Portugal's UNEF unit controls 20 million passengers in first year

The National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF) of the Public Security Police (PSP) has released its first annual activity report. Between August 21, 2025, and August 20, 2026, the unit controlled nearly 20 million passengers at air border posts, resulting in 428 arrests, primarily for document fraud and outstanding national or international warrants.

In addition to airport controls, the PSP reported that its central migration unit inspected 52,421 foreign citizens through 5,397 enforcement actions. This resulted in 1,117 irregular immigration cases, including 831 notifications for voluntary departure and 285 arrests for irregular stay. The unit also managed 221 forced returns and 1,732 voluntary returns.

Operationally, the PSP deployed 1,504 officers to border security, with the largest concentrations in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, the Azores, and Madeira. The institution acknowledged that implementing the Entry/Exit System (EES) and managing high passenger flows at major airports like Lisbon and Porto remain significant operational challenges.