Lisbon Tries EU Border App as Summer Travel Pressure Starts Rising

Portugal has introduced the EU’s “Travel to Europe” app at Lisbon Airport as it tries to reduce long waits at border control before the summer travel season.

The app allows eligible travelers from outside the EU to send some of their travel information in advance, up to 72 hours before arrival. The aim is to speed up border processing at an airport that has faced growing pressure since the rollout of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, or EES.

What the app does

The app is linked to EES, the EU’s new digital border system for short-stay non-EU travelers. Instead of relying only on passport stamps, the system records entries and exits electronically and collects biometric data.

Through the app, travelers can pre-register passport details, upload a facial image, and in some cases complete part of the entry questionnaire before reaching the airport.

The app is optional and does not replace the border check. Travelers must still go through passport control in person, and fingerprints are still taken at the border.

Lisbon moves to fix border-control delays after EU inspection

The launch comes after months of concern about border operations at Lisbon Airport.

An inspection by the European Commission in December found serious deficiencies in border-control procedures there.

Portuguese authorities later took emergency steps, including temporarily pausing EES use at Lisbon and adding staff to help manage delays.

Lisbon rollout signals a wider push to ease summer border pressure

Lisbon is the first airport in Portugal to use the app, and the system is expected to expand to other airports in the coming weeks.

That broader pressure had already been building across Europe as the new border system started creating concerns about longer processing times at busy airports.

Portugal’s move to introduce pre-registration at Lisbon therefore reflects a wider effort to reduce friction before peak summer demand puts even more pressure on border operations.

Photo by Liam McKay on Unsplash