Algarve Tourism has announced that travellers to Portugal from the UK, EU and Schengen countries will no longer be required to take a mandatory PCR test in order to enter the country. Portugal will now accept visitors, with immediate effect, that have tested negative for Covid with the more widely available lateral flow test.
João Fernandes from Algarve Tourism said: “This will significantly lower the cost of travelling to the Algarve. In the meantime, we continue to implement strict social distancing measures and health and safety operating procedures to keep both tourists and residents safe.”
The change was made by Resolution of the Council of Ministers on the 9th June. It states that airlines should only allow passengers to board flights to stay or stopover in mainland Portugal upon presentation, at the time of departure, of proof of either a laboratory performance of nucleic acid amplification (PCR) test or rapid test of antigen (Lateral Flow) test to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection with a negative result, carried out within 72 or 24 hours prior to boarding, respectively.
