RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Saturday, September 18, Portugal began to accept vaccination and recovery certificates issued by other countries. The measure allows citizens with vaccination or recovery certificates access to the country “for the purpose of non-essential travel, subject to reciprocity confirmation” until September 30.
In practice, the measure means that the presentation of negative tests upon arrival of tourists at Portuguese airports is no longer mandatory. The waiver of tests does not apply to cultural and gastronomic events in Portugal, where they are compulsory, such as restaurants on weekends or accommodation in hotels.
Brazil and the United States are on the list, but authorization is valid only for vaccines recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA): Janssen, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer. In the Brazilian case, the CoronaVac has not been authorized by the European health control agency.
TESTING
Testing also continues to be an alternative on arrival in Portugal for those who lack a valid certificate. Negative PCR or rapid antigen tests performed 72 or 48 hours before departure are accepted.
Tests must obligatorily consist of those on the European Union Health Security Committee’s approval list. The information must include traveler identification, test type and name, manufacturer, date, time and place of collection, result, issuing agency, and authentication number. Without these specifications, a new test must be performed at the airport, at the passenger’s expense, who will remain there until the result is known.
CRUISES
The new rule, also valid for cruise ship passengers and linked to the bi-weekly renewal of tourism flights, is in force until September 30 and may be extended or revoked according to the situation of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, South Korea, Jordan, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Ukraine, and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are other countries which have had their vaccination certificates recognized provided there is reciprocity. The only Latin American country in this category is Uruguay.
These countries’ certificates must include the names of holders, date of birth, the vaccine taken and number of doses, as well as the date of vaccination and the date of the last dose administered. The country where the vaccine was administered and the body that issued the certificate must also be declared.
QUARANTINE
In the case of citizens coming from South Africa, India and Nepal, the requirement for “a prophylactic isolation period of 14 days, at home or at a place designated by the Portuguese health authorities” remains in place.
COMPETITIONS
The Portuguese government has also listed international professional sports competitions exempted “from compliance with the duty of compulsory confinement, irrespective of their participants’ origin.” The list includes the Champions League soccer matches of Benfica and Porto and the Europa League match of Sporting de Braga.