Visa Requirements for Portuguese Citizens

Visa requirements for Portuguese citizens are administrative entry restrictions established by the authorities of different countries around the world.

Currently, Portugal is part of the European Union and is a member of the Schengen Area, which helps to place the Portuguese passport 6th place in the rank of travel freedom, according to the Henley Passport Index.

The visa requirements for Portuguese passport holders depend on the country of destination, the purpose of the visit, and the period of stay.

As a general rule, Portuguese citizens will need a passport valid for 3 to 6 months before traveling to most destinations, although they are able to travel to any of the Schengen Area countries by simply presenting a valid National ID card.

Currently, more than 115 visa-exempt countries permit Portuguese travelers to cross their borders without a visa, for different periods of stay.

Portuguese citizens are permitted an unlimited stay in any Schengen country, as Portugal has signed the Schengen Agreement for passport-free travel.

Visa-free access to other countries is usually granted for short stays for tourist, business, or transit purposes, for periods of between 14 days and 1 year depending on the country of destination.

However, if Portuguese travelers wish to visit these destinations for another purpose or for longer permitted stays they must apply for a visa from a relevant embassy or consulate of the chosen country.

To visit all other countries, Portuguese citizens must obtain a visa or travel authorization regardless of the period of intended stay, whether an embassy visa, a visa on arrival, or an electronic visa waiver or eVisa through an online application.

Find out more information about the visa requirements for Portuguese citizens below.

List of Visa Countries for Portuguese Passport Holders in 2020

Although there are currently a number of visa-exempt countries for Portuguese citizens, there are up to 130 countries that require them to obtain a visa regardless of the purpose of the visit or the period of stay.

This may be either a visa from a diplomatic office of the destination, a visa on arrival at a border checkpoint, or an eVisa or travel authorization via a digital application.

Portuguese citizens can obtain a visa or visa waiver in advance of travel to visit more than 100 countries around the globe. Around 30 of these permit them to obtain an electronic travel visa authorization through an online application.

An eVisa or online visa waiver for Portuguese citizens usually grants a short stay of between 14 and 90 days depending on the destination, and permits travel for tourism, business, or transit purposes.

However, if travelers from Portugal wish to visit these country for longer periods or for another purpose not available with an online application, they must apply for an embassy visa for the destination.

Additionally, approximately 75 countries Portuguese passport holders to apply for a visa from an embassy or consulate no matter the purpose of the trip, whether a tourist visa, a business visa, work visa, transit visa, student visa, or other visa type.

A visa on arrival for Portuguese citizens is also available at border checkpoints of around 20 countries around the world, although submitting an application for this visa option often involves waiting in line immigration queues.

Browse the following list of countries for which a visa is required for citizens of Portugal to check if you need travel authorization for your destination.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

An electronic visa travel authorization system allows Portuguese citizens to obtain either an online visa waiver or eVisa for their destination by filling out a digital application form.

These programs have largely been introduced to facilitate the process of applying for a visa and eliminate the need to make an appointment at an embassy several weeks in advance or to have to wait in border lines to obtain a visa on arrival.

There are currently some 30 countries that permit Portuguese passport holders to obtain an eVisa or visa waiver online, for stays between 14 and 90 days depending on the destination.

To obtain an electronic visa travel authorization for Portuguese nationals, it is usually necessary to have a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months from the intended date of arrival in the chosen country, as well as a variety of varying supporting documentation.

The protocol of obtaining this visa type for citizens of Portugal usually involves pre-registering an online application with personal data, passport, and travel information, as well as answer some security questions.

Before finalizing and submitting the application for review, it is also usually necessary to pay a processing fee using a valid credit or debit card.

Once approved, an eVisa waiver or electronic visa for nationals of Portugal is usually electronically linked to the traveler’s passport. In some cases, a copy of the approved travel visa authorization is also sent to the applicant by email.

Find below a list of the main destinations that nationals of Portugal can visit by applying for an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization.

Visa on Arrival

A visa on arrival is a type of travel document that select countries offer to Portuguese citizens once they arrive at a border control point in their territory.

There are currently around 20 countries and territories around the world that permit nationals of Portugal to obtain a visa on arrival.

The protocol of obtaining a visa on arrival for Portuguese nationals usually involves going directly to an immigration checkpoint in the destination country, where they must wait in a line to be handed an application form to complete with passport, travel, and personal information.

Additionally, most of these destinations require travelers from Portugal to pay a visa on arrival processing fee, the payment of which must often be made in the local currency in cash.

Visas on arrival for Portuguese citizens may be issued as a single or multiple entry travel document and permit a stay of between 7 and 90 days depending on the country of destination.

As a general rule, a visa on arrival permits visitors from Portugal to visit the destination for tourism, business, or transit purposes.

Some countries that offer visa on arrival also permit travelers to obtain an eVisa through an online form, which greatly expedites the application process.

Embassy Visa Required

An embassy visa for Portuguese passport holders is a type of travel document that must be obtained from a government diplomatic office before visiting the destination country.

There are currently around 75 countries and territories across the world that require Portuguese residents to obtain an embassy visa, regardless of length of stay and purpose of travel.

The protocol of applying for an embassy visa usually requires Portugese travelers to first make a consular appointment at the nearest overseas diplomatic mission of their destination

It is advisable to request this appointment several weeks before the intended trip, since it may take this amount of time for an embassy visa for Portuguese nationals to be processed and approved.

Citizens of Portugal are also usually required to download and complete an embassy application form to bring along to the embassy interview, which must be filled in with personal data, passport details, and travel information.

Embassy visa requirements for Portuguese citizens usually state that it is necessary to have a passport with a minimum validity of between 3 and 6 months from the intended date of arrival in the destination.

It is also necessary to supply varying additional supporting documentation depending on the type of visa required. An approved embassy visa may be issued as either a tourist visa, business visa, work visa, student visa, transit visa, or other visa option depending on the needs of the traveler from Portugal.

Below you can find a full list of the countries for which citizens of Portugal can travel by first applying for an embassy visa.

Visa Not Required

At the moment, there are currently approximately 115 countries and territories for which citizens of Portugal do not need a visa for short stays.

As Portugal has signed the Schengen Agreement for passport-free travel, Portuguese nationals are granted freedom of movement to visit any of the other 25 Schengen countries if they present a valid ID Card at border checkpoints.

Other visa-exempt countries for Portuguese citizens allow travelers from Portugal to cross their borders for tourist, business or transit purposes, for short stays of between 14 and 180 days depending on the destination.

However, in order to do so, it is usually necessary to present a Portuguese passport with a validity of between 3 and 6 months from the intended date of entry to the chosen country.

In the event that Portuguese visitors wish to travel to these visa-exempt countries for other purposes or for longer stays, they must request an appointment at an embassy or consulate of the destination country well in advance of travel.

Browse the list below to discover the main countries for which a visa is not required for citizens of Portugal.

Visa Requirements for Citizens of Portugal