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LisTransferLisbon travel guide by GetVoolo

Lisbon Airport passport control, EES and ETIAS

Facts checked by Roshid on 9 October 2026

Since late 2025, passport control at Lisbon Airport has often had very long queues. The main cause is the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which registers the fingerprints and face of most non-EU visitors. Here is what changed, who it affects, and how to plan your arrival and departure.

Who queues, and who doesn't

  • EES applies to non-EU visitors on a short stay, for example travellers from the UK, the US, Canada, Brazil or Australia. The first time you enter, your fingerprints and a photo are taken at the border (children under 12 give only a photo).
  • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and non-EU residents of Portugal with a residence permit, are not registered in EES.

What happened at Lisbon Airport

  • November 2025: the US Embassy warned travellers about waiting times at Lisbon Airport and advised arriving early.
  • 30 December 2025: after reported waits of up to seven hours, the Portuguese government suspended EES at Lisbon Airport for three months.
  • April 2026: EES checks on departure were suspended at Lisbon, Porto and Faro over the weekend of 11–12 April to avoid delays.
  • May 2026: Ryanair said its passengers faced hour-long passport queues at Lisbon over the early-May bank-holiday weekend, and asked for EES to be suspended until September. On the morning of 17 May, waits reached an hour and a half at Lisbon and Faro and over two hours at Porto. The government said it would not suspend EES over the summer.

How early to arrive for a flight out of Lisbon

Leaving the Schengen area with a non-EU passport, for example to the UK or the US? Allow extra time for the exit check on top of security. The US Embassy's advice in November 2025 was to arrive three hours early.

Before you fly, check our strike list for airline and airport strikes. Travelling over the holidays? See Lisbon in December.

ETIAS: the next change

ETIAS is a separate online travel authorisation. Visa-free visitors will need it before travelling to Portugal and the rest of the Schengen area. It is not running yet: the official EU site says no applications are being collected, and that the start date will be announced several months ahead. Until then you do not need to apply for anything, and any website charging you for ETIAS now is not official.

Sources