Since last summer, British passengers arriving at Spanish (and Portuguese) airports have been able to use e-gates at Border Control, which is convenient, but can lead to problems for seafarers.

If joining a boat here in Palma and you need to be stamped on (ie. out of Spain/Schengen), the port police can and will only do this if you are presently stamped into the country. If you entered via an e-gate without getting stamped, you CANNOT be stamped on.

As per the UK government website (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements), British passport holders (especially crew) should get a stamp, even when they have been directed through an e-gate upon arrival.

We have had some instances in the past weeks of crew being turned away by the maritime police. Non-EU crew trying to stamp onto boats without a stamp in, need to return to the airport with their travel details, to request a stamp in.

Any queries? Get in touch palma@estelashipping.net or call us on +34 971 72 25 32.