Spain has allowed temporary border controls to expire, but travelers are not seeing a smooth return to pre-pandemic crossing procedures. The EU's Entry-Exit System (EES), which replaced the old stamp-in-passport model, is still generating significant delays at Spanish airports and land borders, with some travelers reporting wait times exceeding four hours.
The EES is a digital system that records the entry and exit of non-EU citizens traveling within the Schengen area. It requires biometric data (fingerprints and a photograph) and replaces the manual passport stamp. While the system is now live across the EU, implementation has been uneven, and Spanish border posts are experiencing bottlenecks as officers process the digital requirements alongside traditional document checks.