Portugal Opens E-gates to Travellers From US and Canada

The decision has been confirmed through a statement published by Portugal’s Ministry for Interior Administration (MAI), AtoZSerwisPlus.pt reports.

According to a report published by Portugal Resident, a total of 25 new Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) inspectors have also been drafted in to support teams that are already working at Lisbon and Porto terminals.

MAI also announced that the extension of RAPID4ALL to US and Canadian travellers will also be rolled out in Porto and Faro airports afterward.

Authorities in Portugal have said that the reason for introducing such border control doors on Lisbon and Azores is that these airports welcome the largest number of passengers from the United States and Canada at this time of the year. Besides, it was reported that just yesterday, June 15, in Lisbon 700 travellers from the US and 67 from Canada benefited from the new policy.

“RAPID4ALL improves the management of external borders, improves service to passengers, increases the efficiency of frontier controls, and combats illegal immigration,” MAI pointed out in a statement.

In addition, Portuguese authorities have stressed that the RAPID4ALL turnstiles have been open to holders of Portuguese passports as well as those from the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom as well as Singapore.

The same ministry has described its summer plan as “possessing a vast set of measures, with a triple dimension” while emphasising that they will become effective between now and July 4.

According to authorities in Portugal, the triple dimension includes substantially reinforcing human resources at the country’s airports as well as new technological solutions and more operational solutions.

“We will be monitoring the implementation of these measures and seeking to perfect the allocation of human resources and materials so that waiting times can be reduced as much as possible,” Minister José Luís Carneiro emphasised.

However, the Minister added that it would never be completely possible to guarantee queues cease to exist after they imply variables of different natures.

The MAI has stressed that the extension of the RAPID4ALL system will permit a greater speed in the border control process without compromising security