Card trouble

Sir, – I recently renewed my Irish passport and, for a nominal additional fee, also applied for the credit card-sized passport card which promised travel within the EU without recourse to the standard passport booklet.

As I’m a belt-and-braces kind of guy, I took the two documents with me on a recent trip to mainland Spain.

My passport card was not recognised by the automated immigration entry system in Spain, I was directed to the frontier police immigration booth, and they advised me that they weren’t ready for the passport card and needed the booklet-style passport to grant me access.

Was I glad that I wore my braces? Travellers beware. – Yours, etc,

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CORMAC MEEHAN,

Bundoran,

Co Donegal.