COVID testing entry requirements
 

Hi everyone, new here, but super excited about the vibrant discussions on Portugal travel that I bet will provide me many hours of informative reading. We will be spending a month in Portugal starting mid-May and for now I'm looking for authoritative advice about COVID entry requirements. After googling around, I think we ended up on a page of the US Embassy to Portugal to learn about the entry requirements, but if anyone has a preferred source, please refer me!

Also, I'm wondering about the definition of 72 hours and 24 hours. This should be easy of course, and perhaps the definition has only been made confusing by the US requiring a test to enter within 24 hours, but really meaning the calendar day before. Although I dislike the faulty wording the US uses, I do appreciate the flexibility of it being any time on the calendar day before. For Portugal, I've read that you need a 24 hour antigen test or 72 hour PCR test. Do we know if this means *to the hour* prior to (presumably) your boarding the plane you are taking to Portugal?

Or does it mean some other benchmark (e.g. hours before *landing* in Portugal? Or something else?). And, separately, does it possibly mean the calendar day/3rd calendar day before or is it really *to the minute* (i.e. if I took an antigen test at 3:44pm on Monday and my flight departure from US is 3:45pm on Tues, I'd be screwed?)

Thanks so much for any referrals you can provide to be clear on this subject!

We're in Portugal now. This contains latest guidance: https://www.visitportugal.com/en/con...ented-portugal

Test is timed from when you board your international flight to Portugal. We scheduled our through Walgreens, they test at drive through and you get results within 2 hours.

There is also a Portuguese locator form you have to fill out out. Link is in above link. You will get a .pdf showing your application has been received. You upload this and your negative test to your airline, United wouldn't allow check in without receipt of these two documents.

At Porto airport, we had to show negative test before we could proceed to passport control.
Extra steps, a pia, but worth it to travel. Portugal has been great so far.

The CDC site for info on entering the US clearly states the test had to be done 1 day before but it has been misinterpreted by some to mean 24hrs before travel.

<Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel.>

The info provided on the link in the above post is clear on the timescale for testing:

Or a negative RT-PCR Test (or similar NAAT test) - 72h before boarding, or
- Or a negative Laboratorial Rapid Antigen Test- 24h before boarding

I get mixed messages on entering Portugal from the USA. According to CNN travel a few days ago they advise that US citizens can enter Portugal with proof of vaccination OR a negative Covid test. So is entry possible with just proof of vaccination?
Thank you

The messages are not mixed. There are various ways to enter PT depending on what credentials you have. You need to provide one of the below. The assumption is if you’re from the US, you’re not able to provide the EU Digital COVID certificate & therefore you need a COVID test. If that’s a wrong assumption, then yes you can enter with a vaccination EU digital certificate.


Mandatory to present:
- A valid vaccination EU Digital COVID Certificate (with a complete vaccination schedule or with a complete vaccination schedule and a vaccine booster)
- Or a valid test or recovery EU Digital COVID Certificate,
- Or a valid vaccination certificate (with a complete vaccination schedule or a vaccine booster) or recovery certificate issued by a third country, under reciprocal conditions
- Or a negative RT-PCR Test (or similar NAAT test) - 72h before boarding, or
- Or a negative Laboratorial Rapid Antigen Test- 24h before boarding

Thanks, bdokeefe! I'll bookmark that site in case anything changes before I travel, though I doubt it will.

I wonder if COVID tests are going to be a regular part of our travel forever now, just like putting our 100ml liquid containers in a ziploc bag? We can only hope that we in the US can at least get in on some accepted form of vaccine cert, if so!

mike1728,
The test is a requirement for all US citizens (and Canadians); however, not all airlines enforce the rules. I’ve also found the media outlets, such as CNN as well as others, have frequently been inaccurate. The best source is still the Portuguese government site, Visit Portugal:
https://www.visitportugal.com/en/con...ented-portugal

Until the US is listed under countries whose vaccination certificates are accepted “under reciprocal conditions”, the requirement will still be to provide a test for entry. Whether the airline chooses to enforce the rule doesn’t change the requirement.

Thank you Progol: I have no problem getting tested prior to our flight, buy yes there is mixed information on certain internet sites. I was aware of the "reciprocal conditions". No issue as long as the message is clear. Wheels up in 2 weeks!

