Spain’s busiest passenger ferry terminals—Algeciras and Tarifa—will become the country’s first maritime ports to operate the European Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS pre-travel authorisation in live production. On 13 January the Port Authority of Algeciras (APBA) awarded French-Spanish integrator Inetum a €3.2 million contract to supply self-service kiosks, ABC e-gates, assisted booths, tablets, CCTV and digital signage, and to train auxiliaries who will support Policía Nacional officers during initial deployment. The project is 75 % co-financed by the EU Border Management & Visa Instrument and is structured in two phases, the second—budgeted at €10.8 million—covering three years of passenger-service staff. (cadenaser.com)
When the system goes live “before the summer”, all non-EU travellers on the busy Strait of Gibraltar routes will have their fingerprints and facial biometrics captured and matched against Schengen security databases instead of receiving a passport stamp. The APBA will subsequently transfer ownership of the equipment to Spain’s interior ministry, creating a template for other Spanish ports and land borders. (cadenaser.com)
![Algeciras & Tarifa to Roll Out EES/ETIAS Biometric Border Gates Before Summer]()
Travel administrators scrambling for clear, up-to-date instructions should note that VisaHQ, via its dedicated Spain page (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), consolidates the latest EES/ETIAS rules and offers an end-to-end application service, simplifying compliance for individual passengers, shipping companies and cruise lines alike.
For corporate mobility managers the change means longer first-time processing (estimated 45-60 seconds per traveller) and the need to brief seafarers, offshore workers and Moroccan business visitors on pre-enrolment requirements. Carriers will have to update API messaging to include EES tokens, while cruise and ferry operators are revisiting terminal layouts to segregate EU and third-country flows. Failure to adapt could translate into missed sailings and contractual penalties during the peak summer season.
More broadly, Spain is racing to avoid the airport-centric chaos other Schengen states experienced in 2025 pilot tests. By piloting at maritime borders—where surge volumes are predictable—the interior ministry hopes to fine-tune staffing algorithms and passenger-education campaigns before EES becomes mandatory at Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat in October 2026.
When the system goes live “before the summer”, all non-EU travellers on the busy Strait of Gibraltar routes will have their fingerprints and facial biometrics captured and matched against Schengen security databases instead of receiving a passport stamp. The APBA will subsequently transfer ownership of the equipment to Spain’s interior ministry, creating a template for other Spanish ports and land borders. (cadenaser.com)
Travel administrators scrambling for clear, up-to-date instructions should note that VisaHQ, via its dedicated Spain page (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), consolidates the latest EES/ETIAS rules and offers an end-to-end application service, simplifying compliance for individual passengers, shipping companies and cruise lines alike.
For corporate mobility managers the change means longer first-time processing (estimated 45-60 seconds per traveller) and the need to brief seafarers, offshore workers and Moroccan business visitors on pre-enrolment requirements. Carriers will have to update API messaging to include EES tokens, while cruise and ferry operators are revisiting terminal layouts to segregate EU and third-country flows. Failure to adapt could translate into missed sailings and contractual penalties during the peak summer season.
More broadly, Spain is racing to avoid the airport-centric chaos other Schengen states experienced in 2025 pilot tests. By piloting at maritime borders—where surge volumes are predictable—the interior ministry hopes to fine-tune staffing algorithms and passenger-education campaigns before EES becomes mandatory at Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat in October 2026.
