Palma lanes, Majorca police

Palma de Mallorca Airport has begun separating British passengers into dedicated border lanes as Europe’s new digital entry system reaches full operation. (majorcadailybulletin.com) A Palma airport spokesperson told the Majorca Daily Bulletin on April 9 that the lanes were being introduced before the April 10 full rollout of the Entry/Exit System, with British travellers directed to specific kiosks for biometric checks. Officials said trial runs showed first-time registrations could take several minutes per passenger. (majorcadailybulletin.com) The European Commission said on April 10 that the Entry/Exit System is now fully operational across all Schengen countries. It replaces passport stamps for short-stay non-European Union travellers with digital records that include passport details, fingerprints, facial images, and the time and place of entry and exit. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The Commission said the system began a phased rollout on October 12, 2025 and became fully operational on April 10, 2026. The policy covers 29 European countries using the system and is meant to track short stays, detect overstays, and flag identity fraud and refusals of entry. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) Palma moved early because Mallorca handles heavy British traffic during the holiday season. The airport spokesperson said the Balearic Islands receive tens of thousands of United Kingdom visitors a day in peak periods, and business groups had warned that the new checks could produce long queues. (majorcadailybulletin.com) Extra police are also part of the response on the island. The same Palma airport report said additional Guardia Civil officers were expected to help manage the new process, while Palma City Hall said in a separate 2025 security plan that Playa de Palma policing would be reinforced from Easter through October with more officers, drones, cameras, and extra patrol vehicles. (majorcadailybulletin.com 1) (majorcadailybulletin.com 2) Palma Mayor Jaime Martínez said on April 4, 2025 that the Playa de Palma operation would start at Easter, stay active through the summer, and be reviewed every week. The plan included plain-clothes officers, three-officer patrols, beachfront cameras, and special attention to theft, street vending, public drinking, and alcohol sales to minors. (majorcadailybulletin.com) For British holidaymakers, the immediate change is practical rather than legal: they now face a separate processing flow at Palma and first-time biometric enrollment under the Entry/Exit System. For Mallorca’s authorities, the test starts at the airport desk and continues in the resort zones where the island expects its first big spring and summer arrivals. (majorcadailybulletin.com) (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu)