Lisbon airport's border rules just changed again

If you fly in or out of Lisbon as a non-EU citizen, the rules at the border just shifted again. It's Friday, 28 August. Twenty-five degrees. Air quality: 34 (Good). Here's what you need to know.

🗞️ BIOMETRIC CHECKS RETURN TO 24/7 AT PORTUGUESE AIRPORTS

Portugal's airports have returned to collecting biometric data from all non-EU passengers around the clock. The move ends a summer in which the EES, the European Entry/Exit System, was repeatedly toggled on and off as queues overwhelmed border infrastructure, particularly at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport.

The system requires fingerprints and a facial scan from every non-EU national entering or leaving the Schengen area. It replaces the old passport-stamp system and is designed to track who is in the zone, for how long, and whether they have overstayed. It has been mandatory across the EU since April, but Portugal suspended biometric collection several times during the spring and summer when wait times became unacceptable, at one point hitting seven hours at Lisbon.

The return to 24/7 collection means those suspensions are, for now, over. The government has said it retains the right to pause biometrics again if queues spike, under a European Commission compromise that allows member states to suspend collection for up to 90 days with a 60-day extension. But the direction of travel is clear: biometric border checks are the permanent new reality, and the pauses were always meant to be temporary.

For residents with a valid Portuguese residence permit and a biometric passport (one with a chip), e-gates are available and should be faster. The system was expanded in April to include third-country nationals with residence permits, not just EU citizens. In practice, readers have reported mixed results, with some being redirected to the manual queue even with the right documents.

For visitors, or residents without a chip passport, the manual queue is the only option, and wait times at peak hours remain unpredictable. The government says expanded e-gate capacity and the Frontex "Travel to Europe" pre-registration app, which lets you submit passport data and a facial image up to 72 hours before arrival, have reduced average processing times. Pre-registration does not eliminate the in-person fingerprint scan, but it shaves minutes off each passenger.

Bottom line: if you are flying in or out of Portugal as a non-EU citizen, budget extra time at the border and pre-register on the Frontex app if you can.

⚡ QUICK HITS

New rules for ride-hailing apps in Portugal take effect on Monday. The updated TVDE law (Law 59/2026) comes into force on 1 September with changes that will affect anyone who uses Uber, Bolt or similar services. Taxis will now be allowed to register on ride-hailing platforms for the first time, meaning you could see a taxi arrive when you order an Uber. Drivers will carry a permanent, non-removable sticker with anti-fraud security elements, replacing the current removable version. New drivers will need 50 hours of training including a Portuguese language proficiency check. In-car video recording will be permitted with both the driver's and passenger's consent, though audio recording remains banned. Advertising on TVDE vehicles will also be allowed for the first time.

Three Portuguese restaurants have been named among the world's best winery dining experiences. Wine Enthusiast magazine identified 57 winery restaurants globally, with 22 in Europe. Portugal's three entries span three distinct wine regions: Mesa de Lemos in the Dão, near Viseu, where Michelin-starred chef Diogo Rocha serves contemporary Portuguese cuisine overlooking Quinta de Lemos's vineyards; Bomfim 1896 in the Douro, part of the Symington family's historic Port wine estate at Quinta do Bomfim in Pinhão, cooking traditional Douro recipes over wood fires; and Malhadinha Nova in the Alentejo, near Beja, where much of the produce is grown or raised on the property, including Alentejo black pigs.

84% of Portuguese workers now use AI tools on the job. A new study by Cegid and OpinionWay, surveying more than 2,000 office workers across Portugal, Spain, France and Germany, puts Portugal's adoption rate at 84%, up from 65% last year. Three quarters of Portuguese workers say they feel positive about using AI at work, up 17 percentage points on 2025. Among 18-to-29-year-olds, that figure rises to 86%. But only 6% say AI is fully integrated into their organisation. The gap between individual enthusiasm and corporate readiness is the story: people are using it, but most companies have not built it into how they actually work.

Hypno Summit Portugal — Why Understanding Yourself Doesn't Always Change Anything

Ronia Fraser is a multi-award-winning clinical hypnotherapist, trauma recovery expert and published author based in Lisbon, recognised internationally for her work in narcissistic abuse recovery and complex trauma. She is hosting Europe's first boutique hypnosis summit here in October, and we asked her to write about why knowing what's wrong isn't always enough to fix it.

You have probably had this experience. You know exactly what you should do, and then you watch yourself do the opposite anyway. Not because you are confused, but because something deeper overrides the decision before logic gets a vote.

You stay in the relationship longer than you meant to. You overthink instead of speaking up. You promise yourself this time will be different, and then it is not. You are self-aware enough to see the pattern. You understand it. But understanding it has not changed it.

There is something in your life you are tired of repeating.

What if the problem is not that you lack self-knowledge, but that you have been trying to change using only the conscious mind?

Hypno Summit Portugal is taking place in Lisbon on 3 and 4 October at the HF Fénix Lisboa, Marquês de Pombal. For two days, some of the most respected voices in hypnosis and human behaviour will explore how change actually works: anxiety, self-sabotage, relational trauma, nervous system dysregulation, body image, money mindset, and what it takes to shift those patterns in a lasting way.

And no, you absolutely do not need to be a hypnotherapist to come, though you are very welcome if you are. Some people will come because they work in therapy, coaching or personal development. Others because they are curious about how humans really work. The common thread is wanting to understand why we do what we do, and what to do about it.

The summit is capped at 100 participants. No distant stage, no crowd. Real access to speakers, real conversations, and room to actually sit with what you are hearing. You do not need to fly to London or New York for this calibre of expertise. It is coming to Lisbon. Consider it an invitation to get curious.

Exclusively for Lisbon Letter readers: €333 (standard tickets are higher). Use code LISBONLETTER at checkout before 21 September, subject to availability. Payment plans available on request at [email protected] (subject line: Lisbon Letter).

→ Find out more and book your place

We only partner with businesses we think genuinely help our community. If this is useful to you, or if you know someone who has been curious about hypnosis or is looking for a different approach to something they have been trying to change, every click and every share goes a long way to keeping this newsletter free every morning.

🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

HÁ TAPAS NO MERCADO (ARROIOS)

Há Tapas no Mercado is a small family-run restaurant inside the Mercado de Arroios, near the Alameda metro station. Sónia and Pedro have been running it since 2015, and the focus has not changed: regional products from the Serra da Estrela and the Beira Alta, served as sharing plates in a space small enough that you will likely overhear the conversation at the next table.

The restaurant’s offering is built around what arrives from small producers in the interior. There are sheep's milk cheeses, some creamy and some cured, smoked sausages and enchidos, chouriço assado, presunto, and boards that come with enough bread and olives to make a full meal out of what is technically a starter. The wine list is short, mostly Douro and Dão, and Pedro can talk you through every bottle if you let him. A meal for two with wine runs around €30.

The space is tiny and the owners are the whole team. They speak Portuguese, French and English, and the atmosphere is closer to being invited into someone's home than eating out. It is open Tuesday to Saturday, midday to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm, and closed Sundays and Mondays.

→ Find them here ←

Insider tip: the owners know what’s fresh and where it came from. Ask what arrived that week or for a recommendation rather than working through the menu yourself.

📅 WHAT'S ON

See you tomorrow morning.

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