British tourists traveling to the Balearic Islands will face from this week a new procedure at the border. The Entry and Exit System (SES), activated by the European Union on October 12, will start operating this Tuesday at Menorca airport, within the schedule of staggered implementation in the Member States.
The SES is an automated computerized system designed to record the entry and exit of citizens from third countries that are not part of the European agreement on free movement into and out of the Schengen Area. This new model replaces the traditional passport stamp and collects digital information such as document data, photo, fingerprints and date and place of border crossing.
According to the planned schedule, full implementation of the system is scheduled for April 10, 2026.
Palma to implement SES on November 19 and Ibiza still without date
The British ambassador to Spain, Alex Ellis, explained to the Majorca Daily Bulletin that SES “has begun to be introduced in Spain, but will be implemented over a six-month period”. “Madrid airport was the first to implement it on October 12 and only for a limited number of passengers. Menorca will do it on November 4 and Palma on November 19, while Ibiza still has no confirmed date,” he detailed.
The system is also being implemented progressively in other Spanish airports and in countries such as France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal. The only EU states that will not apply the SES rules are Ireland and Cyprus.
A registration valid for three years
According to information provided by the British embassy, the SES digital record will be valid for three years. This means that if a tourist re-enters the Schengen Area within that period, he or she will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo, without the need to re-do the full registration.
Ambassador Ellis stressed that the UK, which brought 18.4 million visitors to Spain last year, is in constant dialogue with the Spanish authorities to ensure that the transition to the new system goes smoothly.
“There is a great interest on the Spanish side to make it work properly, and in fact, they were ready. The delays are due to other countries that were not yet ready,” he said.
