UPDATE 1ST JULY 2022
As of July 1, 2022, passengers entering national territory (including Azores and Madeira) are no longer required to present proof of carrying out a test to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection with a negative result or to present a COVID-EU digital certificate or vaccination or recovery certificate issued by third countries, accepted or recognized in Portugal.
Measures in force may be reviewed in accordance to the evolution of the pandemic.
IMPORTANT: Before traveling, it is important to confirm the entry formalities and procedures with the airline company and the Portuguese border service – SEF (www.sef.pt / gricrp.cc@sef.pt), the entity responsible for the border control. Please be advised that you should arrive at the airport beforehand and take into account the necessary procedures for domestic and international flights. If you’re traveling during peak times like early morning, evening or summer, or during holidays and other events, please plan accordingly and allow for extra time.
GENERAL RULES
RULES IN MAINLAND PORTUGAL
RULES IN MADEIRA
Covid-19 Entry Requirements to Portugal – Download here
UPDATE 9th January 2022
Office No. 291-D / 2022
Summary: Allows the embarkation, disembarkation and land licenses of passengers and crew of cruise ships in ports located in mainland national territory, with the exception of passengers whose origin is countries to which essential trips are only allowed, subject to compliance special measures in the field of testing.
1 – Allow the embarkation, disembarkation and land licenses of passengers and crew of cruise ships in ports located in mainland national territory, with the exception of passengers whose origin is countries to which only essential voyages are allowed, under the terms of the paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 18 of the regime attached to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 157/2021, of 27 November, in its current wording.
2 – The embarkation, disembarkation and licenses for land provided for in the previous number are carried out, exclusively, upon presentation, as the case may be, of:
a) EU COVID Digital Certificate in the test or recovery modalities, admitted under the terms of subparagraphs b) and c) of paragraph 1 of Decree-Law No. 54-A/2021, of 25 June, in its current wording ;
b) Proof of carrying out a nucleic acid amplification test (TAAN) or rapid antigen test (TRAg) for professional use to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection with negative result, respectively, carried out within the previous 72 or 48 hours boarding or disembarking, as the case may be.
3 – For the purposes of paragraph b) of the preceding paragraph, only TRAgs that are included in the common list of rapid antigen tests for screening for the COVID-19 disease in the community area, agreed by the Health Safety Committee of the European Union, are accepted.
4 – For the purposes of compliance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the proof of laboratory performance of TRAg must indicate, necessarily, the set of standardized data agreed by the Health Safety Committee of the European Union.
5 – The provisions of paragraph 2 are not applicable to children under 12 years of age.
6 – Without prejudice to random verification in the free circulation of the ship, upon arrival in national territory, by the Maritime Police or the SEF, cruise ship owners shall verify the existence of one of the documents referred to in paragraph 2 by each passenger, at the time of the respective embarkation or disembarkation, as the case may be, under penalty of incurring administrative liability, as provided for in Decree-Law No. 28-B/2020, of June 26, in its current wording.
7-the port administrations ensure the measures to verify compliance with the rules applicable to maritime transport, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 7 of article 23 of the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 157/2021, of 27 November , in its current wording, with the necessary adaptations.
8 – Verification of the existence of at least one of the documents referred to in paragraph 2 is an essential condition for the respective holders to embark or disembark in Portugal.
9 – The port authority or, if it exists, the terminal concessionaire ensures, in a space reserved for that purpose, the availability of laboratory tests for amplification of nucleic acids (TAAN) or antigen (TRAg), which are included in the common list agreed by the Committee Union Health Security, to passengers who exceptionally enter national territory without a test, at their expense.
10 – The passengers referred to in the previous number must wait for the test result in a reserved place within the port facility, which must be ensured by the port administration.
11 – When the result of the test referred to in paragraph 2 is positive, the health authority is informed, which shall determine the mandatory confinement of the affected citizen, in a health establishment or at home, pursuant to article 3 of the regime attached to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 157/2021, of November 27, in its current wording.
