Border controls in Portugal enter this Sunday, September 6, into a new phase with biometric data collection at 100% for travellers covered by the European Entry/Exit System (EES). Prime Minister Luís Montenegro had already anticipated that this change would represent "added pressure" on border services, especially at the airports of Lisbon, Faro and Porto.
The EES replaced the traditional passport stamp with a digital registration that includes travel document data, facial image, fingerprints, as well as the date and location of entry or exit. The system became fully operational at the external borders of the Schengen area on April 10, 2026, but European legislation temporarily allowed States to suspend biometric collection when exceptional circumstances existed and waiting times became excessive. It is this transitional margin that is now coming to an end in Portugal.
The system essentially applies to non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area for short stays, normally up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Portuguese citizens and those from the remaining EU countries are excluded, as are nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Some categories of third-country nationals with residence permits or long-stay visas are also exempt.
The Government acknowledges that not all constraints have been resolved and guarantees that there will be "permanent monitoring" of this new phase, foreseeing more technological investment and improvements in procedures to make controls faster.
