Portugal hardens input control in the country, requires biometrics and should cause queues

Lisbon-The new border control systems in Portugal, which have a direct impact on the entry of foreigners in the country, came into force on Monday. According to the agency for integration, migrations and asylum (AIMA), the measures make the process more rigorous and automated, and should result in an increase in waiting time at airports, especially in Lisbon.

The main change is the requirement of biometric registration and the history of entries and exits from travelers from countries outside the European Union. Data will be crossed with European security systems to monitor movements and ensure the legality of immigrant permanence.

The measures are part of a package integrated with the European Union plan for the modernization of migratory management. The systems that are now in operation are:

• VIS4EES: European visa information system, which stores detailed data on who enters the Schengen space.
• PASSE+: National Air Border and Terrestrial Control System, which reinforces surveillance in ports and airports.
• Border portal: Digital platform for managing and tracking citizens’ entry and exit.

These tools will be operated by the Border and Foreign Coordination Unit (UCFE), linked to the Internal Security System, with the support of the Republican National Guard (GNR), the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to superintendent Pedro Moura, coordinator of UCFE, “new systems bring greater security, traceability and automated control, aligning Portugal with the most demanding standards in Europe.”

AIMA has reported that control will be applied to all non -European citizens entering the country and that the process may cause delays in immigration lines. Passengers should be aware of information at airports and digital channels of the organs involved.

The implementation occurs shortly after the led by Luís Montenegro in Sunday’s legislative elections (18), in which it arrives-the far right party that defends greater migratory rigor-consolidated as in Parliament.