Travel to Portugal

Travel to Portugal

Passport validity requirements

Portugal follows Schengen area rules. Your passport must:

• have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago
• have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue)

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has either been reported lost or stolen or is damaged.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Gov.UK for further information re Dual Citizenship.

This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of the current rules for the most common types of travel.

New Schengen entry requirements

The European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) is being rolled out.

EES checks are being introduced in a phased way across external borders, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026.

This means that when you travel into the Schengen area for short stays, you may need to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo. You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.

On your first visit into a Schengen country, you may be asked to register your details at a special booth before proceeding to the immigration desk. Follow directions from your travel operator or the staff at your port of entry. You may also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you leave the Schengen area. Children aged 11 or younger will not have their fingerprints scanned but can be required to have their photo taken.

EES may take each passenger extra to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border.

Until EES is fully rolled out your passport will continue to be stamped, even if you’ve already been registered for EES. Once EES is fully rolled out, it will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the Schengen area for short stays and you will input biometric details every time you enter or exit.

If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or Eurostar at St Pancras International and you are asked to register for EES, the information will be taken at the border before you leave the UK.

Your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. If you enter the Schengen area again during this time, you will still only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when you enter and exit.

Read more information on the EU Entry/Exit System and to understand which countries are in the Schengen area.

All data is valid at date of publication (23^rd March 2026) and should only be used as a guide