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Eurail, Interrail or My Interrail for UK resident?


Very confused… on this page: https://www.eurail.com/en/help/interested-in-eurailing/do-i-need-a-eurail-or-an-interrail-pass it says “A Eurail Pass can only be used by non-European citizens or non-European residents. European citizens can use an Interrail Pass instead, available from Interrail.eu for the same price as a Eurail Pass.”

But on https://www.myinterrail.co.uk/interrail-passes/ - it’s all about Interrail passes for UK people? 

Thanks in advance!

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Best answer by AnnaB 3 July 2022, 19:10

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Userlevel 7
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UK is in Europe so as a UK resident you buy an Interrail pass.

Please note that if you live in Northern Ireland you are a resident of Ireland and not UK.

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Not sure if this is a wind-up, but anyway: interrail is for people resident in Europe, eg EU, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, UK, Switzerland. Eurail for those resident outside Europe.

Ah… so although not in the “EU” since Brexit, somebody from UK still counts as a “European citizen” - especially as far as Interrail are concerned… Thanks. 

Not sure if this is a wind-up, but anyway: interrail is for people resident in Europe, eg EU, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, UK, Switzerland. Eurail for those resident outside Europe.

Not a wind-up, I genuinely struggle with things like this

 

Userlevel 7
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INterRail for ALL who live in countries that have railways accepting this pass-thats also Turkey. can use it only for 2 days in home country=to leave and come back.

PLUS the old Soviet Union-and its fell-apart republics that lie in the continent of Europe, even though the home country rules cannot apply there.

For those juggling about all minor things: once Morocco also accepted passes-a century ago-but they are in Africa and thus not in EUrope.

EUrail was there many years before there was even an EU=long ago before a mrs. Thatcher gave to OK for UK to join,

Userlevel 2
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Very strange that despite the UK NOT being part of Europe due to Brexit, its residents still cannot purchase Eurailpasses.

Surely this needs to be reconsidered?

The UK public’s verdict was clear!

Userlevel 7
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Very strange that despite the UK NOT being part of Europe due to Brexit, its residents still cannot purchase Eurailpasses.

Surely this needs to be reconsidered?

The UK public’s verdict was clear!

Please, please do not confuse Europe with the European Union. Irrespective of the vote to leave the latter we are still part of the continent of Europe.

Interrail is for Europeans, Eurail is for those who live elsewhere.

Userlevel 2
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Please, please do not confuse Europe with the European Union. Irrespective of the vote to leave the latter we are still part of the continent of Europe.

Interrail is for Europeans, Eurail is for those who live elsewhere.

So if ‘Interrail is for Europeans’, why are Russians not allowed to purchase a Eurail despite almost four in five of Russia’s square kilometres being in Asia, not Europe?

If you asked people in England whether they were ‘Europeans’, the answer might well be a rather emphatic ‘no’.  Don’t most Britishers believe they have a distinct national identity that markedly differs from ‘Europeans’?

Userlevel 7
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Please, please do not confuse Europe with the European Union. Irrespective of the vote to leave the latter we are still part of the continent of Europe.

Interrail is for Europeans, Eurail is for those who live elsewhere.

So if ‘Interrail is for Europeans’, why are Russians not allowed to purchase a Eurail despite almost four in five of Russia’s square kilometres being in Asia, not Europe?

You would have to debate that with Eurail/Interrail themselves.

Userlevel 2
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Please, please do not confuse Europe with the European Union. Irrespective of the vote to leave the latter we are still part of the continent of Europe.

Interrail is for Europeans, Eurail is for those who live elsewhere.

So if ‘Interrail is for Europeans’, why are Russians not allowed to purchase a Eurail despite almost four in five of Russia’s square kilometres being in Asia, not Europe?

You would have to debate that with Eurail/Interrail themselves.

 

But you said ‘Interrail is for Europeans’.  Perhaps not quite as simple as you endeavoured to make out.

If I lived in  the UK, I’d feel miffed that I couldn’t purchase a Eurail given that Interrail restriction of only a journey to start using the pass and one to conclude usage in the ‘home nation’.

Maybe what this tells us is that many in Europe, such as at Eurail HQ in the Netherlands don’t understand, or refuse to acknowledge, the majority attitude of those pesky Englishmen and women!

Userlevel 7
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Please, please do not confuse Europe with the European Union. Irrespective of the vote to leave the latter we are still part of the continent of Europe.

