Portugal has updated its passport requirements for British holidaymakers hoping to travel abroad during the summer holidays.
Earlier his month, UK travellers were informed that they will be fast-tracked through check-ins at a number of airports including Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal - similar to EU citizens. It meant that Brits were able to use eGates to avoid long passport queues where non-EU citizen travellers have to have their passports checked and stamped.
The move quickly shot Portugal to one of the top holiday destinations for Brits this year. Portgual also benefits greatly from the initiative due to the fact that income generated by UK travellers represents the second-largest contribution to Portugal's tourism industry.
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However, the UK government has now updated its travel advice to holidaymakers to clarify the entry requirements to get through Portuguese border control. The advice related to passport stamping and hopes to clear up some confusion among British holidaymakers taking advantage of the eGates fast-track system, Chronicle Liv e reports.
It specifies that the eGates available to UK passport holders are in fact "separate to the e-gates for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens". It adds: "On arrival or departure, check you are eligible to use the e-gates and that you are in the right queue. When using an e-gate, your entry/exit is recorded on the computer system.
"A border officer may also stamp your passport after you have passed through the e-gate, this is for airport operational reasons." The government is asking Brits to make sure that their passports are stamped by border officers - even if they use the eGate system.
"If you use a manned booth, check that your passport is stamped by the border officer when you enter or exit as a visitor," says the guidance. "Check your passport is stamped by the border officer when you enter and exit Portugal as a visitor.
"You can use the manned staffed immigration booths or, if you are aged 18 and over, the e-gates designated for UK and some other non-EU nationals. Hand your passport for stamping to the border officer after you have passed through the e-gate."
The update emphasises the importance of the role of passport stamps and eGate records in policing and enforcing its 90-day visa-free limit for short stays. "Border guards use passport stamps and e-gate records to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area, the guidance adds.
"If you are missing entry/exit stamps, you can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area and ask the border officer to add this date and location in your passport."
Acceptable evidence can include boarding passes and flight tickets which officials may ask travellers to show to prove they are legally entering the country. Tourists are also being advised to ensure their passports are stamped in order to avoid any delays or confusion during their holiday.
Meanwhile, Portugal announced that British tourists will no longer have to fill out a passenger locator form to enter the country - this doesn't;t include travellers heading to Madeira or Porto Santo. Furthermore, other Covid-19 entry rules are still being enforced in Portugal.
For the time being, Brits who are fully vaccinated are able to enter the country without taking a Covid test. However, if travellers are either unvaccinated or partly vaccinated, they will need to provide proof of a negative Covid test.
Valid tests can include either a PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to travel or a lateral flow test taken within 24 hours of travelling.
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