Non-EU travellers arriving in Palma de Mallorca on 20 November were greeted by a new reality: biometric kiosks that capture fingerprints and a facial image before entry into Spain. The Balearic Islands gateway is the second Spanish airport—after Madrid-Barajas—to activate the European Entry/Exit System (EES), a Schengen-wide database that replaces manual passport stamps with a digital record stored for three years.
During a six-month transition period, mixed lanes will operate and border guards may deliberately slow the first wave of passengers to ensure data accuracy. Airlines and tour operators are telling non-EU nationals, including post-Brexit British visitors, to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier until kiosks become familiar. British residents already holding Spain’s biometric TIE card are exempt from EES registration but must present the card to bypass the machines.
![Palma de Mallorca Airport Switches On EU Entry/Exit Biometric System]()
AENA has installed 36 self-service kiosks and six staffed booths, funded from an €83-million national budget that will see Barcelona-El Prat and Málaga-Costa del Sol follow in December. The Interior Ministry wants full Schengen compliance before April 2026.
For corporate travellers the immediate implication is time: first-time entrants after 12 October 2025 should budget extra minutes for enrolment and ensure passports are machine-readable and undamaged. Mobility teams are updating pre-trip briefings and considering connecting-flight buffers, especially for tight intra-EU transfers.
During a six-month transition period, mixed lanes will operate and border guards may deliberately slow the first wave of passengers to ensure data accuracy. Airlines and tour operators are telling non-EU nationals, including post-Brexit British visitors, to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier until kiosks become familiar. British residents already holding Spain’s biometric TIE card are exempt from EES registration but must present the card to bypass the machines.
AENA has installed 36 self-service kiosks and six staffed booths, funded from an €83-million national budget that will see Barcelona-El Prat and Málaga-Costa del Sol follow in December. The Interior Ministry wants full Schengen compliance before April 2026.
For corporate travellers the immediate implication is time: first-time entrants after 12 October 2025 should budget extra minutes for enrolment and ensure passports are machine-readable and undamaged. Mobility teams are updating pre-trip briefings and considering connecting-flight buffers, especially for tight intra-EU transfers.
