COVID-19 entry requirements

There are no longer any COVID-19 vaccination, testing or passenger locator form requirements for entry to mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

If you’re travelling to Portugal via other countries, such as France and Spain, check the entry requirements for those countries before you travel.

Travelling with children

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.

For more information, check the Portuguese government portal.

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. The letter of authority can be issued by:

• one of the child’s parents (if the parents are married)
• the parent the child lives with (if the parents are separated or divorced)
• one of the adoptive parents (if the child is adopted) or
• the child’s legal guardian

Further information is available on the Portuguese immigration service website.

Check your passport and travel documents before you travel

Passport validity

If you are planning to travel 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’)

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.

Visas

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, or 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, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you will need to meet the Portuguese government’s entry requirements. Check the Portuguese Immigration Service (scroll to the bottom of the page) and check with the Portuguese Embassy what type of visa and/or work permit you may need.

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.

Passport stamping

Check your passport is stamped by the border officer when you enter and exit Portugal as a visitor.

You can use the staffed immigration booths or, if you are aged 18 and over, the e-gates designated for UK and some other non-EU nationals. Hand your passport for stamping to the border officer after you have passed through the e-gate.

You cannot use the e-gates to exit Portugal if you entered the Schengen area via another member state.

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 may presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

If you are missing entry/exit stamps, 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.

Residents of Portugal

If you are resident in Portugal, your passport should not be stamped. You should proactively show proof of residence, as well as your passport, at Portuguese border control. For further information, see our Living in Portugal guide.

Other evidence

On entry to Portugal, you may also need to:

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