Spain’s New Border System Creates Unprecedented Delays For Uk Tourists And Forces Holidaymakers To Endure Hours Of Waiting At Airports

Published on October 19, 2025

UK visitors walking to Spain are facing important delays astatine awesome airports owed to nan implementation of nan caller EU Entry/Exit System. This strategy requires travellers from non-EU countries, including nan UK, to acquisition biometric checks, including fingerprint and facial scans, astatine each separator crossing. While aimed astatine improving information and search visitors’ stays, nan system’s rollout has caused processing times to skyrocket, starring to agelong queues and vexation for passengers, peculiarly during highest recreation periods.

UK Holidaymakers Warned of Long Waits astatine Spanish Airports Due to New EU Border System

British holidaymakers heading to Spain could acquisition important delays astatine passport power arsenic a caller EU separator information strategy creates disruptions astatine awesome airports. The Entry/Exit System (EES), which officially launched connected Sunday astatine Madrid-Barajas Airport, marks nan opening of a Europe-wide inaugural aimed astatine enhancing separator security. The system, introduced by nan European Union, requires travellers from non-EU countries, including nan UK, to supply their fingerprints, facial images, and passport specifications each clip they participate aliases time off nan Schengen Area.

Disruption astatine Major Spanish Airports

While nan caller strategy is designed to amended information and way visitors’ stays much efficiently, its implementation has already led to warnings astir agelong queues and processing delays. According to reports from Vozpópuli, airlines and airdrome unit person expressed concerns that nan checks could importantly widen processing times. While passport power antecedently took astir 30 seconds per traveller, nan caller biometric strategy could return betwixt 3 to 5 minutes per passenger. This intends that during highest recreation times, specified arsenic engaged vacation flights, queues could agelong for hours, causing awesome vexation for travellers.

Madrid-Barajas Airport has go nan first airdrome to instrumentality nan EES system. However, awesome Spanish airports for illustration Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga-Costa del Sol, and those successful nan Canary Islands are group to travel successful nan coming days. These airports are particularly celebrated pinch British tourists, and nan caller strategy is expected to origin awesome delays, peculiarly during half-term and summertime holidays erstwhile recreation numbers are high.

System Rollout and Government Investment

The Spanish authorities has committed important resources to nan roll-out of this caller separator information system. Spain’s Ministry of nan Interior has confirmed that nan National Police will proceed to beryllium responsible for separator controls, while nan Civil Guard will grip customs and fiscal checks. The authorities has invested astir €83 cardinal successful nan exertion required to instrumentality nan system, which will beryllium expanded gradually until it meets nan afloat compliance targets group by nan EU by April 2026. The existent shape of nan rollout is expected to meet astir 10% of nan EU’s wide compliance goals.

While Spain’s authorities insist that nan modulation to nan caller strategy is progressing smoothly, location are concerns astir nan first teething problems. Passengers, peculiarly those travelling during engaged vacation periods, are being advised to let other clip for airdrome information and passport control. With further biometric information postulation and scanning procedures, nan process could return longer than usual, starring to longer waiting times.

What Travellers Need to Know

For astir big travellers, nan EES strategy will require some fingerprint and facial scans, on pinch a passport check. For those requiring a visa to participate Spain, nan process will only impact nan submission of a photograph and passport details. However, location is an exemption for children nether 12 years of age, who will not beryllium required to acquisition nan biometric registration process.

The strategy is intended to boost information by providing much meticulous information connected nan magnitude of enactment of non-EU visitors, while besides making it easier to show separator introduction and exit points. By collecting biometric information from each non-EU nationals, nan strategy intends to streamline separator power processes, making it much difficult for group to overstay their permitted enactment wrong nan Schengen Area.

Potential Delays and Future Expectations

Despite nan government’s efforts to guarantee a soft modulation to nan EES system, it is clear that first implementation will bring important challenges. Passengers who are utilized to speedy and businesslike separator power procedures whitethorn look longer hold times, particularly arsenic nan strategy continues to beryllium rolled retired astatine different awesome airports passim Spain. These delays whitethorn go much pronounced arsenic nan busiest recreation periods approach, including nan upcoming schoolhouse vacation seasons.

For those readying to recreation to Spain successful nan coming months, it is highly recommended to let for other clip astatine nan airport, particularly during highest periods. While nan strategy will yet thief streamline nan process successful nan agelong term, early adopters whitethorn find themselves caught successful lengthy queues.

The Impact connected Tourism

The preamble of nan EES is expected to person a mixed effect connected tourism. On nan 1 hand, nan strategy will amended information and make it easier for Spain to way visitors, perchance reducing overstays and forbidden immigration. On nan different hand, nan contiguous effect connected holidaymakers could beryllium a emergence successful hold times and frustrations astatine separator control. This could make immoderate visitors reconsider their recreation plans aliases activity alternative, little congested routes into Spain.

In addition, UK tourists, galore of whom recreation often to Spain for holidays, will apt carnivore nan brunt of these delays owed to nan country’s exit from nan EU. With Spain being 1 of nan astir celebrated vacation destinations for British travellers, nan EES strategy whitethorn airs a peculiar inconvenience, particularly during highest recreation seasons.

Conclusion

As nan EES strategy continues to rotation retired crossed Spain, holidaymakers should hole for imaginable delays astatine passport control. With nan preamble of fingerprint and facial scans, on pinch passport checks, recreation clip done Spain’s airports is expected to increase. While nan strategy intends to amended information and amended way visitors, passengers should scheme accordingly and let other clip astatine airports. With nan authorities investing millions successful nan infrastructure to support this system, nan changes are expected to amended information successful nan agelong term, but travellers whitethorn look short-term disruptions.