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UPDATE: What are the new rules for travelling to Portugal from Spain?

The border between the two Iberian nations did open at the start of May, but Portugal has seen Delta variant cases spike again in July. Do people in Spain need to get a PCR test to travel to Portugal and are there any other new restrictions to keep in mind?

Published: 10 May 2021 15:34 CEST
Updated: 20 July 2021 10:53 CEST
can i travel from spain to portugal
Lisbon currently has restrictions as a result of its very high infection rate. Photo: Luiz Felipe/Unsplash

In late June Portuguese authorities redeclared a ‘situation of calamity’ in the country –  the equivalent of Spain’s state of alarm –  following a rapid increase in the number of Delta Covid-19 cases, which now represent more than 70 percent of infections. 

In around a month, Portugal’s fortnightly infection rate went from being lower than 50 cases per 100,000 people to 160 infections per 100,000 on June 29th, with 1,000 new Covid new infections being recorded on a daily basis. In July cases have continued to rise – with averages of 3,000 new infections a day – and the fortnightly infection rate stood at 355 cases per 100,000 people on July 16th.

As a result, the Portuguese government has tightened coronavirus restrictions, with the latest changes affecting people travelling from Spain, where the infection rate is even higher and has now reached 600 cases per 100,000 people.

Portugal’s state of alarm is in place until at least July 25th. 

What are the new requirements for people travelling from Spain to Portugal?

As of July 17th, Portuguese authorities require people travelling from Spain who stay at hotels or other tourist accommodation in Portugal to show either a negative PCR or antigen test or the EU Digital Covid Certificate proving that they have been fully vaccinated, tested or recovered from Covid in the past six months.

Showing the EU Covid Certificate or providing proof of a PCR test taken within 72 hours or an antigen test in the last 48 hours will also be needed to eat or drink inside bars and restaurants, but not for terraces. Self-tests can be used as well, but these must be carried out at the premises in front of restaurant or bar workers.

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from this requirement.

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People travelling from Spain will also be required to show proof of testing or vaccination to enter the 90 municipalities (concelhos) that are currently classified as high risk or very high risk due to their Covid infection rates. 

These are Alcobaça, Alenquer, Arouca, Arraiolos, Azambuja, Barcelos, Batalha, Bombarral, Braga, Cantanhede, Cartaxo, Castro Marim, Chaves, Coimbra, Constância, Espinho, Figueira da Foz, Gondomar, Guimarães, Leiria, Lousada, Maia, Monchique, Montemor-o-Novo, Óbidos, Paredes, Paredes de Coura, Pedrógão Grande, Porto de Mós, Póvoa do Varzim, Rio Maior, Salvaterra de Magos, Santarém, Santiago do Cacém, Tavira, Torres Vedras, Trancoso, Trofa, Valongo, Viana do Alentejo, Vila do Bispo, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Vila Real de Santo António, Albergaria-a-Velha, Albufeira, Alcochete, Almada, Amadora, Arruda dos Vinhos, Aveiro, Avis, Barreiro, Benavente, Cascais, Elvas, Faro, Ílhavo, Lagoa, Lagos, Lisboa, Loulé, Loures, Lourinhã, Mafra, Matosinhos, Mira, Moita, Montijo, Nazaré, Odivelas, Oeiras, Olhão, Oliveira do Bairro, Palmela, Peniche, Portimão, Porto, Santo Tirso, São Brás de Alportel, Seixal, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Silves, Sines, Sintra, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Vagos, Vila Franca de Xira, Vila Nova de Gaia or Viseu.

Travellers from Spain also have to factor in the restrictions in place in these locations. 

Restrictions in high-risk concelhos:

Curfew between 11pm and 6am
Bars and restaurants close at 10.30pm with a maximum of four people indoors and six on the terrace. Customers have to present a negative test or vaccination certificate on weekends and on public holidays
50 percent capacity for weddings, baptisms and first communions
Closing of shops and supermarkets at 9pm
Public entry to sporting events is banned

Restrictions in very high-risk concelhos:

Curfew between 11pm and 6am
Bars and restaurants close at 10.30pm with a maximum of four people indoors and six on the terrace. Customers have to present a negative test or vaccination certificate on weekends and on public holidays.
25 percent capacity for weddings, baptisms and first communions
Closing of shops and supermarkets at 9pm and at 3pm on weekends and public holidays
Public entry to sporting events is prohibited

What are the other requirements for people in Spain who want to travel to Portugal?

If you’re driving to Portugal from mainland Spain you still do not need to show a negative Covid-19 test or other proof of vaccination or recovery at the land border.

Portugal lifted police checks at the border with Spain on May 1st, allowing for travel without justified reasons between both countries for the first time since late January.

At first, there was some confusion over whether this included holidays but Portuguese and Spanish authorities have since confirmed leisure trips are allowed without the need for a PCR test, except in the municipalities listed above.

However, if you fly to Portugal from Spain you do need to present proof of a negative PCR test at the airport (taken within 72 hours before travel) or an antigen test (taken within 48 hours before travel).

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from this requirement. 

The introduction of the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate on July 1st means that this digital or paper document can be used by fully immunised travellers from Spain who completed their vaccine more than 14 days before travel, those who have been tested for Covid and those who can prove they recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months (more info here). 

You will also need to fill in a passenger locator form you can find here. 

If you fly to the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores for more than a week, you will also be required to undergo a second PCR test on day six, and again on day 12 if it’s a longer stay.

The Azores and the Portuguese Island of Madeira offer the test for free in mainland Portugal through authorised government labs, so if you drive to mainland Portugal before going to the islands, you can save on costs in this way. 

