Northern Ireland has two main airports Belfast City Airport (BHD) and Belfast International Airport (BFS)
Both airports are a short, one hour flight from any UK city.
There are direct flights to both airports and you can transfer from other UK and European cities.
Many international students choose to fly to Northern Ireland from London.
Northern Ireland Travel Times
Entering the UK via the Republic of Ireland
We strongly recommend that, unless you are an EU student or a student visa holder (studying for a period of 6 months or longer), you arrive in Northern Ireland through a UK port of entry.
Entering after 31 December 2020
If you are a non-visa national and you enter the UK from the Republic of Ireland you can remain in the UK for:
- 6 months - if you do not have any specific UK immigration permission
- 2 months - if you entered the Republic of Ireland from the UK at a time when you still had permission to be in the UK and that permission has since expired.
Entering before 31 December 2020
- 3 months - if you entered the UK before 23:00 on 31 December 2020.
- 7 days - if you entered the Republic of Ireland from the UK at a time when you still had permission to be in the UK but that permission expired while you were in the Republic of Ireland.
Visa nationals
If you are a visa national you should not attempt to enter Northern Ireland via the Republic of Ireland. If, despite this warning, you do so, you must apply for and receive visas to enter both the Republic of Ireland and the UK before you leave your home country.
It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the correct visas to enter both the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
Any immigration permission you are given on arrival in the Republic of Ireland is for the Republic of Ireland alone, not for the UK.
