Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport gives more procedural detail on its own EES page than most, including how the data collected differs depending on whether you needed a visa to enter in the first place. Here is what the airport itself publishes, drawn directly from its page rather than general EU-level summaries.
Two ways to register
The airport describes "two ways to load data into the new EES system": a fully staffed border-check process, and an "Automated Self-Service System (faster process)." Both routes result in your data being entered into the same EES record; the self-service option is simply the quicker path for eligible travellers, similar in spirit to the self-registration kiosks other European airports have introduced alongside their staffed desks.
What data is captured, and why it depends on your visa status
This is the most specific detail Lisbon Airport publishes, and it is worth understanding because it is not a fixed, identical process for every traveller. If you needed a Schengen visa to travel, the airport states that "the system will only store your facial image (your fingerprints were already registered when you applied for a visa)" — because that biometric data was already captured during the visa application itself, EES does not repeat the fingerprint step at the border. If you did not need a visa, "the system will store 4 of your fingerprints and your facial image," the fuller first-time capture used for visa-exempt travellers.
Children and fingerprints
Lisbon Airport's page includes a specific, dated note on younger travellers: "Currently, the fingerprints of children under 12 are not digitised, even if they are subject to the EES." Read carefully, this means a child under 12 is still part of the EES process — their facial image and travel details are recorded — but the fingerprint element of that record is not currently taken for that age group. The airport's page does not go further into what a parent or guardian should expect procedurally at the kiosk or desk with a young child, so beyond this specific point, this guide does not add detail the airport has not published.
Where the self-registration kiosks are
Lisbon Airport's page lists specific kiosk locations by terminal: at Terminal 1, self-registration kiosks are available "at departure's public area - Check-in A and next to the boarding gate 25, 46A and 47A," while Terminal 2 has "3 kiosks available at floor -1." If your itinerary has you arriving at a specific terminal, this level of detail is more precise than most airports publish, and worth checking against the airport's current page before you travel in case terminal assignments change.
What happens if the kiosk cannot read your document
Self-service systems generally rely on machine-readable passport chips and clear biometric capture conditions, and a damaged, older or non-biometric passport can make the self-service route unworkable even where it would otherwise apply. Lisbon Airport's page does not detail a fallback procedure beyond noting that a standard staffed check exists alongside the self-service option, so if your document does not process cleanly at a kiosk, moving to the staffed lane is the reasonable next step rather than repeating the same kiosk attempt.
Why this differs from other EES-published pages
Lisbon's visa-status distinction — full biometric capture versus facial-image-only for visa holders — is a level of specificity not found in the equivalent published pages for Prague, Vienna or Athens airports, each reviewed separately for this cluster of guides. That does not mean the underlying EU rule differs by airport; it more likely reflects that Lisbon has simply published more operational detail than the others have.
Why the visa-status distinction matters practically
If you already hold a Schengen visa, knowing that only your facial image gets newly captured at the border can help set expectations: the process should be quicker than a full biometric enrolment, since your fingerprints are pulled from your existing visa record rather than taken again. If you are visa-exempt, budget for the fuller process, fingerprints and facial image together, particularly on a first Schengen entry since the system's rollout, when queues have generally run longer than they are expected to once the system settles in.
What happens if the self-service system does not work for you
Lisbon Airport's description of two separate paths, staffed and self-service, implies that a staffed border check remains available for anyone who cannot or would prefer not to use the kiosk, including travellers who need extra time, have a document issue, or are travelling with a child affected by the fingerprint exemption. If the self-service route does not suit your situation, use the standard border-check queue instead, since both feed into the same underlying EES record.
Getting into central Lisbon afterwards
Clearing EES registration is separate from the practical question of getting from the airport into central Lisbon, which involves its own set of transport choices unrelated to which border lane or kiosk you used.
What to check before you rely on this
Kiosk locations and terminal assignments can change, and the airport's own page is the most current source. Check Lisbon Airport's Entry/Exit System page directly before travelling, particularly if your flight uses a terminal not covered by the kiosk locations listed above.