Using the RAPID e-gates at Portuguese airports: who can use them and how to get through quickly

At Portugal’s major airports, many adult travellers with a biometric passport can cross the border without stopping at a staffed desk. TAP Air Portugal’s guidance on electronic passports explains that passengers of legal age holding a valid electronic passport can use the eGates and Automated Passport Control systems, and that European Union citizens crossing the Schengen border at major Portuguese airports can do so through the RAPID system.

The check compares the photo stored on the passport chip with an image taken at the gate. TAP describes the sequence: insert the passport open and face down and wait for the scan; when the first door opens, take the passport back and step forward; then look straight at the camera and walk through when the second door opens.

A few habits slow the process down. TAP advises against covering your face, wearing a hat or sunglasses, or using a phone or other electronic device at the gate. The airline presents the system as a way of securing identification, protecting against identity theft and helping to detect forged or altered documents.

The guidance does not name individual airports and says nothing about travellers from outside the European Union or about children beyond the legal-age requirement. TAP recommends checking availability at your departure or arrival airport before travelling; travellers outside the groups described should ask the airport or the border authorities which lane applies to them.