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Portugal Mainland

This page is regularly reviewed and updated in accordance with the FCDO and the Portugese government. We encourage you to register for alerts on the FCDO website.

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Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of and conform with the entry requirements.

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Last updated: 21st July 2022

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What do you need to enter the Portugese mainland?

As of the 1st July 2022, there are no COVID vaccination or testing requirements for entry to the mainland of Portugal, irrelevant of your vaccination status.​​​​​​​

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  • Have adequate Travel Insurance and we recommend that printed copies of all appropriate documents are taken on holiday with you

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  • If you are planning to travel, you must follow the Schengen area passport requirements. Your passport must be:

    • Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)

    • valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

  • You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date​

  • Contact the embassy of the country you are visiting if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements. Renew your passport if you need to

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  • Children aged 17 and under travelling to Portugal alone or in the company of a person who is not their parent or legal guardian, must either:

    • be met at the airport or point of entry by their parent or guardian, or

    • carry a letter of authorisation to travel from their parent or guardian. The letter should name the adult in Portugal who will be responsible for them during their stay and the identification and contacts details of the parent or guardian

    • If you travel with a child without consent from their parent or guardian, you may be questioned on arrival and your entry to Portugal may be delayed until further checks are made

    • Teenagers aged 17 and under who travel alone or with friends of the same age, and who are not being met by a parent or guardian on arrival, may be refused entry if they do not have a letter of authority as described above

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  • Since late January 2022, new e-gates are in operation at Lisbon, Faro and Porto airports for use by British passport holders and passport holders of some other non-EU countries, instead of going to a manned booth. These e-gates are usually separate to the e-gates for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens. If e-gates are open when you arrive or depart, check the signage to confirm you are eligible to use them and that you are in the correct queue. When using an e-gate, a virtual “stamp” is logged on the computer system. A border officer may additionally put a physical stamp into your passport after you have passed through the e-gate; this is for airport operational reasons. If you do not use an e-gate and instead are directed to a manned booth, check that your passport is stamped by the border officer when you enter or exit the Schengen area as a visitor. Border guards use physical passport stamps and e-gate records to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport or visible to a border officer on the computer system, a border officer will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit. You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area, and ask the border officer to add this date and location in your passport. Examples of acceptable evidence include boarding passes and tickets

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  • If you are travelling to Madeira, Porto Santo or the Azores, there are also no Covid related entry requirements, however please check the FCDO for any domestic measures 

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What do you need to return to the UK?

Please visit the returning to the UK section to view this advice

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Further Information

Please visit the relevant links below for help on testing providers, how to fill out the UK PLF form, proving your vaccination status and much more​

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