Spain is actively adjusting its implementation of the European Union's new Entry/Exit (EES), which went live on April 10, 2026, to manage significant border delays. While the system is mandatory, officials are tweaking processes—such as allowing hybrid manual checks during surges—to ease bottlenecks for non-EU travellers, especially in busy airports like Palma airport.
Spain's Interior Ministry is implementing "adjustments, not a suspension," including tweaking how biometric data is captured to speed up processing times. Some airports may use a hybrid model, switching from EES kiosks to manual stamping during peak surges to prevent severe congestion
The rollout has caused significant queues at Spanish airports, leading to calls for suspension by local politicians, though the Ministry deems the rollout "positive"
While some reports speculate about potential suspension of the system in some areas, the official stance is that EES is fully operational at all external borders.
Non-EU travellers (like British citizens) should expect to have fingerprints and facial images taken, or have their passports scanned, replacing traditional manual stamps.