Which port is better for a delivery to Cork or Limerick: Dublin or Rosslare?

For the south and west of the island usually Rosslare Europort, because the driver avoids Dublin and the M50. Check the available sailings first, though: Rosslare has fewer connections than Dublin, so for a tight deadline it is sometimes quicker to land in Dublin and drive down the motorway.

Is a PBN needed on a direct ferry from France to Ireland?

Not for ordinary Union goods. A PBN is required for vehicles travelling as freight on ferries from Great Britain to Ireland, and whenever the vehicle carries goods covered by a customs declaration. An intra-EU movement by direct ferry runs on a CMR and an invoice, with no declaration and no PBN.

How long is the crossing to Dublin and what does the ferry cost?

Timetables, crossing times and prices are set by the ferry operators and change with the season, so we do not quote them in the article. When pricing an order OTSL checks the current sailings for the specific date and port and books only once the loading date is confirmed.

Dublin Port or Rosslare Europort

There are two ways to move freight from Poland to Ireland: a direct ferry from the continent (from Cherbourg, Dunkirk or Zeebrugge, among others) into Dublin Port or Rosslare Europort with no customs formalities, because Ireland is in the European Union, or the landbridge through Great Britain with transit, a GMR and a PBN. Which port to choose depends on the delivery address: Dublin serves the capital and the north of the island, Rosslare lies closer to the south and west. Driver hours after a long crossing and the return load, from Ireland or from GB, matter as well.

How do Dublin Port and Rosslare Europort differ?

Dublin Port sits on the east coast next to the capital and handles both continental ferries and sailings from Holyhead in Wales, the final leg of the landbridge. From the port you join the M50 ring road and the motorways towards Belfast, Galway or Cork. It is the natural choice for deliveries into the Dublin area, the surrounding counties and the north of the island.

Rosslare Europort lies in the south-east, in County Wexford. It handles direct ferries from the continent and sailings from Wales (Pembroke and Fishguard). For consignees in Waterford, Cork, Limerick and the south-west it saves the driver a run through Dublin. The drawback is fewer sailings than Dublin, so for an urgent load the choice of crossing can be narrower.

Direct ferry or landbridge: what actually decides?

A direct ferry from the continent is an intra-EU movement: Union goods travel on a CMR consignment note and an invoice, with no customs declaration. The crossing is long, but the driver rests during it and the truck avoids British customs altogether. The landbridge (Dunkirk to Dover, a drive through England and Wales, Holyhead to Dublin) is usually faster on the road, but it needs a T2 transit, a GMR in the British GVMS system and a PBN in the Irish Revenue service.

In practice we ask three questions. Where exactly is the unloading point: Dublin and the north, or the south and west of the island. How many driving hours remain after the crossing, because a long ferry doubles as rest, while the short Holyhead crossing comes after several hundred kilometres across GB. And what the trailer returns with: empty, with Irish freight, or with a load from Great Britain, which often settles the route for the whole round trip. Timetables, crossing times and prices are set by the ferry operators and change with the season, so we do not quote them here.

Choosing the port and route to Ireland step by step

Fix the unloading address and delivery window. The consignee's Eircode and receiving hours decide whether Dublin Port or Rosslare Europort is closer and whether same-day unloading is realistic.
Check what the truck returns with. A return load from Ireland favours the direct ferry; a return load from GB argues for the landbridge one way or both ways.
Count the driver's hours. On a direct ferry the driver takes rest on board; on the landbridge you must fit in the drive through England and Wales plus port processing.
Match the documents to the route. Direct ferry: CMR, invoice, packing list. Landbridge: additionally a T2 transit with an MRN, a GMR for entry into GB and a PBN before the ferry to Ireland.
Book the ferry with a margin. We book once the loading date is confirmed; on the landbridge we book two crossings and rebook both if the plan changes.
Report the vehicle data. Tractor and trailer registrations must match in the booking, the GMR and the PBN; a mismatch blocks boarding.

Definitions

Landbridge: moving goods from the continent to Ireland overland through Great Britain, with two ferries: EU to GB and GB to Ireland.
PBN (Pre-Boarding Notification): a notification created in the Irish Revenue service before boarding; it gathers the MRNs of all declarations for the goods on the vehicle. Without a PBN the vehicle is not allowed on the ferry to Ireland.
GMR (Goods Movement Reference): the movement reference in the British GVMS (Goods Vehicle Movement Service), required for a vehicle carrying goods to enter GB.
MRN (Movement Reference Number): the number of a customs declaration, including a transit declaration; it is what goes into the GMR and the PBN.
T2: transit of Union goods through a third country under the common transit procedure, of which the United Kingdom is a member; opened in the EU, closed in Ireland.
CMR: the international consignment note; on a direct ferry it forms, together with the invoice, the complete document set.

Checklist before booking a ferry to Ireland

Unloading address with Eircode and receiving hours.
Decision: direct ferry or landbridge, with the reasoning (address, return load, driver hours).
Tractor and trailer registrations identical in the booking, the GMR and the PBN.
Complete documents: CMR, invoice, packing list; on the landbridge also the T2 with its MRN.
Who closes the transit in Ireland and how closure is confirmed (landbridge only).
Contingency for a cancelled sailing: another port, another operator, driver accommodation.

Does a direct ferry always mean no formalities?

For Union goods, yes. A customs formality does not apply to a movement from Poland to Ireland by direct ferry, unless the trailer carries non-Union goods, for example goods already under a transit procedure or goods being exported outside the EU. In that case even a sailing from Cherbourg needs a declaration and, on arrival at the Irish port, a PBN as well. Excise goods and restricted goods likewise have their own requirements regardless of route. The rule "direct ferry, no customs paperwork" therefore holds for ordinary Union goods and depends on the status of the goods, not on the port itself.

The OTSL role

OTSL handles both variants within one order: the office picks the port and route for the delivery address, books the sailings as part of its ferry booking service and prepares the documents, including the transit, GMR and PBN on the landbridge. We compared the two routes in direct ferry or UK landbridge, and the operators' vehicle-data requirements in the article on vehicle lists and sailing manifests. The overview of the lane is on the transport to Ireland page. See also: Exhibits for trade fairs in Dublin: when no ATA carnet is needed.