In May, the UK government announced that British travellers would be able to use e-gates when travelling to EU countries.
What they didn’t mention is that this is already happening – on Lanzarote, travellers have been passing though e-gates for several months. Also not mentioned was the fact that, despite using e-gates, British and other third-country nationals will still have to have their passports stamped until the EES scheme is introduced later this year.
What that means is that nothing will change on Lanzarote until the EES scheme is implemented, and that has been planned for several months, with special e-gates waiting at the airport for installation.
Until then, arrivals at Lanzarote airport will be processed as always. At the time of writing, long queues are occasionally reported at the airport due to shortage of border control agents. New agents are expected to be recruited in the summer, but until then it cannot be guaranteed that queues will not occur, usually on the busiest days of Thursday and Saturday.
If you are resident on Lanzarote, you do not need to have your passport stamped, but you will have to queue and show your TIE card to avoid this. If your passport is stamped, don’t worry – nothing will happen as long as you can prove residency.
EES SCHEME
Currently planned for October, although further delays may occur. This will put an end to passport stamping, but non-resident UK nationals will need to submit fingerprints and a facial scan the first time they pass a border.
Later, perhaps in 2026, the ETIAS visa-waiver scheme will come into force, and UK/third-country visitors to the EU will have to pay a fee of €7. This will still be a bargain compared to the equivalent ETA scheme for foreign entrants to the UK, which came into force this year and costs €16.
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