In the Portuguese capital, mobility is restricted to essential journeys so holidaymakers are required to present a PCR or antigen test or the EU-approved Digital Covid Certificate to move around the metropolitan area. 

Before you return to Spain you need to complete a health control form on the Spain Travel Health website or app if you’re travelling by sea or air, but not if you’re travelling back on land (car or train). 

If you are going back to Spain by ferry or plane, you will also need to show either proof of vaccination, a PCR test taken within the last 72 hours, or an antigen test taken within the last 48 hours, or a recovery certificate.

To find out more information from the Spanish government about travel between Spain and Portugal, click here. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Your questions answered on the UK’s new £10 entry fee for European travellers

From next year, European travellers visiting the UK will be required to pay a £10 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in order to enter. The Local answers your questions on what that means for people living in the EU or EEA, including EU spouses and dual nationals.

Published: 13 September 2024 12:10 CEST
Your questions answered on the UK's new £10 entry fee for European travellers

The UK has introduced an electronic travel authorisation scheme known as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for people paying short visits such as tourists of those visiting family members.

The ETA – which costs £10, lasts for two years and must be applied for online in advance of your trip – is already in place for citizens of some countries, but in the spring of 2025 it will be expanded to include EU and EEA citizens such as French, German or Swiss nationals.

You can find full details of the scheme and how it works here.

The UK government information is largely geared towards tourists, and readers of The Local had questions – especially on how the changes affect people with residency in an EU or EEA country, on the position for EU spouses of a UK national and the changes for dual nationals.

Does this affect Brits who are resident in an EU/EEA country?

This system all depends on the passport you are travelling on, not where you live or whether you have a residency permit for another country.

So in short if you are travelling on your UK passport, you will be treated like every other Brit and won’t need an ETA. If you are a dual national, it depends on the passport you are travelling on (more on that below).

However Brits who have an EU partner or spouse (who don’t have a British passport) should be aware that the changes will apply to their spouse.

Does this limit stays in the UK for EU citizens who are married to a Brit?

ETA, like the EU’s new EES biometric passport checks and ETIAS visa waiver, does not change any of the existing rules around immigration or long-stay visas.

At present, citizens of a number of countries – including all EU/EEA countries and a number of non-EU countries such as the USA and Canada – benefit from visa-free travel to the UK for short visits. Those people can stay in the UK for up to 180 days per year without needing a visa, although they cannot work in the UK.

This category would cover tourists and people making short visits to family. Anyone who wants to stay longer than 180 days in a year, or who wants to work in the UK, would need a visa or to apply for residency through other routes such as the EU Settled Status scheme. This includes EU nationals who have a British spouse.

What changes under ETA is that the people making short stays will no longer benefit from visa-free travel – instead they must apply online for the ETA visa before travel.

Those who wish to stay longer or to work in the UK must apply for the relevant visa or residency permit type, exactly as they do now.

What about Irish passport holders?

The exception to these rules is for people travelling on an Irish passport. Because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, those travelling on an Irish passport will not be required to get an ETA, and in fact nothing changes for them.

The exemption only applies if you are using your Irish passport to travel – if you have an Irish passport but are using another non-UK passport to travel you will be treated according to the passport you present. 

Likewise, UK nationals are also exempt from the requirement – but only if they are using their UK passport to travel.

Do children need an ETA?

Yes, everyone entering the UK will need an ETA, including children and babies. The travel authorisation costs £10 for everyone – unlike the EU’s ETIAS, there is no cost exemption for over 70s or under 18s.

Do I need an ETA as an airline transit passenger? That seems mad if I’m only passing through the airport?

Yes, an ETA is required for everyone, even if you’re only passing through a UK airport as part of a connecting flight. This has sparked fury from the UK’s ‘hub’ airports such as Heathrow, where bosses say the change could cost them up to 4 million passengers a year.

The government says: “Requiring transit passengers to obtain an ETA stops people who may use connecting flights to avoid gaining permission to travel to the UK.”

What about dual nationals?

The key thing for dual nationals to remember is that your passports are not ‘linked’ – so the immigration official that you present your passport to has no way of knowing that you also have the passport of another country.

Dual nationals are therefore treated according to the passport they present. So let’s say you have a UK passport and an Italian one – if you travel to the UK on the UK passport, you will not need an ETA. However if you travel on the Italian passport you will need an ETA.

It is perfectly legal to use two passports while making a trip, so that you can enter the UK showing your UK passport and then on your return to Italy show the Italian passport – this allows you to avoid the formalities for foreigners in both countries. If you are doing this, you will just need to take care when supplying Advance Passenger Information (API) to your travel provider that you are supplying the right information for the passport that you will be using for each leg of the journey.

When does this start?

The ETA requirement is already in place for citizens of certain countries and then will continue the roll-out in two subsequent stages.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already need an ETA to enter the UK. From January 8th 2025 it will be extended to citizens of all non-EU/non-EEA countries and then from April 2nd it will be required for all EU/EEA citizens (with the exception of Ireland). Find the full list of countries here.

How do I get the ETA?

You apply and pay online before you travel – the UK government says that applications should be processed within three working days but that some could take longer. You cannot enter the UK until your application is processed.

Once issued, the ETA lasts for two years and allows multiple trips – although if your passport is renewed during that two-year period you will have to apply for a new ETA.

Find full details of how to apply here.

Why is the UK doing this?

It’s a security measure and is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders. The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”, a government spokesman said.

It is very similar to the EU’s ETIAS visa waiver – due to come into effect in the spring of 2025 – and the US’s ESTA visa, which has been required for all visitors since 2009.

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