12 – For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the passenger or crew member who does not have a domicile in national territory must comply with mandatory confinement in a place identified by the competent authorities, at the expense of the cruise ship owner, who will also be responsible for the costs associated with food of the passenger during this period.
13 – Apply, with the necessary adaptations, the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 3 of article 20, and articles 22 and 23 of the regime annexed to Council of Ministers Resolution no. 157/2021, of November 27, in its current wording, to passengers and crew who disembark permanently at ports located in mainland national territory.
14 – The security forces and the SEF shall supervise the provisions of this order, including for the purposes of administrative liability of cruise ship owners and passengers and crew who do not carry one of the documents referred to in paragraph 2, under the terms provided for in Decree-Law No. 28-B/2020, of June 26, in its current wording.
15 – This order takes effect from 00:00 hours on January 10, 2022 and until 23:59 hours on February 9, 2022, and may be subject to a new extension, depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal.
UPDATE 30th November 2021
Yesterday the Government announced the following measures concerning Measures to be applied at land borders in the fight against Covid-19. The full order can be read further down.
“As part of the measures to combat the Covid-19 disease pandemic applied to land borders, which will remain open, the Government determined the following restrictions to be in force from 00.00 hrs on December 1, 2021:
1 – All citizens from countries outside the European Union (EU) and from countries considered to have a red or dark red risk level, when they do not have the EU Covid Digital Certificate (CDCUE) in the test or recovery modalities, must present a of two alternatives:
a) Laboratory proof of negative PCR test performed in the last 72 hours;
b) Laboratory proof of rapid antigen test performed in the last 48 hours and with a negative result.
2 – Citizens from EU countries considered to be at low or moderate risk must have CDCUE, in the form of vaccination, testing or recovery.
3 – Cross-border workers – considered as such for carrying out their professional activity within 30 kilometres of the border – and workers in essential services (such as transport of goods and passengers, emergency and relief, security and emergency services) must present the Digital Certificate in any of the three modalities.
The Republican National Guard (GNR) and the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) will carry out random inspection operations at border crossing points. Anyone who does not present one of the aforementioned certificates or evidence is notified to carry out a screening test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus – at the citizen’s own expense – in places indicated by the health authorities, which must be within a radius of 30 kilometres from the inspection site and where citizens must wait for the respective result.
Anyone who does not present proof of testing to Covid-19 or refuses to take one of the aforementioned tests is sanctioned with a fine of 300 to 800 euros.
Order No. 11820-B / 2021
PDF version: Download
Order No. 11820-B / 2021
Summary: Defines the measures applicable at land borders during the duration of the special measures in the field of testing.
The evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal and, above all, in the other Member States of the European Union, has seen an upward trend in terms of the number of new daily cases of infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and hospitalizations due to the COVID-disease. 19, while there is also a marked increase in the incidence rate and the transmissibility index.
Furthermore, with the emergence of the new variant B.1.1.529, called Omicron and classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, it is imperative to adopt restrictive measures in order to prevent its spread and to try to avoid the aggravation of the epidemiological situation.
The Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 157/2021, of November 27, declares, as of December 1, 2021, the situation of calamity throughout the continental national territory, providing that all citizens who enter into national territory, by air, land, sea or river, requires, until January 9, 2022, the presentation of proof of a test with a negative result, pursuant to paragraph 1 of article 19 and of paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 23 of the regime attached to the aforementioned Resolution of the Council of Ministers or of the EU COVID Digital Certificate in the modality of test or recovery certificate provided for in subparagraphs b) and c) of paragraph 1 of article 4 of Decree-Law No. 54-A/2021, of 25 June.
It is expected that during the coming festive season there will be a significant increase in movement at land borders, so it is important to ensure that the process of verifying the rules applicable to entry into national territory, also through land borders, is clear, effective and efficient , in order to promote its compliance by all those who intend to enter the national territory between December 1, 2021 and January 9, 2022, to ensure a process of inspection and consequent response in cases where its non-compliance and to promote the fluidity of land traffic avoiding, as far as possible, congestion in border areas.
