Here, you will find the answer to some of the most frequently asked questions on the measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic adopted by the Government.
The page will be updated whenever new questions arise that are relevant or with justified changes to the national context.
Recommendations
When should I get tested?
Regular testing is highly recommended (namely through self-testing or testing in a pharmacy), especially prior to family gatherings or social events with interaction among people.
Is teleworking (working from home) recommended?
Yes. Teleworking is recommended in the entire mainland, whenever the job allows for this. This will be compulsory for all compatible jobs from 2 to 9 January 2022.
Masks
When is wearing a mask compulsory?
Wearing a mask is compulsory to enter or remain inside the following:
- Retail and service spaces, facilities, and establishments, regardless of their size, except if exempted by the DGS (Directorate-General for Health)
- Public buildings or those for public use offering services or acts involving the public
- Educational establishments, schools, and kindergartens, except in outdoor playgrounds
- Concert halls, cinema theatres, congress venues, corporate event venues, venues improvised for holding events, namely cultural events or akin
- Venues for holding events of any nature and sporting celebrations, namely stadiums
- Health units and services
- Elderly homes, other homes, or services to offer home support to vulnerable populations, the elderly or the disabled, as well as integrated continued care units belonging to the National Integrated Continued Care Network and other structures for residential care for youths and children
- Places as determined by the Directorate-General for Health rules.
EU Digital COVID Certificate
Do I need an EU Digital COVID Certificate to enter tourist facilities and local accommodation units?
Yes. Entering tourist facilities and local accommodation unts, regardless of the day of the week or time, requires that you present your EU Digital COVID Certificate at check-in, or:
- Proof of vaccination that proves you have been fully inoculated for at least 14 days, with a COVID -19 vaccine with market authorisation, or
- Proof of a negative lab test.
Are employees in tourist spaces or facilities bound to present a Certificate or proof of testing?
No, employees in tourist spaces or facilities as well as any suppliers or service providers are exempt from presenting a Certificate or proof of lab test.
What proof of vaccination from third countries can be used?
You can present proof of vaccination from third countries acknowledged by the European Union, which to date are as follows:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Switzerland
- Faroe Islands
- Georgia
- Israel
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Moldovia
- Monaco
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Panama
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Togo
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican
Do I need an EU Digital COVID Certificate to enter a restaurant?
Yes. Entering a restaurant, regardless of the day of the week or time, requires that you present an EU Digital Certificate, or:
- Proof of vaccination that proves you have been fully inoculated for at least 14 days, with a COVID -19 vaccine with market authorisation, or
- Proof of a negative lab test.
Do customers need to present a certificate/test to collect take-away?
No, as long as entering the facility is only for paying for and collecting the meal.
Since presenting a certificate is mandatory in all restaurants and similar facilities (including cafés), is this only applicable to meals?
Presenting a test/certificate is applicable when eating inside the facility.
Do I need an EU Digital COVID certificate to enter a casino?
Yes. Entering facilities intended for gambling, games of chance, casinos, bingos, or similar facilities, regardless of the day of the week or time, requires that you present an EU Digital COVID Certificate or:
- Proof of vaccination that proves you have been fully inoculated for at least 14 days, with a COVID -19 vaccine with market authorisation, or
- Proof of a negative lab test.
Do I need a Digital Certificate to enter bars and restaurants in a hotel?
Customers who have already presented the necessary documents when checking in are exempt from presenting an EU Digital Certificate.
Do I need an EU Digital COVID certificate to go to the gym?
Yes. Going to gyms requires presentation of an EU Digital COVID certificate or:
- Proof of vaccination that proves you have been fully inoculated for at least 14 days, with a COVID -19 vaccine with market authorisation, or
- Proof of a negative lab test.
Do I need an EU Digital COVID Certificate to attend events, held indoors, outdoors or outside fixed venues?
Yes, applied to small-scale events. Attending these types of events requires that you present an EU Digital COVID certificate or:
- Proof of vaccination that proves you have been fully inoculated for at least 14 days, with a COVID -19 vaccine with market authorisation, or
- Proof of a negative lab test.
As for large-scale events, please see below the applicable rules.
What are small-scale events?
