Following long delays and crowds in the non-EU Passport queue at airport immigration, a new passport rule has been introduced for UK travellers at selected Spanish airports.
UK citizens can now use the automated border control e-gates to scan their passports in selected Spanish airports, including Alicante-Elche Airport.
As Brits begin to flood into Spain this summer causing mass delays at the non-EU passport queues, Spain’s Interior Ministry has eased passport control rules to help avoid bottlenecks. UK citizens will now be permitted to use the EU e-gates at selected airports.
The pre BREXIT measure is being introduced to ease the strain on airports ahead of the peak holiday season.
The airports implementing these new passport rules include, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Mallorca, Menorca, Valencia, Fuerteventura, Sevilla, and Tenerife Sur. There will also be an additional 500 border officials deployed across these airports, as they are the busiest in Spain.
However, as UK tourists are now required to have their passports stamped when entering and leaving Schengen countries without a visa, reports state that there will be separate queues for UK citizens to get their passports stamped after they have gone through the e-gates.
Having a passport stamped allows authorities to see that tourists haven’t exceeded their 90-day visa-free limit.
