Longer Lines, Tougher Questions: Inside Portugal’s Airport Border Shift

The line at passport control has become a barometer of Portugal’s evolving border strategy: roughly six travellers a day are now being turned around, a figure that hints at tougher screening, new technology and lingering staffing gaps across the country’s airports.

Inside the glass booths

Before most passengers even glimpse the baggage carousel, uniformed PSP agents have already sifted through 9.5 million arrivals between January and June. From that tide of people, 1,250 were refused entry, while another 15,600 faced extra questioning that ended in 6,052 precautionary measures, ranging from short-term detention to the seizure of suspicious documents. The same period produced 314 arrests for document fraud and 133 for other offences, underscoring how Portugal’s busiest gateways—Lisbon, Porto and Faro—still double as frontline crime-detection posts.

Policy roots: from SEF’s demise to a digital future

Two years have passed since the immigration agency SEF was disbanded, with the PSP inheriting airport duties and AIMA handling residency paperwork. The transition coincided with a spike in refusals during 2024, when 1,889 travellers were denied entry, mainly Brazilians caught without proof of purpose or valid visas. Although the 2025 semester tally is lower, insiders say the drop reflects stricter pre-flight vetting by airlines rather than a softer stance at the border. In October the landscape shifts again: the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) will scrap the familiar passport stamp, capturing biometrics and time-of-stay data for every non-EU visitor. Authorities promise faster lanes for repeat flyers; unions fear longer queues before the kinks are ironed out.

Who gets stopped—and why it matters in Portugal

Rejection at the desk never comes cheaply. For Portugal, where tourism feeds roughly 16% of GDP, each refusal translates to a lost hotel night and a potential diplomatic headache. Preliminary breakdowns show Brazilian, Angolan and UK nationals still dominate secondary screenings, usually over inadequate travel funds, expired visas or missing accommodation proofs. The pattern fuels debate in Lisbon, where ministers juggle the need for secure Schengen borders with the country’s ambition to court long-haul visitors and digital nomads.

A view from the terminal floor

Behind the statistics lie human bottlenecks. PSP officers often process 400–500 passports per shift, according to union estimates, while ANA Aeroportos admits peak-time waits can top two hours. Terminal 1 at Humberto Delgado Airport still runs on a 1990s layout, and automatic e-gates remain off-limits to most third-country nationals. The Interior Ministry has budgeted 150 new agents, but training lags demand, leaving summer crowds to test the patience of both staff and travellers.

Watchdogs and rights advocates weigh in

Civil-society monitors have ramped up oversight. Amnesty International has flagged "poor conditions" in holding rooms, urging better legal access for detainees. The Portuguese Refugee Council continues to audit all asylum claims, while the Ombudsman’s Office organised surprise inspections this spring to ensure court reviews occur within the 48-hour legal window. Government officials say procedures already include free legal aid, translated documents and consular notification, yet acknowledge construction of a dedicated asylum facility at Lisbon airport is behind schedule.

What lies ahead for passengers and residents

Starting 12 October, first-time visitors from outside the EU will surrender four fingerprints and a facial scan—a routine that should streamline later trips but may initially stretch queues. By 2026, travellers from visa-waived countries will also need an ETIAS authorisation (€7). Until the systems settle, border police advise incoming guests to carry proof of funds, return tickets, health insurance and a verifiable address. In other words, whether you are hosting relatives from Recife or Tallinn, the safest gift remains paper-trail perfection—because at Portugal’s air borders, the margin for error keeps shrinking.