After the war, the Irish re-instated their previous provisions allowing free movement[12] but

the British declined to do so pending the agreement of a "similar immigration policy"[13] in

both countries. Consequently the British maintained immigration controls between the islands
of Ireland and Great Britain until 1952, to the consternation of Northern Ireland's Unionist
population.[14]
No agreement on a similar immigration policy was publicised at the time, but a year after the
Irish Minister for Justice referred to the lifting of immigration controls between the two
islands as "a matter for the British themselves", the British began referring to the CTA in
legislation for the first time.[15] The content of the agreement appears to be that a foreigner
would be refused entry to the United Kingdom if they wished to travel onward to Ireland (and
vice versa) and is provided for in relevant immigration law.[16][17]
The CTA has meant that Ireland has been required to follow changes in British immigration
policy.[8] This was notable in 1962 when Irish law was changed in response to the
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, which imposed immigration controls between the
United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, while in Ireland the Aliens Order 1962
replaced the state's previous provision exempting all British subjects from immigration
control,[18] with one exempting only those born in the United Kingdom. The scope of the Irish
provision was much more restrictive than the British legislation as it excluded from
immigration control only those British citizens born in the United Kingdom, and imposed
immigration controls on those born outside the UK. The latter group would have included
individuals who were British citizens by descent or by birth in a British colony. This
discrepancy between Britain's and Ireland's definition of a British citizen was not resolved
until 1999.[19]

2011 agreement
2011 marked the first public agreement between the British and Irish governments
concerning the maintenance of the CTA. Officially entitled the "Joint Statement Regarding
Co-Operation on Measures to Secure the External Common Travel Area Border" [20] and
referred to by both governments as a memorandum of understanding, it was signed in Dublin
on 20 December 2011 by the UK's immigration minister, Damian Green and Ireland's
Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter.[21]
In common with its unpublished predecessors the 2011 agreement is an unbinding agreement,
with its eighth clause stating that the agreement "is not intended to create legally binding
obligations, nor to create or confer any right, privilege or benefit on any person or party,
private or public".[citation needed]
The agreement commits the two governments to continue their co-operation through the
CTA, to align their lists of visa-free countries, to develop "electronic border management
system/s", to engage in data sharing to combat the "abuse" of the CTA, and to work toward a
"fully-common short stay visit visa".[citation needed]

Border controls
Entry into the Channel Islands

Immigration checks are carried out by the Guernsey Border Agency and the Jersey Customs
and Immigration Service on passengers arriving in the Channel Islands only from outside the
CTA.[22]

The border at Killeen marked only by a speed sign marked in km/h

Entry into Ireland

In 1997, Ireland changed its immigration legislation to allow immigration officers to examine
(i.e. request identity documents from) travellers arriving in the state from elsewhere in the
CTA and to refuse them permission to land if they are not entitled to enter.[3] Although this is
stated to apply only to people other than Irish and British citizens, both of the latter groups
are effectively covered as they may be required to produce identity documents to prove that
they are entitled to the CTA arrangements.
Although it is difficult to be exact about the nature of current border checks when entering
Ireland from another part of the CTA, fixed controls are maintained only at ports and
airports[23] while targeted controls are conducted along the land border in what are referred to
as "intelligence driven operations".[24] Air passengers arriving in Ireland from elsewhere in the
CTA are no longer segregated from those arriving from outside the CTA,[25] so consequently
all air passengers must pass through Irish immigration checks, administered by the Garda
National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). While British citizens are not required to be in
possession of a valid travel document as a condition of entry, they may be required to satisfy
immigration officials as to their nationality.
The nature of the Irish controls was described by an Irish High Court judge, Mr Justice
Gerard Hogan, in the following terms:
"The practical result of this is that all persons arriving by air from the United
Kingdom face Irish immigration controls. While in theory both Irish and British
citizens are entitled to arrive here free from immigration control by virtue of the
common travel area, increasingly in practice such passengers who arrive by air from
the United Kingdom are required to produce their passports (or, at least, some other
form of acceptable identity document) in order to prove to immigration officers that
they are either Irish or British citizens who can avail of the common travel area.
Whatever about anyone else, Joseph Heller certainly would have approved."[25]
In 2012, a pilot project was set up to use civilian staff from the Immigration section of the
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) to work with GNIB staff at immigration
control at Dublin Airport. INIS staff will be responsible for performing all "in-booth" duties

(including examining arriving passengers), but will not take part in any matters related to
restraint, detention or arrest.[26]

Entry into the Isle of Man

There are no routine immigration checks on travellers arriving in the Isle of Man from
another part of the CTA.[27] As there are currently no scheduled air or ferry services between
the Isle of Man and outside the CTA, there are, in effect, no immigration checks in place.[28][29]
The Isle of Man is considered a part of the UK for customs purposes, and so there are no
routine customs checks on travellers arriving from the UK.[30]

Entry into the UK