Major European holiday destination will let Brits use e-gates to avoid queues
Holidaymakers heading to Bulgaria will be able to avoid nightmare queues this summer as e-gates are rolled out to Brits.
UK passport holders can now skip lengthy waits to get their documents stamped at the airport in Sofia by using the quicker e-gates system. Last year, nearly half a million Brits visited the popular holiday destination.
It comes after Keir Starmer sealed a deal with the EU last month, which agreed there would be no legal barriers to allowing British travellers to use e-gates abroad.
Since Brexit, UK passport holders have generally had to queue for manual checks at border control. But under the pact, the EU has agreed to ease checks universally on British travellers.
EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the Mirror: 'Today's eGates win is great news for Brits travelling to the EU – and a clear sign of the Government's pragmatic reset of our relationship with Brussels and European capitals.'
Keir Starmer hails 'common sense' deal with EU as a 'win-win' - with boosts for shoppers and tourists
Faro Airport, in Portugal, was the first to start the rollout last month, with cities like Paris, Lisbon and Rome following suit. More countries are set to follow suit, with Tallin, in Estonia pencilled in for next year.
The Government has faced criticism over the pace of the rollout of e-gates after the Prime Minister initially said it would apply immediately.
However the EU plans to launch its new Entry/Exit System (EES) in October 2025, which will scrap the requirement for non-EU citizens to have their passports stamped.
It is thought that more European airports will allow Brits to use the e-gates after this new system is brought in.
The full list of airports with confirmed e-gate access
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Paris Orly Airport
Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg
Marseille Provence Airport
Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport
Nice Airport
Eurostar Paris Gare du Nord Terminal
Eurostar London St Pancras Terminal
Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal
Eurotunnel Calais Terminal
Port of Calais
Alicante
Mallorca
Tenerife
Lanzarote Egates
Gran Canaria
Ibiza
Naples Airport
Rome Fiumicino Airport
Rome Ciampino Airport
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport
Venice Marco Polo Airport
Cagliari Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport
Milan Linate Airport
Bari Airport
Brindisi Airport
Bergamo Airport
Treviso Airport
Verona Villafranca Airport
Florence Airport
Pisa International Airport
Turin Airport
Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport
Catania Airport
Palermo Airport
Lisbon Airport Terminal 1
Faro Airport
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (exit only)
Larnaca International Airport
Paphos International Airport
Brussels airport
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
Dublin airport
Prague airport Terminal 1
Helsinki airport
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