British travellers can return to Portugal from May 17, ending days of uncertainty over whether thousands of U.K. vacation bookings for Portuguese destinations would be allowed.
British visitors will be admitted on nonessential travel from May 17, the Portuguese foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. British travelers will need to show on arrival a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken in the previous 72 hours.
The Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva said today, UK tourists will be able to enter the country from midnight on Monday.
The decision will revoke the current essential travel restrictions that are in place until Sunday.
The Portuguese National Tourist Office has been ensuring that testing capacity will meet the needs of opening back up its borders, a statement said on Visit Portugal’s website.
British travellers must present negative PCR tests upon arrival, taken 72 hours before departure.
Airlines and tour operators left in limbo after ministers in Lisbon opted to extend its “state of calamity” yesterday until at least May 30 were bracing themselves for cancelling scores of flights.
Portugal is one of just a handful of holiday locations on the UK travel green list, with many other popular holiday destinations and tourist hotspots either ‘red’ or ‘amber’.
