU queue when they enter Ireland.

[postit]

I have a stamp 4Fam and I use the EU queue in Ireland. I didn't know it was possible but once an immigration officer told me that at the counter of a non-EU queue.

[littlerr]

I have an official response from Dublin Airport:
You can use the EU queueif and only if you are exercising your EU Treaty Rights.
If you hold a Stamp 4EUFAM, you have the right to exercisie EU Treaty Rights. Therefore you can use the EU queue.
If you are the spouse of an Irish national, you hold a normal Stamp 4. You cannot use the EU queue. However, the officer on duty can grant you access to the EU queue at his/her discretion.

My feeling is, if the non-EU queue is really long, go the EU queue with your spouse. If there's only a handful people there, join the non-EU queue.

[Obie]

I have an official response from Dublin Airport:
You can use the EU queueif and only if you are exercising your EU Treaty Rights.
If you hold a Stamp 4EUFAM, you have the right to exercisie EU Treaty Rights. Therefore you can use the EU queue.
If you are the spouse of an Irish national, you hold a normal Stamp 4. You cannot use the EU queue. However, the officer on duty can grant you access to the EU queue at his/her discretion.

My feeling is, if the non-EU queue is really long, go the EU queue with your spouse. If there's only a handful people there, join the non-EU queue.

That is correct. Unless the Irish citizen had exercised treaty rights in another memberstate with their spouse and then returned to Ireland and succeed in EUfam, they need to use non eu queue.

[sakin]

Thank you for all the replies. Official answer is very clear.

But I am surprised that non-Irish EU citizens have more rights than Irish citizens in Ireland, ie non-Irish EU citizen's spouse can use EU queue but Irish citizen's spouse cannot

[fuzzbizz]

Weirdly, I always used the non-EU queue with my wife and daughter (daughter is natural-born Irish citizen) and last time the officer somewhat brusquely said "families with an Irish member use the EU queue)

[iamok]

Weirdly, I always used the non-EU queue with my wife and daughter (daughter is natural-born Irish citizen) and last time the officer somewhat brusquely said "families with an Irish member use the EU queue)

Same thing happened with me in January. My whole family has Irish passports other than my wife who has a non-EU passport so we always use the non-EU queue. When we were flying back to Ireland in January, the immigration officer told us to use the EU queue next time for the whole family.

[sakin]

I've sent and email to Border Management Unit and below is the official answer from them. Copying here so maybe it will be helpful for some other people.

Long story short, my wife can use EU queue if she is travelling with me

"Holders of stamp 4 IRP cards are permitted to use the EU queue when travelling through Dublin airport.

Any other Non-national must use the Non-EU queue."

[cooljester]

3 weeks ago, i was traveling back with the family ( wife +kids both non-eu passport ) when i asked the officer whether they could use EU queue, he said ok.

I guess it's case per case basis + mood of the officer