Tenerife Airport and a long queue for the British: what is happening

UK residents are forced to stand in long queues to get their passports issued, while EU passport holders go through the control without any obstacles. This was first mentioned by the hospitality association of Tenerife and other Canary Islands, including La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, called Ashotel.

Tenerife is in the top list of popular destinations for UK residents. However, the huge queues at the airport associated with the emergence of Brexit are not the first time tourists have been concerned, as reported by Mirror.

According to the Ashotel association, chaos reigned at Tenerife's southern airport for several months after the UK left the EU, leading to tighter passport controls for citizens arriving from the UK.

One tourist departing from Tenerife noted the large number of people.

"Tenerife airport, the line for UK passports is a mile long. Luckily, we both have Irish passports, and the only queues for EU passports were gone. However, we are still waiting to get to the gate to board our return flight to Gatwick," he wrote on Twitter (X).

The photos posted by the user show that there is practically no queue for EU residents, while the queue for the British is several meters long.

According to hotel representatives, the situation at taxi stands at the airport is similarly difficult. The waiting time is growing significantly.

It is worth noting that the process of traveling from the UK to the EU countries is expected to change again soon, as it has already changed after Brexit.

For example, tourists leaving Europe will no longer need to have their travel documents stamped, as British passport holders have had to do since the UK left the EU.

Entry and exit system

Checkpoints will soon be digitized. It is reported that passport reading machines will be installed at the outer points of the Schengen area, replacing the manual stamping of passports.

Before crossing the border, travelers will need to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk.

In addition, this device will be able to record the following information:

Face image

Surname

First name

Date and place of birth

Nationality

Gender

Passport number, date and country of issue, and expiration date.

ETIAS or Schengen business visa with its duration and/or expiration date.

Information about the trip, including visitors and dates of entry and exit, as well as overstays in the Schengen area.

Fingerprints

The new rules already apply to 27 Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.