https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Despite claims that the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) border checks would be "fully operational" by April 10th, many airports have reported disruption and some Channel ports don't even have the technology for full rollout yet. https://www.thelocal.es/20260411/full-rollout-of-new-eu-border-checks-hit-by-delays-and-disruption Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:56:38 +0200 full-rollout-of-new-eu-border-checks-hit-by-delays-and-disruption European airports and airlines organisations issued on Monday the latest warning about the next implementation phase of the EU's new biometric border system, “as the transition phase comes to an end right in the travel peak of the Easter holidays.” https://www.thelocal.es/20260330/european-airports-record-longer-border-waiting-times-as-ees-deadline-looms Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:31:07 +0200 european-airports-record-longer-border-waiting-times-as-ees-deadline-looms The British government has alerted UK tourists travelling to the Schengen area around Easter about the full implementation of EU’s new Entry/Exit border system (EES), urging travellers to allow additional time for journeys. https://www.thelocal.es/20260327/uk-warns-of-easter-travel-delays-to-due-to-new-eu-border-checks Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:40:25 +0100 uk-warns-of-easter-travel-delays-to-due-to-new-eu-border-checks One of the stated aims of the EU's new EES system of biometric passport checks is to catch people who 'over-stay' the 90-day limit, and 4,000 of those have been caught in the first months of its implementation, according to an EU official. https://www.thelocal.es/20260224/eus-ees-biometric-passport-checks-catch-4000-over-stayers-in-first-4-months Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:34:18 +0100 eus-ees-biometric-passport-checks-catch-4000-over-stayers-in-first-4-months Airlines across Europe have called on EU chiefs to review the ongoing roll-out for the EES biometric border checks amid fears the system will lead to border chaos this summer. https://www.thelocal.es/20260211/4-hour-queues-europes-airlines-and-airports-fear-summer-travel-chaos Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:32:29 +0100 4-hour-queues-europes-airlines-and-airports-fear-summer-travel-chaos Member States will have the green light to partially suspend Europe's Entry/Exit System (EES), the new EU digital border system, over the summer to avoid any travel chaos at ports and airports during peak season. https://www.thelocal.es/20260131/eu-delays-full-rollout-of-ees-border-system-over-travel-chaos-concerns Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:00:03 +0100 eu-delays-full-rollout-of-ees-border-system-over-travel-chaos-concerns We asked our readers what their experiences of the new Entry/Exit System passport at Spanish airports have been since the launch last October, including how long they had to queue and if the passport and fingerprint scanning machines were working. https://www.thelocal.es/20260123/not-all-ees-machines-work-your-views-on-the-entry-exit-system-in-spain Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:54:53 +0100 not-all-ees-machines-work-your-views-on-the-entry-exit-system-in-spain There have been reports in Spain of long queues at airports as passengers undergo the EU's new EES biometric border checks. 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Take a minute to tell us your own experience of travelling through Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20260116/tell-us-have-you-had-problems-with-ees-border-checks-at-spanish-airports Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:25:55 +0100 tell-us-have-you-had-problems-with-ees-border-checks-at-spanish-airports The roll out of Europe's EES biometric border system was due to be stepped up this week across Europe, but what does that mean for travellers heading between France and the UK via Dover, the Eurotunnel or Eurostar terminals? https://www.thelocal.es/20260114/whats-the-latest-on-rollout-of-eurostar-eurotunnel-and-dover-ees-border-checks Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:28:48 +0100 whats-the-latest-on-rollout-of-eurostar-eurotunnel-and-dover-ees-border-checks Hoteliers and tourism bosses are calling for more police and fully functioning passport control machines at Spanish airports to fix the problem of long waits for Brits and other non-EU tourists since the rollout of the EU’s new Entry Exit System. https://www.thelocal.es/20260112/hoteliers-urge-spain-to-fix-long-airport-waits-for-uk-tourists-since-ees-launch Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:24:21 +0100 hoteliers-urge-spain-to-fix-long-airport-waits-for-uk-tourists-since-ees-launch The association of European airports called on Thursday for an urgent review of the new EU border system, amid “mounting operational issues” that could affect the holiday season. https://www.thelocal.es/20251218/mayhem-and-chaos-europes-airports-demand-urgent-review-of-new-border-system Thu, 18 Dec 2025 19:06:28 +0100 mayhem-and-chaos-europes-airports-demand-urgent-review-of-new-border-system Bilbao Port in northern Spain is the latest port of entry to roll out the new EES system for travellers from outside of the EU, highlighting how it's not just airports that have new passport checks for UK tourists and other third-country citizens. https://www.thelocal.es/20251212/spains-port-of-bilbao-implements-ees-border-checks Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:56:58 +0100 spains-port-of-bilbao-implements-ees-border-checks Are you a non-resident, non-EU traveller planning on visiting Spain soon? Here are the airports where you may still find problems with the rollout of the EU's new Entry/Exit System. https://www.thelocal.es/20251202/which-airports-in-spain-are-having-problems-with-the-ees-launch Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:04:59 +0100 which-airports-in-spain-are-having-problems-with-the-ees-launch Palma is Spain's latest airport to roll out the new EES passport checks for travellers from outside of the EU. https://www.thelocal.es/20251124/spains-palma-airport-implements-ees-border-checks Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:45:19 +0100 spains-palma-airport-implements-ees-border-checks Tenerife Sur is Spain's latest airport to roll out the new EES passport checks for travellers from outside of the EU. https://www.thelocal.es/20251107/spains-tenerife-south-airport-implements-ees-border-checks Fri, 07 Nov 2025 10:16:15 +0100 spains-tenerife-south-airport-implements-ees-border-checks The popular Alicante-Elche airport on Spain's Costa Blanca is the latest to implement the new EES passport checks for travellers from outside of the EU. https://www.thelocal.es/20251101/alicante-elche-joins-other-spanish-airports-in-launching-ees-border-checks Sat, 01 Nov 2025 10:00:56 +0100 alicante-elche-joins-other-spanish-airports-in-launching-ees-border-checks Gran Canaria airport in Spain's Canary Islands is the latest to implement the new EES passport checks for travellers from outside of the EU. https://www.thelocal.es/20251031/gran-canaria-joins-other-airports-in-spain-in-launching-ees-border-checks Fri, 31 Oct 2025 11:04:43 +0100 gran-canaria-joins-other-airports-in-spain-in-launching-ees-border-checks Barcelona-El Prat follows other major Spanish airports such as Madrid Barajas and Málaga in introducing the EU’s new Entry-Exit system. https://www.thelocal.es/20251028/barcelona-becomes-latest-airport-in-spain-to-have-ees-passport-checks Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:04:14 +0100 barcelona-becomes-latest-airport-in-spain-to-have-ees-passport-checks In less than a month, Palma de Mallorca Airport will be the fifth airport in Spain to start using the EU’s Entry/Exit System for third-country travellers, a real test for the new border checks given the millions of British tourists that visit the island every year. https://www.thelocal.es/20251021/ees-in-spain-border-checks-to-be-rolled-out-on-mallorca-in-november Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:19:04 +0200 ees-in-spain-border-checks-to-be-rolled-out-on-mallorca-in-november After new biometric border controls were rolled out at Madrid-Barajas airport over the weekend, several other airports across Spain have now introduced the new European-wide Entry Exit System (EES). https://www.thelocal.es/20251014/three-more-airports-in-spain-introduce-ees-border-checks Tue, 14 Oct 2025 18:22:06 +0200 three-more-airports-in-spain-introduce-ees-border-checks