Coronavirus: Traveling to Portugal

As you know, measures implemented by different nations to fight the coronavirus pandemic can differ quite a lot and they’re unpredictable. Because of that, you should make sure you’re aware of what you need to do before traveling, what documents you’re required to have on you for the whole trip (in some countries, restrictions also apply to travelers in transit/transfer) and how the current situation is at your destination, Portugal.

In any case, it’s recommended you pay attention to emails sent by the airline you’re traveling with and feel free to check Visit Portugal to get the latest updates on travel restrictions, because these change all the time.

 

Traveling to mainland Portugal

If you’re traveling to mainland Portugal, you no longer need to fill out a passenger locator form. However, be ready to present one of the following documents:

- a valid EU digital COVID vaccination certificate;

- a valid test or EU digital COVID recovery certificate;

- a valid vaccination certificate or recovery certificate issued by one of the non-EU country that are listed below;

- a negative RT-PCR test (or similar NAAT test) within 72 hours prior to boarding;

- a negative rapid antigen test performed by a laboratory within 24 hours prior to boarding.

Accepted vaccination/recovery certificates of non-EU countries include: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Benin, Cape Verde, Colombia, El Salvador, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Iceland, Jordan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Malasya, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), Uruguay, and Vatican.

If you’re traveling with children under the age of 12, they don’t have to present anything.

 

Traveling to Azores

Identical restrictions apply to flights to the Azores, with the exception of domestic flights. Indeed, there are currently no requirements upon entry for passengers traveling from Madeira or mainland Portugal.

In addition to the list of documents one can show, a vaccination certificate from the World Health Organization is an alternative.

Also, if you’re traveling from a non-EU country, you can expect your vaccination certificate to only be recognized if it’s from one of the these countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Benin, Cape Verde, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Salvador, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), Uruguay, and Vatican.

In case you don’t meet the criteria above when arriving in Azores, you’ll have to perform a test on arrival.

You can check the latest information here, though everything is in Portuguese.

 

Traveling to Madeira

There are no restrictions for entering Madeira. You should know, though, that the Health Authorities of Madeira recommend prior registration on the Madeira Safe platform, but it’s not mandatory in any way.