Passport E-Gates at Gran Canaria airport
Your first step after arriving at LPA Gran Canaria airport is to clear passport control. The airport has the latest e-Gate allowing for quicker border entry. If possible, we recommend that you use the ePassport gates, which will speed up your journey through the border.
What is an e-Gate?
E-gates are set up to streamline procedures at airports and shorten the time travellers spend there. They also make it possible to verify people effectively.
The eGates employ facial recognition technology to compare a traveler’s identify to the information stored in their biometric passport. The information is then cross-referenced against a number of databases to evaluate whether each traveller poses a security concern.
UK and EU Passports must have a biometric symbol that can be scanned at the e-gate. Passport holders aged 18 and over can use the electronic passport gates at Gran Canaria airport.
How to use?
The advice is you should only use the e-Gate when asked to do so by a member of the border staff at the airport. They will direct you to an available e-gate. They are pretty simple to use. When the gate is highlighted, approach it with your passport in hand. Put your feet in alignment with the foot markings, place it face down on the reader, and look into the camera. Then you can enter after the doors have opened. A border agent will call you aside if they don’t open.
Following Brexit, people entering and leaving Spain using a British passport had to use the manual non-EU lanes. Selected Spanish airports, including LPA Gran Canaria have given permission for British tourists to operate eGates in an effort to shorten lines at the Spanish Border Control.
Important Reminder: In compliance with Schengen travel regulations, British travellers must still have their passports stamped. This really means that if you are a UK national the speed of an e-Gate is not much benefit to you as you still need to get your passport stamped. This is advised as proof of your entry date and that you have not overstayed your maximum 90-day period in Spain.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for UK citizens travelling to Spain in June 2022 warning that they could need to present a return or onward ticket, evidence of sufficient funds for their stay, and proof of accommodation.