Lisbon, Aug. 27, 2026 (Lusa) - The prime minister announced on Thursday, during a visit to Lisbon airport, that authorities will collect comprehensive biometric data from foreign passengers from 6 September.
«On 6 September, we will need to collect biometric data from all citizens from outside the European Union, and this will place an increased workload on staff,» said Luís Montenegro.
The prime minister visited Lisbon airport today, accompanied by the Lusa news agency; also present were Portugal's minister for Internal Affairs, Luís Neves, the minister for infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, and the minister for the economy, Manuel Castro Almeida.
Luís Montenegro said the visit was aimed at «anticipating and assessing what is being done» and «ensuring that the implementation goes smoothly and that the days, weeks and months that follow also go smoothly».
«And everything is being done to ensure that this is the case. But we will once again face a challenge here in terms of the overall functioning of this system, which is important and which we naturally want to see monitored and aligned with what is happening across Europe,» he said.
The European Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated European Union system that replaces passport stamps with the digital recording of biometric data (photograph and fingerprints) for non-EU citizens and has been rolled out across the EU in phases since October 2025.
Portugal and seven other countries had asked the European Commission to extend the temporary suspension beyond September.
When asked whether any increase in resources is planned from 6 September, the prime minister said that there would be «ongoing monitoring, which will naturally lead to greater investment in IT and technology» and that «some of the measures already in place will be improved».
«By making the most of what the system already has, it is possible to make it more efficient, faster and more streamlined, with a few procedural changes. We may also need to amend one or two rules within the legal framework,» he added.
On the subject of increasing staff numbers, he said that «there is always pressure in many places» and pointed out that «there is a need for investment at Porto airport, for example, which is already being planned and will be carried out very quickly, because it will be one of those places where pressure will also increase in the near future».
On the long queues and waiting times at airport borders seen in recent months, since the introduction of biometric data collection, Luís Montenegro considered that there has been «a frankly positive development, resulting from investment in technology, investment in human resources and also a fundamental investment: the coordination and collaboration of all the services involved in the various areas».
The prime minister emphasised that waiting times are «well below what they were a few months ago», but acknowledged that there are still «some challenges ahead» because «the pressure will remain».
Whilst acknowledging that «long queues are not good for Portugal's image», the prime minister countered that security must be prioritised.
Regarding the comments made by the president of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation, who lamented that Montijo had been ruled out as a potential site for Lisbon's future airport, the prime minister considered the matter to be untimely.
FM/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
