Holidaymakers heading to Bulgaria will be able to avoid nightmare queues this summer as e-gates are rolled out to Brits.

UK passport holders can now skip lengthy waits to get their documents stamped at the airport in Sofia by using the quicker e-gates system. Last year, nearly half a million Brits visited the popular holiday destination.

It comes after sealed a deal with the EU last month, which agreed there would be no legal barriers to allowing British travellers to use e-gates abroad.

Since , UK passport holders have generally had to queue for manual checks at border control. But under the pact, the EU has agreed to ease checks universally on British travellers.

EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the : “Today's eGates win is great news for Brits travelling to the EU – and a clear sign of the Government’s pragmatic reset of our relationship with Brussels and European capitals.”

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Faro Airport, in Portugal, was the first to start the rollout last month, with cities like Paris, Lisbon and Rome following suit. More countries are set to follow suit, with Tallin, in Estonia pencilled in for next year.

The Government has faced criticism over the pace of the rollout of e-gates after the Prime Minister initially said it would apply immediately.

However the EU plans to launch its new Entry/Exit System (EES) in October 2025, which will scrap the requirement for non-EU citizens to have their passports stamped.

It is thought that more European airports will allow Brits to use the e-gates after this new system is brought in.

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