Despite Brexit, Scots traveling to Portugal for a holiday will be able to use the same fast-track queue as EU Passport holders.
UK tourists will be able to use e-Gates with EU citizens entering at airports including Porto,Lisbon, Faro, and Funchal, Portugal has confirmed.
This means flyers from the UK will not have to line up with other non EU travelers, escaping the risk of lengthy queues.
The news comes as UK sightseers make up a large part of Portugal's tourism figures, the Mirror reports.
In fact, it's estimated that the UK was the second largest contributor to Portugal's overall tourism revenue in January and February this year.
The border control news comes just weeks after Portugal confirmed that it was axing its passenger locator form requirements (although this is still mandatory if you're heading to Madeira or Porto Santo).
There are are still other entry rules in place for travellers.
Fully vaccinated Brits can enter without any Covid tests, but if you're unvaccinated or partially vaccinated you'll need to show proof of a negative Covid test; this can be either a PCR test taken within 72 hours before travel, or a lateral flow test taken within 24 hours.
It's not just Covid travel rules which have changed; Portugal has also eased some of its local Covid rules.
For example, Portugal's Health Minister announced earlier this month that face masks would no longer be mandatory for indoor spaces, except for the likes of public transport and the likes of care homes.
This means face masks are no longer mandatory both indoors and outdoors, provided that social distancing can still be maintained for the latter.
Returning to the UK should also be a little easier for Brits as there are no longer travel rules in place such as passenger locator forms or Covid tests, regardless of your vaccination status.
However, you may want to double check your pre-holiday admin a little earlier this year if you're planning to travel for the summer holidays.
In recent weeks UK travellers have been urged to check their passports, as the Home Office is facing a backlog of applications - including renewals - following the impact of Covid.
It's estimated that over five million Brits delayed their passport applications as travel restrictions meant that they couldn't head abroad, but now it's leaving holidaymakers facing delays of up to 10 weeks.
Meanwhile, new rules under Brexit impact whether your document is considered valid. One family of four was left £3,000 out of pocket after they fell foul of the little-known rule and were therefore unable to board their flight to Portugal.
That's because a number of EU countries in the Schengen Area require your passport to be no more than 10 years old from the point of issue - but most countries also require your passport to be valid for at least three (sometimes six) months after your dates of travel.
For example, if you were heading to Portugal which requires your passport to be valid three months after travel, to meet both sets of criteria your passport will need to have been issued nine years and nine months before your travel date.
Travel restrictions are correct at the time of writing but can change quickly due to the nature of the pandemic. Always check the latest Foreign Office advice before booking or going on a trip.
