BRITS entering Portugal will still have to queue at the airport – despite hopes of being fast-tracked.
It comes just days after it was announced that holidaymakers from the UK will be treated the same as EU citizens in Portugal with its airport e-gates open to Brits.
It means Brits with e-passports will be able to nip past lengthy queues for manual checks – as previously required under Brexit – and instead use e-gates when arriving at Lisbon, Faro, Porto and Funchal in Madeira.
However, while this will certainly make the journey through the passport faster, passengers will still need to go through passport control to get stamped.
This is since the UK left the EU, with Brits needing to have an arrival and departure stamp from any EU countries due to being classed as a third country.
Brits who don't factor in this second part of check in risk could face problems later on.
One woman was even stopped from entering Spain after she failed to get a departure stamp – and staff thought she had overstayed.
Portugal is the first country to ditch the EU policy of manual checks at airports and will instead welcome the three million UK visitors a year through special e-gate channels.
It's thought the move could prompt other EU countries such as France and Spain to follow suit.
In a further boost for Brits hoping to holiday in Portugal, they will no longer have to wear face masks indoors, after the country announced they would be scrapped.
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Portugal has also ended the requirement to fill in passenger locator forms for people travelling to the country.
If you fancy going, you could spend three nights with return flights in the Algarve for just £69.
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