Sunday 12th October was the day that a new border conol was activated for the European Union which includes Spain and the Canary Islands. The activation will take place over a few months with a deadline expected by 10/04/2026. This is a automated system that will record the entries and exits into the Schengen Area of citizens of third countries, which includes the United Kingdom now not part of the agreement for free movement of people. This new system will eliminate of stamping of passports.Lanzarote will begin operating the system on November 12. It is being tested in Madrid-Barajas-Adolfo Suárez airport. The idea is to help speed up the entry of tourists and reinforce the new border control system. This is an advanced technological system designed to record information about non-European travelers crossing the external borders of the Schengen Area. To do this, border posts are equipped with computer equipment that will scan the data on passports, take a photo, and record fingerprints and the date and place of entry or exit. In the event that national authorities deny entry, the system will also record this information.during those six months, the EES will coexist with the traditional manual stamping of passports, which will disappear once the system is fully operational as of April 10, 2026, since it is a process that consumes a lot of time, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow for the systematic detection of people who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorized stay. The EES will register travelers from non-EU third countries each time they cross an external border of any of the 29 European countries that are part of the Schengen Area to stay for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.
