Latest news and stories about border control in travel in Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Easyjet's country manager, José Lopes, warns of potential travel disruptions at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport this summer due to passport control issues, while also expressing interest in potential slot opportunities arising from the upcoming TAP privatisation.
Lisbon Airport is bracing for a surge in non-Schengen passenger traffic, putting its new border control system to the test during the upcoming peak travel season.
The PSP processed over 51,000 passengers at national airports by mid-afternoon, with passport control wait times reaching up to one hour in Porto and Lisbon, prompting a reinforcement of staff to manage Schengen area compliance.
Lisbon Airport is experiencing significant travel disruptions as the implementation of the new EU biometric border control system faces critical operational challenges, leading to missed flights and passenger frustration.
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.
Passengers departing from Lisbon airport are facing renewed delays during security screening procedures.
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 Lisbon airport border was temporarily closed this Tuesday after passengers from a flight arriving from Brazil disembarked in the wrong area, causing a mix of passengers, the PSP confirmed. In a response sent to Lusa, the PSP indicated that the incident involved passengers who arrived in Portugal from Salvador, Brazil, and...
The situation required a new screening of all passengers who were in the area, including those who had already boarded their planes.
Passengers from a flight arriving from Brazil disembarked in the wrong area, the PSP confirmed.
More than 170 police officers have just reinforced border control, at a time when construction work at Lisbon airport is coming to an end.
The Minister of Infrastructure credited Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves for improvements in border control at Lisbon Airport, which had previously been described as a national embarrassment. Pinto Luz noted that waiting times have been halved due to the work of various teams and Neves' leadership. The improvements follow challenges with the implementation of the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES). The minister also highlighted significant passenger growth across national airports and defended the government's transparency regarding new infrastructure investments.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, praised Luís Neves for his work on airport border control during the presentation of the Technical Report for the future Luís de Camões Airport, which took place this morning at the CCB in Lisbon. “To our colleague Luís Neves, our sincere thanks. [The situation regarding border control] ...
Starting this Monday, more than 360 police officers are reinforcing Portuguese airports as part of a measure to increase the PSP's capacity for passenger control and to avoid the queues seen in recent times. These 367 officers, who are part of the PSP's National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF), finished their training on Friday.
“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 European Commission announced on Thursday, June 4, the deployment of approximately 25 Frontex agents and the provision of seven to eight million euros in infrastructure to support Portugal with border management, following issues detected with the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The support also includes document experts to assist Portuguese authorities in applying the rules. European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, told Lusa agency at the start of the Justice and Home Affairs Council that Portugal is doing everything to make the system work and that the Frontex presence aims to reinforce that effort. Brunner also highlighted the preparatory work carried out by Portugal, which has increased human resources, strengthened teams, and improved IT systems. Two weeks after the Commission initially denied a link between queues at Portuguese airports and the EES, and after the government stated it was a European-wide problem, Brunner highlighted that cooperation is now underway. The practical and financial support aims to alleviate immediate constraints and strengthen national capacity to handle EES operations, while Portuguese authorities continue to adjust procedures and technology to normalize border flow. Lisbon Airport will have more manual border control booths.
One hour, five minutes and 35 seconds. Grace, a young English tourist travelling with her boyfriend, shows ECO the image of the stopwatch stopped on her smartphone. That was the time it took them to pass through border control after landing in Lisbon from London this Tuesday morning. And it was not longer because...
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggests that Portugal should pause border control measures until the technology used is proven to be dependable.
The constraints experienced at Lisbon airport due to the border control system may affect tourism, but the effects are expected to be temporary and will not weigh on economic growth, according to economists interviewed by Lusa.
The maximum waiting time at arrivals was 60 minutes in Porto and 47 minutes in Lisbon.
The CEO of the national airport operator stressed, however, that “every day is different”.
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.
On the day the border control area at Humberto Delgado Airport gained an additional 1,200 m2 and increased resources, the Ministers of Internal Administration and Infrastructure promised a progressive improvement “from the North to the South of the country”. “This operation will tend to be positively much better than it has been until now,” he stated this Friday.
