Travel essentials

🛂 Entry requirements

• EU citizens: a valid national ID card or passport is enough.
• Everyone else: passport. Portugal is in the Schengen Area: if your country is visa-exempt, you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
• EES: since April 2026, non-EU travellers have their fingerprints and photo taken at the border on their first entry to Schengen. Allow extra time at airport passport control.

🏥 Health and insurance

EU travellers should bring their European Health Insurance Card: it gives you public healthcare on the same terms as residents. It does not cover private care, repatriation or theft, so travel insurance is still a good idea. For visitors from outside the EU, insurance is a must.

💳 Money and payments

• Cards (including contactless) are accepted almost everywhere. Carry a little cash for small taverns and markets.
• Use Multibanco ATMs (the ones run by banks). Avoid the independent ATMs in tourist areas: their fees are high.
• If an ATM or card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, always choose euros: their conversion rate costs more.

💬 Language

English is widely spoken in the tourist areas. Even so, a few words of Portuguese go a long way:

📶 Internet and tipping

• Data: EU mobile plans roam at no extra cost. From elsewhere, a Europe eSIM is the easiest option; MEO, NOS and Vodafone also sell SIM cards at the airport.
• Tipping: not expected. Rounding up or leaving 5–10% for good service is the norm.