Portugal Removes Covid Test Requirements for Fully Vaccinated Arrivals from UK

After 21 weeks of requiring British visitors to mainland Portugal to test prior to travel, the government in Lisbon has withdrawn the demand for fully vaccinated arrivals from the UK.

The Foreign Office advice has been modified to state that no test is necessary for UK visitors to Portugal “if you have an NHS Covid Pass … or an EU digital Covid vaccination certificate showing you have been fully vaccinated with an EU-approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before you travel”.

The European Union has approved all vaccines delivered by the NHS in the United Kingdom.

Beginning with the resumption of international leisure travel on 17th May 2020, Portugal was for a brief period the only major European holiday destination on the UK’s “green list” — destinations from which no quarantine was required.

Even for fully vaccinated travelers, the government in Lisbon first insisted on a PCR test before departure from the UK to mainland Portugal, which generally costs £80-£100.

Later, the demand was reduced to a cheaper and faster lateral flow test. However, due to somewhat unclear material on the Visit Portugal website, many British tourists incorrectly believed they were exempt from testing if they could present proof of vaccination.

That is currently the case as southern European nations battle for fall and winter arrivals from the United Kingdom.

Jet2 advises passengers that valid NHS certification is necessary, either online or on paper. “Please keep in mind that your business card-sized paper Covid-19 immunization record card is not an approved form of vaccination status verification and cannot be used to enter,” the company warns.

Adults and children over the age of 12 who have not been immunized must continue to do a lateral flow test within 48 hours of arriving in mainland Portugal.

The nation’s Atlantic islands, Madeira and the Azores, have not requested pre-arrival tests.