According to an official source from the Director General for Health (DGS), and recommendations from the European Medicines Agency, all Portuguese residents living abroad who wish to enter Portugal can only enter the country providing they present proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with one of the four vaccines approved by the European Commission -BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen, or by presenting a negative antigen test or proof of recovery.
This means that overseas Portuguese residents who have been vaccinated with Sinopharm or Sinovac (Chinese), Sputnik (Russian), Covaxin (Indian), Epivaccorona (Russian) or Soberana (Cuban), among others, and who want to enter Portugal through ‘proof of vaccination,’ will not be able to do so. However, according to DGS, those who have recovered from covid-19, and hold a valid certificate, issued between the 11th and 180th day, after a positive laboratory test confirming diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, may enter Portugal.
It is also possible to enter, provided you provide a valid negative test result with either a nucleic acid amplification test (TAAN) to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, whose sample has been collected within 72 hours prior to entering the national territory, or a rapid antigen test (TRAg), whose sample was collected within 48 hours before entry into Portugal.
Please note, self administered antigen test results will not be accepted.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com