COVID-19 rules

Countries may restrict travel or bring in rules at short notice. Check with your travel provider for changes.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to seek treatment there.

Visit TravelHealthPro (from the UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre) for general COVID-19 advice for travellers.

Face masks

In Madeira and Porto Santo, the regional health authority recommends the use of a face covering in medical facilities, retirement and nursing homes if you have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness.

Passport validity requirements

If you are travelling to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, 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’)

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 Portugal in the UK if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

Passport stamping

At the Portuguese border control, you may need to:

• show a return or onward ticket
• prove that you have enough money for your stay

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Portugal as a visitor. Border guards use passport stamps 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, a border officer will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

You can show evidence (boarding passes and tickets) of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area and ask border guards to add this date and location in your passport.

If you live in Portugal, your passport should not be stamped. You should show your proof of residence and passport at border control. Read our living in Portugal guide for passport stamping information.

E-gates

If you are aged 18 and over, you can use the e-gates for UK and other non-EU nationals. Make sure your passport is stamped by the border officer after you pass through the e-gate.

You cannot use the e-gates to exit Portugal if you entered the Schengen area from another EU country.

Visa requirements

You can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This applies if you travel:

• as a tourist
• to visit family or friends
• to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events
• for short-term studies or training

If you are travelling to Portugal and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.

To stay longer (for example to work or study or for business travel), you must meet the Portuguese government’s entry requirements. Check which type of visa or work permit you may need with the Portuguese Immigration Service or the Embassy of Portugal in UK.

If you are travelling to Portugal for work, read the guidance on visas and permits.

If you stay in Portugal with a residence permit or long-stay visa, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit.

Travelling with children

Non-resident children travelling to Portugal

Children aged 17 and under travelling to Portugal alone, or accompanied by 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
• 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 (full names, date of birth and passport number) and contacts details of the parent or guardian. The letter should also state the child’s dates of arrival and departure and the address at which they will be staying during their visit to Portugal.

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.

If you travel with a child, without consent from their parent or guardian, you may be questioned on arrival. Your entry may be delayed.

Check the Portuguese government website for more information.

Non-resident children leaving Portugal

Non-resident children aged 17 and under who leave Portugal alone or in the company of a person who is not their parent or guardian will require a letter of authority if they are returning to a country other than their country of origin.

Resident children leaving Portugal

A child aged 17 and under who is resident in Portugal must carry a notarised letter of authority from their parent or guardian if they’re travelling out of the country alone or in the company of a person who is not their parent or legal guardian.

See more information on the Living in Portugal guide and Portuguese immigration service website.

Vaccination requirements (other than COVID-19)

At least 8 weeks before your trip, check the vaccinations and vaccination certificates you may need on TravelHealthPro for Portugal , The Azores and Madeira.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods that can be brought into and taken out of Portugal. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Taking food and drink into the EU

You cannot take meat, milk, or products containing them into EU countries. There are some exceptions, for example certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food required for medical reasons. Check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.