These are events with less than 5,000 people attending in an open space or less than 1,000 people in a closed space.
Do I need an EU Digital COVID Certificate to attend family or corporate events?
Yes.
Do children under 12 need to present an EU Digital COVID Certificate?
No. Children under 12 are exempt from presenting an EU Digital COVID Certificate to enter places or facilities where this is required for anyone over the age of 12.
Mandatory Testing
Is it mandatory to be tested to visit elderly homes?
Yes. Patients in elderly homes can be visited as long as you:
- Present a Digital Certificate certifying a test or disease recovery
- Present another proof of negative lab test, or
- Take a test, that comes back negative, according to the DGS/INSA criteria, when entering the unit.
Is it mandatory to be tested to take part in large-scale events?
Yes. You can take part in large-scale (or major) events, as long as you:
- Present a Digital Certificate certifying a test or disease recovery
- Present another proof of negative lab test, or
- Take a test, that comes back negative, according to the DGS/INSA criteria
What is a large-scale (or major) event?
An event is considered to be large-scale when attended by more than 5,000 people in an open space or 1,000 people in a closed space.
Sporting events holding the same number of participants (more than 5,000 in an open space or 1,000 people in a closed space) are also considered to be large-scale events. The same rules apply for events that do not have allocated seats, events that imply moving throughout various spaces, or those held in provisional or improvised venues.
Is it mandatory to be tested to enter bars, nightclubs, and dance salons?
Yes, entering bars, venues that serve drinks without shows and facilities with room for dancing, regardless of the day of the week or time, is allowed, as long as you:
- Present a Digital Certificate certifying a test or disease recovery
- Present another proof of negative lab test.
Are employees of these venues bound to present a Certificate or proof of testing?
No, employees of these venues or facilities, as well as any suppliers or service providers are exempt from presenting a Certificate or proof of testing, unless this is required under other rules.
Is it mandatory for visitors to healthcare units to be tested?
Yes. Visiting patients who are admitted to healthcare units is allowed, as long as you:
- Present a Digital Certificate certifying a test or disease recovery
- Present another proof of negative lab test, or
- Take a test, that comes back negative, according to the DGS/INSA criteria
Who is responsible for the SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis tests?
The event participants are responsible for the SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis tests, and any costs are borne by them also.
Who is in charge of checking compliance with the presentation of proof of testing in these venues?
The people in charge of these venues are in charge of checking if the proof of testing is presented. Law enforcement agencies and the authorities that supervise these activities, like ASAE, check this compliance.
Do children under 12 have to present proof of a negative test or do they have to be tested?
No. Children under 12 are exempt from showing proof of testing (negative result) or having a test to enter the places and facilities where this is required for all those over the age of 12.
Borders
Is it mandatory to test negative to board a flight to Portugal?
Yes.
Airlines must only allow passengers on international flights to Portugal, or with a layover in Portugal, to board after:
- Presenting an EU Digital COVID Certificate only for having been tested or recovering from the disease
- Presenting proof of a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) in a lab, taken 72 hours prior to boarding
- Presenting proof of a Rapid Antigen Test in a lab, taken 48 hours prior to boarding.
All passengers are required to fill out the Passenger Locator Form for swifter and more efficient action by the health authorities, should there be the need.
Do passengers departing from the Autonomous Regions require proof of testing?
No. Passengers on flights departing from Madeira or the Azores to Mainland Portugal are not required to present a test.
Do flights in Mainland Portugal need proof of test?
No. On flights to and from Lisbon, Porto and Faro, you are not required to present a test or digital certificate.
I wish to travel to Portugal by sea. What do I need?
Just as what happens on flights to Portugal, or with a layover in the country, passengers and crews on cruise ships can only travel to Portugal after:
- Presenting an EU Digital COVID Certificate only for having been tested or recovering from the disease
- Presenting proof of a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) in a lab, taken 72 hours prior to boarding
- Presenting proof of a Rapid Antigen Test in a lab, taken 48 hours prior to boarding.
All passengers are required to fill out the Passenger Locator Form for swifter and more efficient action by the health authorities, should there be the need.
I have a vaccination certificate. Can’t I board a flight to Portugal, or with a layover in the country?