It should also be noted that the amendments introduced to Decree-Law no. 28-B/2020, of June 26, through Decree-Law no. 104/2021, of November 27, make the administrative offenses provided for therein, and sanctioned with fines between 300 (euro) and 800 (euro), applicable to those who enter national territory by land without one of the accepted proofs to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection or refuse to take a test before to enter national territory, when he does not have one of the said proofs.
Thus, under the combined terms of paragraph 1 of article 15, paragraph 1 of article 19 and paragraph 1 of article 27 of Decree-Law no. 169-B/2019, of December 3, in its current wording, as well as of articles 19, 22 and 23 of the regime attached to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 157/2021, of September 27, in its current wording , the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for European Affairs determine the following:
1 – All citizens wishing to enter national territory through the land border must hold a COVID EU Digital Certificate, pursuant to article 4 of Decree-Law no. 54-A/2021, of 25 June.
2 – Citizens from countries classified as having a high risk level are excluded from the provisions of the preceding paragraph, namely when they are in the red or dark red level of the classification of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and not have presented the EU’s COVID Digital Certificate in the form of test or recovery, pursuant to paragraphs b) and c) of paragraph 1 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 54-A/2021, of 25 June , which must present:
a) Proof of laboratory performance of a nucleic acid amplification test (TAAN), carried out in the last 72 hours, with a negative result; or
b) Proof of rapid antigen test (TRAg) to screen for infection by SARS-CoV-2, carried out in the last 48 hours, with negative result.
3 – The provisions of the previous number are also applicable to citizens who are not holders of the EU COVID Digital Certificate.
4 – Without prejudice to the provisions of subparagraph a) of paragraph 2 of article 3 of Decree-Law No. 28-B/2020, of 26 June, in its current wording, citizens entering national territory by land without one of the documents referred to in the previous number, they are notified by the inspection entity to carry out a screening test for COVID-19 infection, at their own expense, in a location to be indicated by the local health authority.
5 – The place where the test is to be carried out is on a list drawn up by the local health authorities and should preferably be within a radius of 30 km from the inspection site, and citizens should wait in this place until the result is notified.
6-in the cases covered in paragraph 4 in which citizens enter national territory in public transport, the trip to the place where the test is carried out occurs at the expense of the citizen.
7 – In cases of refusal to carry out a screening test for SARS-CoV-2 infection pursuant to paragraph 4, the administrative offense provided for in subparagraph b) of paragraph 3 of article 3 of the Decree- Law No. 28-B/2020, of June 26, in its current wording.
8 – When the result of the test referred to in paragraph 4 is positive, the inspection entity immediately informs the local health authority, which shall determine the mandatory confinement of the affected citizen, in a health establishment, at home or otherwise there possible, in another place defined by the competent authorities, under the terms of article 3 of the regime annexed to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 157/2021, of 27 November.
9 – In the cases referred to in the preceding paragraph, the local health authority, upon a case-by-case assessment, may determine the active surveillance of citizens sharing the means of transport, pursuant to article 3 of the regime attached to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 157/2021, of November 27th.
10 – Cross-border workers are excluded from the provisions of paragraph 2, being understood as such those who carry out regular professional activity within 30 km of the border, and essential service workers, namely workers in the area of transport, emergency and relief, security and emergency services.
11 – For the purposes of verifying the provisions of the preceding paragraphs, the National Republican Guard and the Foreigners and Borders Service carry out random inspection operations at border crossing points.
12 – The inspection plan must take into account the traffic flow at each crossing point, in order to guarantee coverage, by sampling, of special measures in terms of testing, with priority for the inspection of vehicles from third countries, which do not neither the European Union nor the Schengen Area, as well as countries that are in the red and dark red risk levels of the ECDC classification.
13 – This order takes effect from 00:00 on December 1, 2021 and is in force until 23:59 on January 9, 2022, without prejudice to changes in measures depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation.
November 29, 2021. – The Minister of Internal Affairs, Eduardo Arménio do Nascimento Cabrita. – The Minister of Health, Marta Alexandra Fartura Braga Temido de Almeida Simões. – The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ana Paula Baptista Grade Zacarias.
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