Malaga Airport staff reportedly gave up on using e-gates today during yet another episode of EES chaos.
John Calladine shared a photo from the arrivals end of the travel hub on Saturday, showing an enormous snaking queue at passport control.
He wrote: ‘Malaga Airport is one disorganised mess today.
‘Awful, in the end they scrapped the e-gates and just stamped everyone’s passport instead.’
It came after British resident Sue Hewitt issued a warning on the hugely popular Facebook page Expat Support In Spain.
She wrote: ‘Just be aware, my friends arrived at Malaga Airport today at 09.30am for a 12.50pm flight.
‘They went through check in and security no probs BUT have only just got through Passport Control. Many people missing flights.’
She clarified that they had spent one hour and 20 minutes waiting in the passport queue.
‘From 10.30am to 11.50am,’ she said, ‘We stood in the queue for 45 mins two weeks ago too.’
Photos of snaking queues also emerged from the departures side on Saturday morning, including from British resident Bob Wilson.
He wrote: ‘Malaga airport 10.30 this morning… however, if you follow the new procedures it was remarkably quick.
‘My advice is register at the machines adjacent to the queue, it doesn’t matter if you have a TIE just do it.
‘Then you are swept along to the e-gates passing long queues of people who didn’t register. No queue at e-gate, straight through and finally… to a man in a booth who takes your TIE and passport and stamps it
‘From leaving x-ray security to the bar on the other side of passport checks took me less than 15 minutes.’
Travellers should be aware that the Policia Nacional in Malaga this week told the Spanish Eye that TIE holders should join the EU citizens queue at passport control – as they are exempt from the EES.
The British Embassy in Madrid also said UK residents of Spain can avoid the EU’s Entry/Exit System as long as they show their TIE cards when travelling.
As part of a social media campaign this week, it said those with a TIE are ‘exempt’ from the process, as long as they carry the ID with them at ports and airports.
It comes amid confusion among Spanish authorities, who this week gave conflicting answers over whether British residents in Spain need to use the EES biometric scanners.
In a post on November 19, the British Embassy said: ‘Palma (Mallorca) is now implementing the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) at the airport.
‘If you are a visitor, your fingerprints and photo may be taken at the border. Please note that EES registration is being introduced gradually – not all passengers will be asked to register, and machines may not always be in use.
‘If you are a British resident in Spain with a valid TIE, you are exempt from EES.’
Earlier this week, the Policia Nacional in Malaga confirmed that Brits with TIE cards did not need to use the EES machines and could join the passport queue for EU citizens.
However, they warned that the queues for the machines and passport control were managed by airport staff, who may not be fully aware of the exceptions.
The force told this paper: ‘UK citizens with a Residence Permit and therefore a Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) can use the queues designated for EU citizens.
‘However, these queues are managed by AENA (Spanish Airports and Air Navigation) staff, not the National Police, which could lead to confusion or disruption.
‘UK passengers meeting the aforementioned conditions should be aware of this in order to proceed to the correct queue and avoid procedures that could generate errors in the European Entry/Exit System, which, as you may know, began operating at Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport on October 20, 2025.’
They added: ‘Officials at the aforementioned airport have confirmed that they have contacted the various consulates to provide them with information regarding the updates to the Entry and Exit System (EES).’
It came after the same force in Alicante, and Spain’s own Interior Ministry, insisted that all Brits must use the Entry/Exit System, whether they had a TIE or not.