"Wheels up in 2 weeks!"

Ditto, mike! and safe travels!

My wife and I will be traveling to Portugal on Monday. Since we had Covid within the last 60 days, there is a chance we could test positive with a PCR test. According to Visit Portugal website, the Antigen test must be on an approved list:
Or a negative Laboratorial Rapid Antigen Test- 24h before boarding (according to the European Commission)
I can't seen to find a test in my area that is on the list.
Will the airline/Portugal accept any laboratory Antigen test?

Do you have a Documentation of Covid Recovery from an CDC approved source. I believe that fulfills the travel obligation. I assume any CVS/Walgreens, ect is acceptable that is what we are planning on using in two weeks for Portugal travel. There must be that type of pharmacy in your area.

I do have a positive test along with a health care provider note that I'm cleared for travel which will be used for my return back to the US. The Covid recovery documentation for entry into Portugal only applies to EU residents so as a US citizen I will need a negative test. The EU has a list of acceptable antigen tests (I'm unable to add a link since this is only my second post) and none of the test sites in my area use any listed. I'm hoping our PCR test comes back negative otherwise I will get a rapid antigen and hope the airline/Portugal accepts it.

The Walgreens web site just says "NAAT test" and says it works for most travel, to check with the destination. The EC Common List goes on and on....May I assume that the folks at Walgreens will know what kind they are adminstering so I can check it against the list?

So we saw something about someone showing up with a non-compliant test and they just gave them another test in Portugal (at cost to them) and they had to wait around at the airport/immigration until the results came through. What we're inferring based on my experience returning to the US on various airlines from other countries (but can't say for sure, so don't take my word for it) is that the airline either doesn't check carefully or knows but doesn't enforce the *type* of antigen test so you might be able to get on the plane with any test that meets the basic requirements listed on the visit portugal official website, but then when you arrive in Portugal, they get down into the weeds more and make sure your test is one of the type that qualifies. And if not, you take another test that is compliant.

I would love to hear more about how this actually works or from anyone else that has experience. I agree that it is extremely hard to tell who has what kind of test, although some websites (e.g., CVS) do say whether it's compliant for "most" travel or not. So I am a bit worried that it will be hit or miss, with these websites showing a lack of availability of testing times to book and uncertainty around what type of test they offer, plus the hours restriction, I just don't feel super confident about getting all of those factors to come together in the right combination at the right time without a dash of good luck!

So, good luck to all! Please do report back with your experience!

Also, I haven't seen anything about the results needing to be provided in Portuguese, although it feels at least rather rude and at worst possibly non-compliant to show up to a country that requires test results and not have it provided in the language of that country? Maybe Walgreens or CVS allows you to select a language they provide the results in?

I realize English is spoken by many many people, but I don't want to assume English is accepted in official documentation.

Can anyone confirm language requirements for the COVID entry test for Portugal?

Our walgreen's test was fine. We got off plane in Porto, and there was a checkpoint. Pulled up the results on phone, inspector only looked at name, date, and negative.

Only nervous part was Walgreen's emailed my results in an hour, and my wife's took 2 hours. You can schedule appointment on line, and use drive through. Pretty easy looking back.

My wife and I both tested negative with a PCR test (as I mentioned before we had Covid two months ago and there was a chance we could test positive) so we don't need a Rapid Antigen test.

I read tests in English are acceptable.

NAAT is not subject to the list, only Rapid Antigen.

We are looking forward to our flight on Monday.

We just returned from Portugal last week.

Our Walgreens NAAT test was accepted, no problem, taken within 72 hours of departure.

Thanks everyone. I was in Walgreens on Friday to get my second booster. I asked what kind of tests they gave and they said it was NAAT (I knew that already). After some consultation they told me that they "have an Abbott machine" and that the test is called "ID Now." Of course, that doesn't match anything on the EU list.

Happy for the info on this site!

Thank you all for this thread, very useful for planning! Is the Walgreens NAAT test mentioned that the Rapid NAAT one where you can results in 2 hours but could still take it up to 72 hours before departure? That would be less stressful than waiting for results the day of the departure.