No. Until 9 January, the vaccination certificate is not enough to board flights flying to Portugal or with a layover in the country. You will always need proof of a lab test.
Do passengers have to have a temperature reading? What happens if the temperature is equal to or greater than 38.ºC?
ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, S. A. screens temperatures using infrareds on all passengers arriving on mainland Portugal. Passengers with a temperature equal to or greater than 38.ºC are sent to a suitable space for a repeat reading, and if the situation so warrants it, they will undergo a Rapid Antigen Test, and in that situation, they will have to wait for the result in a specific location in the airport.
What happens if a passenger from the European Union and Schengen Space countries arrives in Portugal without proof of a negative test?
Passengers from European Union countries and other Schengen area countries (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland) who do not have a certificate or proof of a test can take a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) or rapid antigen test at the time, at their own expense, for which they are referred by the relevant authorities.
If the test comes back positive, the passenger must be in quarantine in a place identified by the relevant authorities, the cost of which will be borne by the airline used to travel to Portugal, if they do not have a suitable location for the purpose.
The airline used by the passenger to travel to Portugal is also liable for the passenger’s food costs during the mandatory quarantine.
Are land borders closed?
No.
All citizens from countries outside the European Union (EU) and countries considered to be at a red or dark red risk level who do not have an EU Digital COVID Certificate attesting to their test or recovery from the disease, must present one of the two alternatives of a negative test:
- PCR test taken in the last 72 hours
- Rapid antigen test taken in the last 48 hours.
Citizens from EU countries that are considered to be low or moderate risk must have an EU Digital COVID Certificate attesting to their test or recovery from the disease.
Cross-border workers and workers in essential services – such as freight and people passenger carriers, emergency and first responders, security and urgency services – must present the Digital certificate in either of the three types.
Random checks will be carried out to check these rules are met.
Anyone who does not present one of the certificates or proof is notified to carry out a test in the places to be indicated by the health authorities.
Is it necessary to present a test or vaccination certificate departing from Portugal?
The tests, certificates, and forms required for your travel depend on the rules of the destination country/region. Passengers are to consult the airline and/or travel agent in due time, as well as the official entities and websites, such as the IATA Travel Centre.
You can find more information at:
What is the EU Digital COVID Certificate?
ANA Aeroportos – Passenger Guide
Week for containment of contacts
When is teleworking (working from home) mandatory?
Teleworking will be mandatory from 2 to 9 January 2022 in all mainland Portugal and whenever the job allows it.
Will schools open later in 2022?
Yes. The following will be suspended in person from 2 to 9 January 2022:
- School and educational activities in state, private or cooperative schools, and those of the solidarity sector, preschools and basic and secondary schooling
- Activities in nurseries, family minders and nannies, social support work in activity and capacity-building centres for inclusion, and recreational centres
- Teaching and non-teaching activities in higher education institutions, without prejudice to the exam periods.
Are bars, nightclubs, and dance salons open?
Yes, entering bars, venues that serve drinks without shows and facilities with room for dancing are open except from 2 to 9 January.
To attend these spaces when they are open, you must:
- Present a Digital Certificate certifying a test or disease recovery
- Present another proof of negative lab test, or
- Take a test that comes back negative when entering the venue.
When are bars and nightclubs closed?
Bars, venues that serve drinks without shows and facilities with room for dancing will be closed from 2 to 9 January 2022.
Events and Leisure
Can weddings and christenings be held?
Family celebrations are allowed, including weddings and christenings, for which it is necessary to check the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
Is it necessary to obtain a prior opinion or permit to hold events?
It is not necessary to reduce the capacity of venues or obtain a prior opinion or permit from the DGS to hold family events, religious celebrations, corporate events held in venues suited for the purpose, namely congress rooms, tourist facilities or compounds suitable for holding trade fairs, and cultural events held in fixed show venues.
Sporting events and celebrations, as well as other events not covered by the paragraph above, whether they are held indoors, outdoors, or outside fixed venues, may be held according to the specific DGS guidelines, as long as there is a prior risk assessment by the local health authorities to determine the feasibility and conditions for holding them.
Can congress halls, multipurpose rooms, conference rooms and multiuse pavilions operate?
Yes.