Portugal Drops Test Requirement for Vaccinated UK Travellers
After months in which British visitors to mainland Portugal have been obliged to test before travel, Portugal advised it is no longer asking fully vaccinated UK nationals to take a COVID-19 test on arrival into the country.
Previously, British nationals travelling to the mainland of Portugal had to take a test regardless of vaccination status or having taken a test before departing the UK.
The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for Portugal to reflect the changes.
It applies to travellers who have an NHS COVID Pass or an EU Digital COVID Certificate showing travellers 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.
All vaccines administered by the NHS in the UK are approved by the European Union.
Entry Requirement to Portugal from the UK
You are allowed to travel to Portugal from the UK for any reason, whether you are fully vaccinated or not for any purpose including tourism.
Fully vaccinated travellers must show a digital or paper copy of their COVID vaccination or recovery certificate when checking in for their flights, and complete an online passenger locator card.
Those who do not have an NHS COVID Pass or an EU digital COVID certificate must take a pre-departure test before they travel, although children up to the age of 11 are exempt. They must also complete an online passenger locator card.
However, arrivals in Portugal with a temperature of 38ºC or over or travellers showing signs of being unwell may be required to take a COVID-19 test and remain at the airport until test results are received.
Returning to England from Portugal
The new UK travel system has come into effect with countries split into two categories, the red list and a new “rest-of-world” list.
The rest-of-world list is essentially a combination of the green and amber lists from the previous traffic light system.
Portugal is on the rest-of-world list and looks set to remain there for the foreseeable future. Check out the seven countries remaining on the red list here.
Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK do not need to take a pre-departure test or self-isolate. Travellers from Portugal will still need to take a PCR test on day 2 after arrival.
Unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated travellers to the UK need to take a pre-departure test and self isolate for 10 days. They also need to take a day two and day eight PCR test.
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2 Responses
I am a UK resident and l hold a Refugee Travel Document(settlement status with no time limit). Wanted to find out if l need visa to travel to Portugal.
You can check the list above.