Interrail is for Europeans, Eurail is for those who live elsewhere.

So if ‘Interrail is for Europeans’, why are Russians not allowed to purchase a Eurail despite almost four in five of Russia’s square kilometres being in Asia, not Europe?

You would have to debate that with Eurail/Interrail themselves.

 

But you said ‘Interrail is for Europeans’.  Perhaps not quite as simple as you endeavoured to make out.

If I lived in  the UK, I’d feel miffed that I couldn’t purchase a Eurail given that Interrail restriction of only a journey to start using the pass and one to conclude usage in the ‘home nation’.

Maybe what this tells us is that many in Europe, such as at Eurail HQ in the Netherlands don’t understand, or refuse to acknowledge, the majority attitude of those pesky Englishmen and women!

Obviously you realise that when we buy an Interrail pass we (like all Europeans) have the bonus of being able to use it for those 2 days in our own country. If we had to buy Eurail passes we wouldn’t be able to use it at all, nor would visitors be able to come to our glorious country as our trains would not be part of the Interrail/Eurail network.

Userlevel 7
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Interrail is for people living in the European CONTINENT. So if UK is not part of EUROPE, they have to get in another continent and maybe to move the island (if possible, and maybe to get Australia instead of UK like in Eurovision ;-) ). 

Russia is a Country in the European Continent, with big parts also in Asia, same to Turkey.

Also Malta, Albania or Iceland have to use Interrail, also if they are not part of it, but they are part of the CONTINENT.

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UK is in Europe so as a UK resident you buy an Interrail pass.

Please note that if you live in Northern Ireland you are a resident of Ireland and not UK.

Are you sure? Northern-Ireland is a part of Great-Britain and surely not of Ireland.

Userlevel 7
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Are you sure? Northern-Ireland is a part of Great-Britain and surely not of Ireland.

NI is part of the UK, not of GB. Ireland can be used to refer to the entire island, so AnnaB was entirely correct.

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Interrail is for people living in the European CONTINENT. So if UK is not part of EUROPE, they have to get in another continent and maybe to move the island (if possible, and maybe to get Australia instead of UK like in Eurovision ;-) ). 

Russia is a Country in the European Continent, with big parts also in Asia, same to Turkey.

Also Malta, Albania or Iceland have to use Interrail, also if they are not part of it, but they are part of the CONTINENT.

You say it correctly, Citizens of UK and Ireland (last-one makes part of EU) can use Interrail. Only if you live outside of Europe (with exeption of Russia and Turkey) then you can buy an EUrail-Pass.

Userlevel 7
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Yes this is clear that you need Interrail, but you have to select your home country. For Northern Ireland it is a bit difficult.

 

See what Eurail staff has answer this:

Whit an UK Passport you select UK, NI resident with Ireland passport Ireland. 

People living in NI with UK passport can use their Interrail pass without home country restrictions, because NI and Ireland are for Interrail the same.

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Are you sure? Northern-Ireland is a part of Great-Britain and surely not of Ireland.

NI is part of the UK, not of GB. Ireland can be used to refer to the entire island, so AnnaB was entirely correct.

Can I make the conclusion that People of NI and Ireland are handled by the same rules and only can travel unlimited in England, Schotland and Wales, but not in Ireland and NI? Do people from Northern-Ireland have another passport then people from the rest UK?

So people who live f.i. in London can travel with an Interrail-Pass unlimited between f.i. Belfast and Londonderry, but people from Ireland not, although they are then not in their own country? Strange rule!

Userlevel 7
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It might make more sense if Interrail were to split the available COR names into Residents of Great Britain (rather than UK) and Residents of Eire and Northern Ireland - Residency not citizenship. 

Then residents of Great Britain are restricted to 2 days in England, Scotland and Wales as a whole, but freely in Eire and NI. Residents of Eire and Northern Ireland are restricted to 2 days in the whole Island, but can travel unlimited in Great Britain.

That is my understanding of the current rail situation, not the politics. 

The only politically correct/acceptable solution would seem to be to split Northern Ireland stations in the App to UK status and Eire stations accordingly. This is exactly how all other borders work in the app.

eople from Eire would then gain unlimited use of N.I rail as well as the rest UK, but ,whilst  N.I. residents would gain free movement in Eire, they would lose free movement in the whole of the UK.

By free movement I am of course only referring to the 2 day COR allowance.

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