Latest news and stories about border control in travel in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
The European Union has fully implemented its new Entry/Exit System, replacing physical passport stamps with mandatory digital biometric registration for non-EU citizens to enhance Schengen Area border security.
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.
The article discusses the severe congestion at Lisbon Airport, framing it as an 'impossible task' due to a combination of new EU border control requirements, infrastructure limitations, and a significant increase in passenger numbers. It highlights that while the PSP (Public Security Police) is working to manage the flow, the underlying issue is a lack of physical capacity that cannot be solved without a new airport. The text also notes that despite these challenges, the PSP has increased its proactive enforcement, including interceptions and arrests for document fraud and drug trafficking.
The new electronic border system in Portugal has faced queues, with the Public Security Police (PSP) monitoring the situation closely. Superintendent Sérgio Soares explained that when wait times exceed 40 minutes, officers temporarily stop collecting photos and fingerprints to prevent excessive delays, though the system remains active. Similar issues have been reported across several European airports, including in Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands, leading to missed flights. Airlines are not held responsible for these delays, leaving passengers to file complaints with airport authorities or the Civil Aviation Authority.
On Saturday, the collection of biometric data had already been suspended during the morning to prevent passengers from missing their flights due to long queues.
The new digital system at national airports continues to cause problems. In recent days, dozens of passengers have missed flights due to failures in the kiosks of the new entry and exit system for the Schengen area, which are unable to handle the high number of users. There are reports of malfunctions and delays at border control, and the PSP confirms that, at times, the collection of biometric data is even being suspended.
The official stressed that departure checks are being carried out safely, following the usual model and complying with established protocols, but without biometric data collection.
Biometric data collection at departures in Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports was suspended again this Sunday, April 12, due to excessive waiting times for passengers. PSP spokesperson Superintendent Sérgio Soares stated that the measure aims to prevent passengers from missing flights while maintaining border security. The suspension affects the Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated EU system that records biometric data for non-EU citizens, which has caused significant delays since its full implementation on Friday.
According to the statement from ANA - Portugal, “today, during the morning period, there were very long wait times at the Lisbon airport border control for both departures and arrivals.”
During the morning, the PSP decided to suspend the collection of biometric data at Lisbon, Faro, and Porto airports due to the high volume of passengers.
The measure was taken due to long waiting times, the PSP reports.
The European Union's new border control system—the European Entry/Exit System—which became fully operational on Friday (10/04), has caused massive queues at the airport.
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.
Those departing from Lisbon waited an average of 30 minutes. PSP personnel are at maximum capacity during a period of high traffic.
After the European system was reactivated at Lisbon Airport, reports of prolonged wait times continue at certain times of the day for queues outside the Schengen area.
As of 11:15 am this Monday, the maximum wait time at arrivals was 38 minutes and only two minutes at departures, according to a PSP source, following wait times of around two hours on Sunday.
On Sunday, waiting times reached two hours for those arriving in the Portuguese capital.
The PSP advises citizens of third countries to pre-register their travel using the 'Travel to Europe' mobile application.
Home News Lisbon airport registered peak in queues waiting times Lisbon airport registered peak in queues waiting times The waiting time at border control at Lisbon airport reached a peak of 2 hours on 29 March for those arriving at 8:30 am, but has since decreased to less than an hour, according
Passengers flying into Lisbon this morning discovered a backlog at passport/ border control, in spite of the fact that every available booth was ‘manned’ by PSP agents. According to anecdotal The post Lisbon airport queue misery returns appeared first on Portugal Resident.
PSP and ANA acknowledge constraints at Humberto Delgado Airport. Reinforcement of resources did not prevent long queues at an infrastructure already under pressure.
The waiting time at border control at Lisbon airport reached a peak of two hours today for those who arrived around 08:30, but has since decreased to less than an hour, according to the PSP and ANA.
Waiting times at Lisbon Airport's border control peaked at two hours for arrivals around 08:30 on Sunday, March 29, but have since decreased to under an hour, according to the PSP and ANA. Officials confirmed that all available border control posts were fully staffed as part of the Easter contingency plan, which includes additional police reinforcements and a new border control zone. The Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU citizens, which had been temporarily suspended due to previous delays, is now fully operational again.
The peak occurred around 8:30 am at Lisbon airport, according to ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal. It added that the waiting time is now under an hour.
The wait at border control at Lisbon airport reached a peak of two hours this Sunday for those who arrived around 08:30, but has since decreased to less than an hour, according to the PSP and ANA. Contacted by the Lusa agency following reports from passengers indicating they had arrived in Lisbon around 06:00...
The peak occurred around 8:30 am
The contingency plan currently in force provides for a reinforcement of 30 police officers with border guard training at the airport.
Passengers from various parts of the world have once again faced long queues in Portugal's immigration areas, especially at Lisbon Airport. The PSP states that security is a priority.
The European border control system for non-EU citizens, which was suspended in December at Lisbon airport after ‘an outcry’ over queues that built up, is once again operational, the government The post EU border control system back on track at Lisbon airport appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Contingency plan starts on Monday and includes 10 new manual posts and e-gates in Lisbon. During Easter week, 75,000 passengers per day are expected. The PSP is trying to avoid the chaos seen at Christmas and New Year.
