Arrival in Lisbon - Passport control lines?

I assume you mean passport control rather than customs. If you have nothing to declare, customs takes no time but passport control, especially for non EU, does get backed up. I have traveled to Lisbon, and also through Lisbon on TAP airlines several times in recent years. The longest it took was over an hour; other times ranged from 20-45 minutes. However, each time I have been there, there have been deparate people asking to jump the line because they are about to miss a connecting flight.. There have also been some strikes by airport workers that led to delays. I would not hesitate to go to or through Lisbon airport again, but I wouldn't do it on a tight schedule to be safe.

I looked at the Reddit post about the 4 hour delays. No one there claimed actually having a 4 hour or multi hour delay. Those who mentioned actual experiences, reported much shorter times .Mostly the thread was about living with the deficiencies of an airport that is too small for its volume while waiting for a second airport to be built someday.

Thanks for the response! I will stop stressing about this then. :) And I updated the wording in my original post to read passport control instead of customs.

I think it took me about 30 minutes in March 2024. US passport holders were able to use the e-gates at that time, but not all of them were open. Also, some people had problems using them correctly and there were no airport workers to help. So, that slowed things down a bit.

It looks like your tour starts in Lisbon, so I would definitely fly in there.

My trip report details my airport experience. You might find it helpful. It was not my favorite airport.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-lisbon-portugal-my-trip-report

Have a great trip!!

A complicating factor recently had been the introduction of the EES, a new border measure in all Schengen countries in Europe. It’s a new process where by all non-EU residents are required to go through a new machine that takes a photo and fingerprints. A good portion of the machines in Lisbon didn’t work when they first opened, causing embarrassing and frustrating delays.

By the times you come, hopefully, the process will be much smoother. But, as a previous poster mentioned, the Lisbon airport is very over crowded and not equipped to handle the wave of tourists in recent years. I just read an article yesterday of the government assigning new ministers to try to help, but no guarantees.

I have been waiting for 3.5 + hours in line waiting to get my passport checked with at least 30-45 minutes left- the reports of 4+ hour delays at Lisbon airport to just get your passport checked are true! It’s not even that busy. Someone in line suggested flying into Spain and taking a train- will probably try to avoid this airport in the future!

Fortunately, unlike most other EU countries, Portugal is reciprocal with the UK in allowing UK citizens to use the e-gates. When I arrived at Lisbon last month my heart sank when I saw the queues at immigration until I saw the e-gate sign. I really wouldn't have wanted to be in the 'third country' line as it was very long and moving very slowly. The amount of suitcases piling up in the baggage collection was testament to how long people were waiting to clear immigration.