Spain holiday boost as Brits can skip long airport queues due to new travel rules – but there’s a catch

BRITS heading to Spain have been given a welcome boost as new travel rules will make holidays much easier - but there is a catch.

Holidaymakers have been forced to wait hours in queues at Spanish airports in recent weeks.

However, new rules are now in place which will allow Brits to use eGates at a number of airports across Spain.

This will speed up many of the long waits, as tourists were previously not allowed to use them.

The Spanish tourist board confirmed on social media: "British Citizens can now use the Automated Border Control eGates for Schengen passport holders at select Spanish Airports: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Mallorca, Menorca, Valencia, Fuerteventura, Sevilla, Tenerife Sur."

This echoes Portugal which was the first country in the EU to allow Brits to use eGates back in May.

Tourists have already been praising the move - one woman wrote: "Went through Palma airport and totally hassle free. Through eGate, passport stamped, lastly COVID pass checked. Staff were brilliant."

Another wrote: "Used the eGate at Lanzarote today, very fast and efficient at Arrecife airport thank you."

However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing - some said they are still having problems, with many claiming the eGates at Madrid were not working for Brits.

Despite the welcome boost, holidaymakers are still being warned to make sure their passports are being stamped even if using the eGates.

The Foreign Office states: "On arrival or departure, check you are eligible to use the e-gates and that you are in the right queue.

"When using an e-gate, your entry/exit is recorded on the computer system. A border officer may also stamp your passport after you have passed through the e-gate; this is for airport operational reasons."

Without the exit stamp, you could be seen as overstaying in the country.

This is because the new restrictions allow Brits to stay just 90 days over a 180 day period.

A woman was banned from entering Spain as she didn't have an exit stamp in her passport, leading them to think she overstayed her visit.

Another holidaymaker who returned from Majorca said that they didn't get their passport stamped when they left the country - which led to them being held for an hour when they later visited another Germany.

There are lots of new rules in place across Spain this summer - here are the ones you need to know about.

Thankfully passports won't have to be stamped when travelling through the EU next year, due to a new EES system being introuced.