Can I still travel to Portugal from the UK? Latest advice as Madeira added to green list
Portugal remains on the amber list – but the is Madeira region will join the green list on Wednesday (June 30).
This means travellers returning to the UK from the Portuguese islands need only provide a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure and then pay for a PCR test on or before their second day back in the UK.
Madeira is on the green 'watchlist', which means that holidaymakers can still travel to them without self-isolating on their return but they are also the “most at risk” of turning amber and having quarantine re-imposed.
The whole of Portugal was one of 12 first members of the green list on its introduction in May, when international travel was resumed under a traffic light system. Now, however, with most of Portugal added to the amber list at the Government's first review, returning travellers from the mainland must enter quarantine for up to 10 days.
The news came as a shock only a week after the country hosted an all-English Champions League final, and with Portuguese rates of infection still lower than the UK’s.
Here's everything we know about travel to Portugal this summer.
Am I allowed to travel to Portugal?
Yes, since May 17 Britons have been allowed to visit Portugal, as international leisure travel resumes, but amber list rules now apply to the mainland and holidays are discouraged.
Any travellers arriving in the UK from “amber” countries will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days (potentially reduced with a paid-for “test to release” on day five). They will also have to take PCR tests on (or before) day two and on day eight of isolation, as well as taking a test before returning to the UK (proof of a negative result can be a printed document or an email or text shown on your phone) and completing a Passenger Locator Form.
The Government currently requires each of these tests to be a PCR test, which can be costly. Prices are slowly being reduced, with one Government-approved provider now charging £45 and Tui offering test packages for "green" destinations from £20.
In better news, Madeira goes green from the end of June, meaning the least amount of hassle for returning holidaymakers.
Do I need to take a Covid test before I go?
Yes. The Foreign Office website explains: "All passengers, excluding children up to the age of two, travelling to Portugal must show a negative RT-PCR test result at the time of boarding. The test must have been taken within 72 hours of departure. Your airline is likely to deny boarding if you cannot provide this at check-in. Check with your airline before you travel."
Furthermore, you will need to take another test no more than 72 hours before returning to the UK.
Will vaccine passports open up travel to Portugal?
It is hoped so, by the end of June at the earliest. EU leaders, with Portugal at the forefront, have given the green light to its own Digital Green Certificate, as have British authorities.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa has said that he hoped a vaccine passport, allowing people to travel freely if they can prove they have been vaccinated, will be in place by the end of June.
"We are defendants of a measure on European scale, and it is with this objective that we work as presidents with the European Commission [Portugal currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency]. The hope we all have is that by the summer it will be possible for this document to exist," he said.
What are Covid restrictions like in Portugal?
The country remains in a state of emergency, but restrictions have somewhat eased.
The Foreign Office explains: "The Portuguese government started to ease lockdown measures on 15 March. Access to public spaces and services and the right to spend time outside and move between municipalities varies according to the COVID-19 incidence rate in each municipality.
"Shops and other commercial premises, restaurants and cafés may have shorter trading hours. Leisure and cultural activities may be banned or limited to smaller groups. Check the restrictions in your municipality on the Portuguese government’s website (in Portuguese).
"Bars and nightclubs remain closed. It is illegal to drink alcohol outdoors in public places, except for on pavement cafés and restaurants. Alcohol cannot be sold after 9pm unless it is with a meal.
"Taxis can only carry up to two passengers. Do not use the front seat.
"You must wear a mask while walking along promenades and in restaurants and cafés until you are seated. At the beach, follow the one-way entry and exit signs and use a mask until you reach your spot on the sand. Use a mask and footwear while using sanitary facilities. Place your sunshade and towel 3m from the next group and keep a social distance of 1.5m when walking along the sand. Before you set off, check the occupancy levels of the beaches near you and avoid the ones that are marked “red” and “amber”.
"You can be fined up to €100 if you breach the regulations."
How long will the restrictions last?
It is hoped that restrictions will be lifted in the coming weeks and months as rates fall and more people are vaccinated. The next Government review of the traffic light system is this week. The UK now has a higher rate of new infections that Portugal.
When will Portugal move to the green list?
The rest of Portugal won't join Madeira until at least July 19.
Am I still covered by travel insurance?
Check with your insurer as to their policy on green and amber list travel, and what happens when a destination moves between the two. The vast majority of travel insurance policies are of little help in these circumstances and will not refund you for a holiday cancelled because of a change in DfT or FCDO advice.
Are flights to Portugal operating?
Direct flights between the UK and Portugal are currently operating at a reduced schedule but demand surged since the country was added to the green list.
What are the rules for travelling to Madeira and the Azores?
Madeira is moving to green from June 30 while the Azores remain on the amber list. Travellers are required to show a negative PCR test result, taken within 72 hours, at the time of boarding and must also complete and submit a traveller questionnaire and and upload their test result before departure – if you fail to do this you will be asked to show it on arrival. All passengers are also subject to thermal screening on arrival, without exceptions.
For travel to the Azores, if you do not travel with a valid PCR test " you will have to take a test on arrival or show a medical report confirming you have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days. If you are staying for more than 7 or 12 days, you will have to repeat the test locally six or 13 days respectively after the first test."
According to the FCDO, for travel to Madeira, if you do not travel with a valid PCR test "you will have to take a test on arrival and remain in government provided accommodation until the results are known. This will take about 12 hours."
From Wednesday, June 30, travellers returning from Madeira need only provide a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure and then pay for a PCR test on or before their second day back in the UK.
