Latest news and stories about border control in government in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Passengers at Lisbon airport report shorter waiting times following the government's deployment of additional resources, though some uncertainty persists regarding the efficacy of new automated systems.
Reports indicate 24 National Republican Guard (GNR) personnel were assigned to reinforce border checks at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport to help reduce queues and bolster security. The GNR later clarified the 24 officers will be deployed as reinforcements from next Tuesday; the airport had previously been reinforced by 25 GNR personnel at 19:00 and around 80 PSP officers over the Christmas period.
“There is no more chaos at the airports. There has been a reinforcement of the security forces carrying out border control at all airports, namely at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon,” assured the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, on the sidelines of the signing of a protocol between the Municipality of Vila do...
Please the greatest number, feign political courage, trade principles for expedients and efficiency for propaganda.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggests that Portugal should pause border control measures until the technology used is proven to be dependable.
The reduction coincides with the first day of increased human and technical resources at the airport. The Government may suspend the collection of biometric data at airports whenever significant delays occur, provided that Brussels is informed.
Portugal has triggered the legal mechanism with European institutions that allows for the suspension of biometric data collection at airports in situations of significant delays at border control.
The European Commission has confirmed that Portugal may partially suspend the collection of biometric data at airports during peak periods to ensure passenger flow, a measure permitted under EU law until September. The Portuguese government reported a 50% reduction in border control waiting times at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport following an increase in staff and technical resources. Brussels maintains that the recent congestion issues are not related to the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES).
The European Commission confirmed this Friday that Portugal may partially suspend the registration of biometric data when necessary, stressing that this is provided for until September in the European Union's (EU) Entry/Exit System regulation. Speaking to Lusa, a spokesperson for the community executive stated that “Portugal has confirmed that it will resort to the partial suspension of...
Border control at Humberto Delgado Airport has had more human and physical resources since this morning. The expansion of the border area has been inaugurated. The work will allow for an increase in the number of electronic entry gates and PSP counters.
Passenger rights are being disproportionately affected by the new border system, says the director-general of the Association of Airline Companies in Portugal. Lisbon receives reinforcements.
Starting this Friday, May 29, Lisbon Airport will receive 48 additional PSP officers and more booths and e-gates, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI). To streamline border control, the airport will now have 34 booths for arrivals (14 more than currently) and 18 for departures (four more). Regarding automated border control, the airport will have 31 e-gates for arrivals (14 more) and 18 for departures (four more). The MAI added that following these expansions in Lisbon, similar reinforcements are planned for Porto and Faro airports during June and July. Portugal began implementing the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) on October 12, 2025, but biometric collection was suspended on April 11 and 12 of this year due to excessive passenger wait times. Tourism and aviation sectors have demanded the suspension of the European border system, with reports of chaos at Lisbon Airport.
The Prime Minister has once again admitted to the suspension, particularly during “critical hours”, of the new border control system at airports to ensure that national security and the economy “are not penalised”.
The Government denies having responsibility for the failures in passport control at Lisbon airport.
The Secretary of State for Infrastructure stated that border control constraints are affecting airports across Europe, not just in Portugal, contradicting the European Commission's stance that the new Entry/Exit System (EES) processing takes little more than a minute. While acknowledging the situation is not ideal, the government insists it is taking action to increase capacity and resources, despite international reports highlighting Lisbon as one of the worst-affected airports.
Difficulties persist with the new biometric control system upon arrival at Lisbon airport. A problem that Minister Miguel Pinto Luz believes can be resolved in the coming weeks, though he admits the situation is damaging Portugal's image abroad.
The Mayor of Lisbon says it is necessary to act now to avoid a scenario of chaos in the coming weeks. Statements made by Carlos Moedas on the sidelines of the anniversary celebrations of the Sapadores Firefighters in Lisbon.
On Sunday morning, border control recorded waiting times of over two hours at Porto airport and an hour and a half at Lisbon and Faro airports.
The Public Security Police (PSP) confirmed a technical failure in Lisbon airport's IT equipment on Tuesday morning, May 19, but stated it was resolved immediately via contingency plans. While some reports suggested disruptions, the PSP maintained that border control operations continued in strict compliance with safety and border control regulations. The PSP reported that current operations are running without constraints, providing wait times for Lisbon, Faro, and Porto airports. The police acknowledged that high passenger volumes from outside the Schengen Area and technical issues have previously caused longer-than-desired wait times. To address these issues, the government plans to increase manual border control booths, add more e-gates, and reinforce human resources. The Prime Minister has expressed dissatisfaction with the delays and suggested the potential suspension of biometric data collection if the situation persists. Additionally, a recent AirHelp study ranked Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport as the Portuguese airport with the highest risk of missed connections.
According to the Ministry of Internal Administration, the expansion of border control infrastructure at Lisbon Airport is underway, with the goal of increasing the number of manual control booths starting May 29, as well as the number of e-gates. A reinforcement of PSP human resources is also planned starting in July.
On Saturday, there were also delays of over an hour at the departure control area of Lisbon airport due to 'technical/IT difficulties'.
The Ministry of Internal Administration mentions constraints from an IT perspective. It admits that some passenger data is not being collected, but states that this does not compromise the country's security.
The Council demanded that Portugal present a plan to correct the identified flaws. It states that measures must be adopted as quickly as possible because they could have an impact on other states.
The Guinean government is monitoring the case with representatives in Portugal
Lisbon Airport faces a critical test this Easter weekend as authorities implement a contingency plan to manage border control, following recent reports of long queues and chaos for passengers arriving from outside the Schengen Area. The Ministry of Internal Administration has reinforced staff and introduced self-service kiosks to support the gradual rollout of the Entry/Exit System (EES), though unions argue that the airport's infrastructure remains structurally inadequate to handle the current volume of non-EU travellers.
The deadline for former Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) inspectors to work at Portuguese airports ends next Thursday, April 9. However, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI), not all professionals will leave. The ministry stated that inspectors with specific technical expertise, such as document analysis, will remain until PSP officers are fully trained. The PJ criminal investigation union expressed uncertainty regarding these extensions, noting that previous deadlines were changed at the last minute. Meanwhile, the union has criticised the transfer of 100 PSP officers to the Lisbon Municipal Police, arguing that these resources should be prioritised for border control.
The Public Security Police have started approaching passengers arriving from abroad directly at the aircraft exits, justifying the strategy as part of their commitments to the European Union.
