Entering and leaving Spain - Page 2

That’s what I thought/know as I went through it myself 2 weeks ago! Having said that, I can’t remember exactly where the gates were…, whether it was after the departure lounge (with cafes etc), and before the boarding gate area, or before the departure lounge after coming down the stairs?

I’m pretty sure it was after the lounge and before boarding area - but not 100%?

Wherever it was, myself and family, plus other non EU travellers, had to go through this area - there is no way around it!

When you fly from Alicante and board from a C gate at the end of the airport I agree you have to scan your passport to open the gates. However we flew with British Airways and left from a gate in the main concourse next to cafes etc and so we never had to go through a passport control

I'm typing this from Departures. My Ryanair flight tonight is boarding at a C Gate which is before the Border Control gates where your passport is normally scanned. However there are now passport scanning devices at some C gates. The photo attached is taken at  C34/35/36, the passport scanners are visible. 

Ok I've walked over and checked this...  C41-50 opposite the cafes only have Passport booths, C32-36 have digital checks. So it would be possible to exit without a check through 41-50 if the booth wasn't manned, or if the booth was manned but the officer didn't check a passenger. 

Complicado...

Steve

I think you probably meant the B gates, to access all B Gates you have to go through the Digital passport gates which always have staff on them asking you where you're flying to.

I went there tonight assuming my UK flight would leave from a B gate beyond there but to my surprise the flight wasn't listed on the new Departures screen installed there and it turns out it's leaving from a C gate which has newly installed digital scanners. However as I wait to board I see that although there are Digital passport scanners installed they're not in use yet so it's a manual check tonight by the Ryanair ground staff, there is no Border control booth at Gate 33. A work in progress it seems.

Steve

I agree with Jim.  The automatic passport controls are to check and verify who we are.  I don’t think they care less about schengen rules and rolling days.

By the way, when you fly, your carrier has details of all passengers travelling ..

Wouldn’t it be handy if they’d message us telling how many days left we have to visit Spain!   Joking. I’m of a mind that life will continue on the way it did before Brexit. Spain should and are happy to have tourism back. It’s an enormous industry and very valuable. Why would they reject any of us in reality?  It’s the prerogative of the Spanish government to turn a blind eye as it has been doing for many years.

Hi I placed the original post and would like to thank everyone for their comments. As ‘dinnerout’ Pointed out gates C41 to 50 do not have automatic passport scanning. They only have a booth and when we flew out we left from one of those gates and this was not manned and hence my concern that the Spanish authorities would not be aware I have left. 

My concerns have now been lifted. I have been informed by an person in authority that my departure from Spain will have been noticed even though my passport has not been scanned or stamped. The airlines are passing details of all passenger movements to the Spanish border control. By this method they know I’ve left and I can return

They look very new machines.

We flew home from Alicante on the 8th of October on a very late flight. 00.40 to Luton. We had our passport stamped in and out at a boarder control booth. We didn't have to go through the passport machines in Spain. We queued at the departure gate C29 or 30 and the easy jet staff checked out Uk locator form, our boarding pass and our passport for the photo ID.

If you were an EU citizen with EU passports they were directed to the E-gates.  Eu passports cannot be stamped in any EU country.

We have applied for new passports so when we return in January we will have new passport numbers. So will they know that we went in October? Is the system linked to numbers or names. I would suggest numbers? What do you think?

France is looking at a special visa for second home owners. I do hope that Spain will follow suit.

Hi

I have been speaking about this to friends, if they stamp your passport, in and out, who’s going to look at millions of passports going through the airport, trying to find the pages, I have passports from travelling to parts of the world all stamped but difficult to find the stamps they should scan  as you leave and when returning , it should show on the systems this is going backwards , we came in in August to Murcia they stamped passports, we will see when going back in November, 

Hi as a second home owner of a property in France can you point me in the direction to find out more information re this ?