A new digital border control system is now formally in operation at the main airport in Majorca, a Spanish Balearic Island that’s beloved by British holidaymakers. The new European Entry/Exit System (EES) will change the conventional passport stamping course of of years previous at Palma Airport.
The EU-wide border system “replaces the manual passport stamping process for non-EU, non-Schengen visitors, including travellers from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and many more countries”, Palma Airport explains on its web site. First-time arrivals will now have to scan their passport, have a facial {photograph} taken, and present 4 fingerprints. The particulars will be saved in an EU database and used to keep monitor of when guests enter and depart the Schengen Area.
The system also digitally information journey doc knowledge, entry and exit instances and places, as effectively as refused entries, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
However, youngsters under 12 can be registered for free with only a {photograph} required. Meanwhile, British residents residing in Spain with a legitimate TIE card won’t have to register on the system.
It formally launched at the airport on Wednesday, November 19, though some handbook passport stamping will proceed during the initial section while the system is phased in.
Some teething issues are expected while the system is bedded in and travellers regulate to the course of, with longer queues probably.
Palma Airport joins the phased rollout across Spain and Europe. It’s already began being used in the main airports of Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante and Menorca.
The system will be progressively deployed over the next six months, with full implementation expected by April 10, 2026.
The EES will be in operation at airports, seaports and land borders in nations participating. Its goal is to modernise management of borders, and help stop people overstaying illegally (longer than the permitted 90-day restrict within a 180-day period), or committing identification fraud.
Checks should be faster for future crossings once you’ve registered, with travellers set to need only a verification rather than a full biometric re-collection.
For future entries, biometric registration will be legitimate for three years or until your passport expires.
Another change British travellers need to be conscious of is also on the method. Eventually, British and other non-EU/non Schengen nation residents travelling to EU Member States (minus Ireland) will need to get authorisation via the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) before journey.
The journey authorisation will price around €20 (£18), and be legitimate for up to three years.
ETIAS, a separate system, is expected to be operational after EES is in place. It’s set to begin operations in the last quarter of 2026.
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