Portugal Visitor Guide

Information on Coronavirus in Portugal, June 2021

At the beach, safety comes first

A year into the Coronavirus pandemic in Portugal has seen the situation much improved. Infections are down and vaccinations are well underway.

In May 2021 Portugal was added to the UK's green list for travel overseas. However, in a disappointing U-turn last week the country including the islands of Madeira and the Azores were placed on the amber list after only 3 weeks on green. This means visitors to Portugal from the UK must self-isolate when returning home for 10 days.

The decision came as a surprise considering the UEFA Champions League Final between two English teams, Manchester City and Chelsea, went ahead in Porto on May 29.

The disappointing, some would say disgraceful, behaviour of some English fans at that event and subsequent infections among them may have played a part in the UK government's decision, along with a rise in cases of the Delta variant, first detected in India.

On 2 June, Portugal had 5.4 new cases per 100,000 people per day, slightly higher than the UK at 5.1 new cases. From next week people over 60 in Portugal will not need an appointment. They can attend their local vaccination centre for a jab.

Hopefully, Portugal may return to the green list in the very near future.

Information from the Info Praia app showing occupancy at beaches in Faro and Lagos on the Algarve

Beaches

Portugal's many fine beaches are open to the public and apps such as Sandspace and Infopraia provide detailed, real-time information on how crowded the country's beaches actually are at any given time.

Visitors from other EU countries such as Germany, France, Holland and neighboring Spain are able to enter Portugal.

Coronavirus infections in Portugal by region on June 3

Information on Covid-19

If you want to find the latest information on the Covid-19 situation in Portugal, the best place to head for is the Serviço Nacional de Saúde website (sns.gov.pt). It has daily reports on the total number of Covid-19 suspected cases, confirmed cases, the number of recovered cases, plus deaths in all of Portugal's regions and main towns.

The stats are presented by region and by city. Lisbon, the capital, and the surrounding area is the most affected, followed by the north, centered on Portugal's second-largest city, Porto.

The Algarve and Alentejo are the least affected regions of the country.

Further information for travellers to Portugal can also be found at visitportugal.com

Private clinics offering PCR tests in the Lisbon area

PCR Test Clinics

You can find a list of private clinics offering PCR tests in Portugal here: destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt

Covid-19 Centro de Testes

Covid-19 Centro de Testes, Caldas da Rainha

Centro de Vacinação, Caldas da Rainha

Queuing at the vaccination center

Waiting in turn

The wait is nearly over

Safety sign

Entering mainland Portugal

Before you travel to mainland Portugal

If you have an NHS COVID Pass or an EU digital COVID vaccination certificate showing you have been fully vaccinated with an EU approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before you travel, or an EU COVID recovery certificate showing you have recovered from COVID-19 no less than 11 days and no more than 180 days of when you are due to travel

• you do not need to have a COVID-19 test to enter Portugal. Be prepared to show a digital or paper copy of your COVID vaccination or recovery certificate when you check-in for your flight, and
• complete an online passenger locator card

If you do not have an NHS COVID Pass or an EU digital COVID certificate, you must:

• take a COVID-19 pre-departure test before you travel (children up to the age of 11 are exempt)
• this can be an antigen test taken within 48 hours of departure, or a RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. If you have an antigen test, make sure it meets the standards set out in the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests
• check your test result identifies the type of test taken and gives your name, date of birth, the date and time the sample was collected and the date of the result
• you should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. You should arrange to take a private test
• complete an online passenger locator card

AZORES ALLOWED (Essentials and non-essential travel)
RT-PCR Test - 72h before boarding, or Rapid Antigen Test - 48h before boarding, or Immunity Test, or Digital COVID Certificate (from 1 July)
Passengers may perform free test on arrival and wait the result in prophylactic isolation (between 12 to 24 hours for the result).
Children under 12 don't need to present test.
If the stay is longer than seven days, on the 6th and 12th day from the date SARS-CoV-2 first test was performed, the passenger must contact the health services of the county where is staying so that a second test can be performed.
All passengers need to fill Questionnaire at mysafeazores.com. More information at www.visitazores.com
MADEIRA ALLOWED (Essencial and non-essencial travel)
RT-PCR Test - 72h before boarding, or
Vaccination certificate (2 shots 14 days prior to entrance in PT) or,
Immunity test, or
EU Digital COVID Certificate (from 1 July).
Perform free test on arrival and wait the result in prophylactic isolation (between 12 to 24 hours for the result), or
Perform voluntary isolation, for a period of 14 days, at home or in a hotel accommodation.
Children under 12 don't need to present test.
Passengers need to register at https://madeirasafe.com. More information at www.visitmadeira.pt
Find here more information about travelling to Portugal from the UK: Portugal travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal

If you are Portuguese coming to the UK, please consult SEF and Portal das Comunidades portaldascomunidades.mne.pt and see there the latest advice.

portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt

Update

Coronavirus Information for international travelers February 2022

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