Grant Shapps warns travellers to hold off on booking travel tests
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Until now, Portugal did not accept the NHS Covid vaccination certificate as proof of vaccination and passengers had to also present a negative test. Although Visit Portugal said the NHS vaccination certificate was likely to be accepted from October 4, the FCO advice only changed on October 8.
The Government advice for mainland Portugal states: “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, or an EU COVID recovery certificate showing you have recovered from COVID-19 no less than 11 days and no more than 180 days of when you are due to travel:
- you do not need to have a COVID-19 test to enter Portugal.
- Be prepared to show a digital or paper copy of your COVID vaccination or recovery certificate when you check-in for your flight, and
- complete an online passenger locator card”
For unvaccinated passengers, the advice states: “If you do not have an NHS COVID Pass or an EU digital COVID certificate, you must:
- take a COVID-19 pre-departure test before you travel (children up to the age of 11 are exempt)this can be an antigen test taken within 48 hours of departure, or a RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. If you have an antigen test, make sure it meets the standards set out in the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests
- check your test result identifies the type of test taken and gives your name, date of birth, the date and time the sample was collected and the date of the result
- you should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. You should arrange to take a private test
- complete an online passenger locator card”
The Government website also states that passengers will be health screened on arrival and may be required to take a COVID 19 test if they have a high temperature or show signs of being unwell.
The Portuguese Government previously stated it would accept third country vaccination certificates under reciprocal arrangements.
That means that the other country must also allow double-vaccinated Portuguese travellers in without a pre-departure test result.
The UK scrapped pre-departures tests from all non-red list countries on October 4 as well as ditching the amber and green travel lists.
Portugal is on the ‘rest of world’ list for British travellers and is an extremely popular destination.
Most tourists head to the Algarve region for its stunning beaches, fantastic weather and excellent seafood.
The capital Lisbon is a very good value city and is one of the cheapest cities in Western Europe.
The northern city of Porto is close to the Douro wine region, which offers travellers vineyard tours and world-renowned wines.
Portugal has been very successful with its vaccination program and has almost vaccinated 100 percent of its citizens over the age of 12.
It lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions on October 1, including opening bars and nightclubs.
The country also currently has fewer than 650 Covid cases per day as numbers dropped.
British tourists visiting Portugal are advised to check the UK Government website before travelling as restrictions can change rapidly.
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