Portugal boosts airport border controls from today

More than 360 police officers are being deployed to Portugal’s airports from today (Monday) in a bid to speed up border controls and reduce long queues experienced by passengers since the introduction of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES).

The 367 officers, all part of the PSP‘s National Foreigners and Borders Unit (UNEF), completed the theoretical phase of their air border control training on Friday and have now begun a two-week operational placement at airport border posts.

Although still undergoing practical training, the officers will immediately reinforce border control operations under the supervision of experienced colleagues, a PSP source told Lusa.

The largest contingent has been assigned to Lisbon Airport, which will receive 170 officers. A further 78 have been deployed to Porto Airport, 69 to Faro Airport, 29 to Madeira Airport and 21 to airports in the Azores.

Once their two-week placement is complete, the officers will continue serving at their assigned airport border posts.

The reinforcement forms part of wider efforts to improve passenger processing following the phased rollout of the EU’s Entry/Exit System across the Schengen Area, which began in October 2025.

The digital system records the entry and exit of non-EU nationals and has significantly increased processing times at border control points, particularly at Lisbon Airport, where some travellers have faced waits of several hours.

Pressure intensified after the system became fully operational in April, prompting the government to introduce additional staffing and technical resources at Lisbon Airport in late May.

The latest deployment comes as passenger numbers rise for the peak summer holiday season, with Faro Airport among the airports expected to experience a sharp increase in international arrivals.

Source: Lusa

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident