Portugal is a beautiful country located in southwestern Europe. Tourists have long enjoyed visiting its stunning coastal towns, picturesque villages, and vibrant cities. However, recent events have led the Portuguese authorities to impose Portugal travel restrictions on the country.
The restrictions were put in place in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Portugal has had a number of confirmed cases of the virus, and the government is taking steps to prevent it from spreading further.
What are the Travel Restrictions in Portugal?
Travellers who come from certain countries can’t go to mainland Portugal. If you want to go to Madeira and Porto Santo at the same time, you can. It’s possible to cross the land borders between Portugal and Spain at any time.
Make sure to check the source before you go to see if there are any exemptions, documentation, quarantine, or testing requirements.
Entry restrictions do not apply to:
- Portuguese citizens and people who have a permit to live there;
- Travel is important for professional, study, family reunification, health, and humanitarian reasons.
- A valid vaccination certificate in Portugal should be shown to people who are travelling.
What are the Requirements to Visit Portugal?
If you live in an EU/EEA country, the UK, or some other country that isn’t in the EU/EEA, you can travel to mainland Portugal for all kinds of things.
If you’re coming from a country that isn’t on this list. You can only come in for things like living with your immediate family, or for professional, educational, health, or humanitarian reasons.
You can go to Madeira and the Azores for any reason, and there are no rules about what you can or can’t do.
All people who go to Portugal have to fill out a passenger locator form before they get there:
- Fill out this form for the mainland. Portugal
- Complete this form for the Azores.
- Fill out this form for Madeira and Porto Santo.
Complete one form for each passenger. If you’re going to Madeira or Porto Santo with kids who are 11 and under, write their names down on your form.
If You’re Fully Vaccinated
In Portugal, if you have been fully vaccinated, you don’t need to be tested before you can go to mainland Portugal.
The fully vaccinated rules say that you must have a vaccination certificate that shows you have had either:
- The European Medicines Agency has approved a full course of a vaccine that must be given at least 14 days and not more than 270 days before you arrive.
- You can also get a full course of a vaccine and a booster vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency at least 14 days before you arrive.
You will be considered fully vaccinated if you have had:
- both doses of a 2-dose vaccine, or a combination of two different vaccines, or
- an approved one-dose vaccine, or
- a full course of a vaccine, plus a booster vaccine, or
- if you caught COVID-19 after just one dose of a 2-dose vaccine and your certificate shows that your vaccination course is complete after the administration of just one dose of the vaccine
Proof of Vaccination Status
Proof that you have been fully vaccinated. Must be shown at the airport when you check-in for your flight to the mainland of the country.
You can show that you have been vaccinated with your UK COVID Pass, which can be in paper or digital form.
As long as you’re fully vaccinated and your airline lets you travel to mainland Portugal without having proof of your vaccination status, you won’t be allowed into the country unless you’re legally allowed to stay there.
It’s OK if you live in Portugal legally. You will have to take a rapid lateral flow test at the airport at your own expense and you will be fined at least €300 if you do not.
If You’re Not Fully Vaccinated
Check-in for your flight to mainland Portugal and show proof of a negative PCR test. Or rapid lateral flow test took no more than 24 hours before your flight.
If you haven’t been fully vaccinated, you’ll need to show this proof. See how to get a test before you get in.
Make sure that your test is done by a doctor or nurse who is qualified to do it. Self-administered tests are not OK. Take a look at the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests to see if the test you’re taking meets the standards.
If you aren’t fully vaccinated and your airline allows you to travel to mainland Portugal without having a negative blood test. You will be turned away unless you are legally a resident when you arrive.
To get into the country, this is the case. You’ll have to pay for a test at the airport, and you’ll be fined at least €300.
If You’ve Had COVID-19 in the Past Year
There are rules for people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last year. If you have a COVID-19 recovery certificate.
A doctor must sign it at least 11 days before you travel and not more than 180 days before you travel. You won’t have to take a test.
When you check in for your flight, you can show that you have recovered from COVID-19 with your UK COVID Pass.
Entry to the Azores
Take the test when you arrive in the Azores unless:
- Do you have a valid EU COVID-19 vaccine or recovery certificate, or
- you have taken a PCR or rapid lateral flow test before you travel
PCR or rapid lateral flow must meet the following:
- it is carried out by a trained healthcare professional. Self-administered tests are not acceptable
- the rapid lateral flow test is taken no more than 48 hours before you travel and meets the standards set out in the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests
- the PCR test is taken no more than 72 hours before you travel
At least 14 days and no more than 270 days before you arrive in the Azores. You must show that you have completed your vaccination course.
Getting a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 must show that you were able to get better at least 11 days before you go on your trip.
Entry to Madeira and Porto Santo
Before you go to Madeira and Porto Santo, you should fill out a passenger locator form. If you’re going on a trip with kids who are 11 and under, put their information in your form.
There are no other rules for getting into Madeira and Porto Santo.
Self-isolating If You Test Positive for COVID-19
In mainland Portugal, if you get COVID-19 while you’re there, you’ll have to self-isolate for at least 7 days. You’ll have to pay for that.
In Madeira, Porto Santo, or the Azores, if you get COVID-19 while you’re there, you’ll have to self-isolate for at least five days. You’ll have to pay for that.
Children and Young People
If you have kids who are 11 or younger, they don’t need to take a test, show proof of vaccination. Or get better before they can go to mainland Portugal and the Azores.
If You’re Transiting Through Portugal
People who travel through Portugal on their way to another country must follow the rules that apply to their vaccination status. Even if they arrive by air and stay in the airport (airside).
Check Your Passport and Travel Documents Before You Travel
Check with your travel company to make sure your passport and other travel documents meet their rules before you go.
Passport Validity
For example, if you want to go to an EU country (except Ireland), or to a country in the Schengen area that is not an EU country (such as Switzerland or Norway), you must follow the rules of the Schengen area.
Your passport must meet two things. It must:
- less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue)
- valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)
We want the European Commission to explain the 10-year rule. They may not make changes to their advice for Schengen border guards until the spring of 2022, at least.
If you want to visit some Schengen countries, your passport may have to be less than 10 years old for the whole time you’re there. The three months at the end of your visit may have to be within 10 years of the date your passport was made.
Keep an eye on both the date it was issued and when it will run out. If you renewed your passport early, more time may have been added to the end of its term of service. This could change the rule that your passport must be less than 10 years old.
Your travel provider or the country you are going to call if you think that your passport doesn’t meet both of these rules. If you need to, get a new passport.
Visas
You don’t need a visa to go to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. So you can go there without one.
Whether you’re going on vacation, going to visit family and friends, going to business meetings, going to cultural or sporting events, or going to school or training for a short time, this is true.
If you don’t have a visa and you’re going to Portugal and other countries in the Schengen area, make sure you don’t stay for more than 90 days. Visits to Schengen countries in the last 180 days before you go count toward your 90 days.
To stay for a long time, work, study, go on business trips, or for any other reason, you will need to meet the entry requirements set by the Portuguese government.
Check out the Portuguese Immigration Service at the bottom of the page. Then check with the Portuguese Embassy to see what kind of visa and/or work permit you might need to come to the country.
Passport Stamping
Make sure your passport is stamped if you enter or leave the Schengen area through Portugal as a tourist.
For short stays in the Schengen area, border guards will look at your passport stamps to make sure you don’t need a visa.
Border guards will think that you have overstayed your visa-free limit if you don’t have the right stamps in your passport.
Show proof of when and where you entered or left the Schengen area. Ask the border guards to put this date and place it in your passport. Flight tickets and boarding passes are examples of acceptable evidence.
You may also need to:
- show a return or onward ticket
- show you have enough money for your stay
Travelling With Children
Children under the age of 17 who are going to Portugal alone or with a person who is not their parent or legal guardian should:
- Have a letter from their parent or guardian that says they can travel.
- To write a letter, you should tell the person who will be taking care of you while you are in Portugal who they are and how to get in touch with them.
Resident Children Leaving Portugal
People in Portugal who are under the age of 17 must have a letter from their parents or guardians notarized. If they’re going out of the country alone or with someone else who isn’t their parent. The letter of authority can be written by anyone:
- someone who is the child’s parent (if the parents are married)
- is the person the child lives with (if the parents are separated or divorced)
- someone who adopted the child (if the child is adopted)
- or who is legally in charge of the child
Conclusion
It is important to be aware of the Portugal travel restrictions. While they may seem onerous, following them is the best way to ensure a smooth and trouble-free visit. So plan ahead, pack your patience, and enjoy all that this beautiful country has to offer!