Palma Airport

[Portofan]

On arriving recently at Palma Airport, all passengers on the flight had their passports "swiped" by the Immigration officer, in the booth by himself and covering two lines of passengers.

After the swipe he then had a look on his laptop, and a few people were held up for quite a while. Certainly a departure from what I have experienced in recent years, where a wave through or a cursory glance took place.

And what happens?:rolleyes

I have one of the longest delays of all, wondering what was going on, till ultimately, I was waved through.

And no, the guy did not apologise and say "Sorry, Portofan, we confused you with Sport-a-tan and Portlyman"!:lol

What are other recent experiences?

PS This is a sneaky way of saying I wasn't going to Puerto Pollensa.Actually it was a break in Palma.:eek

 

[frito]

For a long time, people have been asking, "How do the Spanish Government know how long I have been in Spain?" It is important for tax and residence purposes.
Well here is the answer. If your passport is swiped, your entry into Spain is recorded. (My only question is, will it be swiped as you exit!)

It's not the only "new thing" going on.
Lots of people live in Mallorca and use an English-plated car that is not taxed, and therefore not insured. The police now know what a British tax disc looks like! Recently they were stopping foreign plated cars at the airport (picking people up?). The documentation was being checked, and some cars were seized!

I suppose the answer is to do things by the book, and you won't have anything to worry about!

Cheers!

Frito