Can British Passport Holders Use E-Gates at Spanish Airports?

Facts checked on 12 November 2026.

Since Brexit, British travellers have been treated at the Spanish border as visitors from outside the European Union (EU). At first that meant no e-gates at all, only the staffed desks.

Spain first opened some e-gates to British passport holders in June 2022. Back then you still had to find an officer after the gate to stamp your passport. That has changed, and this page explains how it works today.

Who can use the e-gates in Spain

The UK government’s travel advice for Spain tells British travellers to use the desks staffed by border officers. It adds that if you are aged 18 or over, and airport staff tell you to, you may be able to use the e-gates when they are working.

So the e-gates are a bonus, not something to count on. In practice you need all of the following:

• You are aged 18 or over.
• Your passport is biometric, which means it has a chip in it. The EU says you cannot use its self-service systems without one.
• You are already registered in the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) from an earlier trip.
• The airport has e-gates switched on for travellers from outside the EU, and staff send you to them.

Which Spanish airports have e-gates for British passports?

There is no official, up-to-date list that we could find. The list of airports shared in 2022 is no longer a reliable guide. Each country decides where to offer e-gates to visitors from outside the EU, and the gates open to British passports can differ from one terminal, or one day, to the next.

The safe rule is simple: follow the signs and the staff on the day. If nobody directs you to an e-gate, join the queue for a staffed desk. Our guide to which passport queue British travellers should join explains the signs.

Do you still need a passport stamp after the e-gate?

No. Passport stamps ended on 10 April 2026, when the EES came into full use at every external Schengen border. Your entry and exit are now recorded electronically, whether you go through an e-gate or a staffed desk. You do not need to look for an officer to stamp your passport afterwards, as you did in 2022.

The EES also counts your days for you. British visitors can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area, and our article on overstaying the 90 days in Spain covers that rule. Keep your boarding passes in case your record is ever wrong.

E-gates and EES registration

On your first trip since the EES started, you cannot go straight through an e-gate. A border officer takes a photo of your face and scans your fingerprints, and these are saved in a digital record. Some airports have self-service machines where you can enter your details first, but the EU says you will still meet a passport control officer on that first trip.

On later trips your photo and fingerprints are already on file and only need to be checked. This is when a biometric passport lets you use the self-service system or e-gate, where the airport has one. The EU says that if your record is clear, you will usually not need to see a passport control officer.

A border officer watches over the e-gates all the same. If the gate cannot read your passport or match your face, or the officer wants to ask you something, you are sent to a desk. Officers can still ask for a return ticket, proof of where you are staying or proof of money. You may also be asked for a fingerprint or photo when you leave Spain.

Our guide to the EU biometric border checks explains the EES in full.

Children, families and residents

The UK government’s advice only mentions the e-gates in Spain for travellers aged 18 or over, so a family travelling with children should plan on a staffed desk. Children aged 11 or younger do not have their fingerprints scanned, but may have their photo taken.

If you live in Spain and hold a TIE (the foreigner’s identity card), you are not registered in the EES. Go to a staffed desk and hand over your passport and your TIE together, so the officer can see that you are a resident and not a visitor.

Sources

GOV.UK: Spain travel advice, entry requirements
European Union: How does the EES work?
European Union: FAQs about the EES
European Commission: Entry/Exit System