2022 Conference (Portugal) + COVID measures

Discussions - Public
#1

Hi team,

Since we’re going to travel to Portugal in April, I thought I’d start this thread to gather and exchange information and discuss any questions on how to prepare and deal with COVID-related travel restrictions and measures.

Travel requirements may (IMHO will probably) change between now and mid-April. Aside from vaccination or infection status, the country where you live currently determines your availability to travel to Portugal, although some of the current restrictions might lifted in the coming weeks and months, as Europe will likely be easing up on a lot of anti-COVID measures.

@antoviaque has been travelling pretty much non-stop for the past two years; maybe he can share some advice too!

edit: Sherpa – Move Freely gives the most accurate info on travel restrictions (with direct links to forms and information about stops, and also differentiate between departure place and nationality – thanks @lcamacho!).

In their blog post, tCRIL have given some information, and you check on the latest status on travel restrictions at:

I don’t know if/how we should create a ticket to log time discussing this? cc. @paulo

5 Likes
#2

I think Sherpa site is better than Kayak, it provides you with direct links to forms and information about stops also differentiate between departure place and nationality

5 Likes
#3

From both the sites I can see that Travelers from India to Lisbon are not able to enter Lisbon even with full vaccination, I hope the condition improves in the coming time. :slight_smile:

#4

It has varied during the pandemic, but nowadays the airlines tend to have good up-to-date information about the conditions and documents needed for the flight – they will, after all, be the ones checking everything.

That supposes to already have a flight though, or at least knowing which airline we’ll fly with, so besides the official government website (which is sometimes really good, sometimes less so), there is also https://www.traveldoc.aero/ which is the tool that most airlines use to check the requirements for a given passenger, when we arrive at the check-in desk.

3 Likes
#5

Thank you @antoviaque for this link. I found it to have the most accurate information compared to the other websites, atleast for the Indian context.

@farhaan I contacted the private agency which handles Portuguese visa processes in India, and they confirmed what this website states, that Portugal is currently issuing business visas and accepting passengers travelling for essential business/conference (I guess we fall in this category). The restriction right now is requirement of negative tests and 14 days quarantine. Hopefully this is relaxed too by time April rolls around. :crossed_fingers:

1 Like
#6

@farhaan @kaustav @kshitij So my husband’s sister-in-law works at VFS (the agency which handles visas in India), at the branch that handles Schengen visas actually. I checked with her and she said as of now, Italy and Portugal (among the Schengen countries) are not open to Indian travellers but they received a memo saying all EU countries are planning to open from March 1st. Keep an eye out and apply immediately since they’re expecting to receive a lot of applications and we could face delays because of that!

6 Likes
#7

@pooja Thanks for the heads up :slight_smile:

#8

I don’t think the list of countries on this document is accurate anymore :frowning: Australia, Argentina, and Canada were removed from the EU Whitelist in mid-Jan. That press release lists only 14 countries from which non-essential travel will likely be allowed into the EU (that list is repeated here too), and that doesn’t include India or the US either.

But here’s hoping @pooja 's word from the grapevine is correct!

#9

Your post got me down a rabbit hole - the EU page you listed is what all EU countries accept. Individual countries may have expanded lists based on their own criteria. I found that the US is allowed - US consulate page and site by Portuguese tourism agency. Unfortunately don’t see Australia or India or Canada on the latter page. this page says Canadian travel is allowed but only for “essential” reasons, but that includes “professional” and to be honest if we aren’t professional i don’t know what is :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

2 Likes
#10

Oo cool! Australia definitely doesn’t consider “professional” travel as “essential”, so that’s great that the EU makes that distinction!

The site by Portuguese tourism agency says:

Flights from countries not mentioned are allowed exclusively for “essential travel”, i.e. to allow the entry into Portugal of citizens travelling for professional, study and family reunion purposes, and for health or humanitarian reasons.

So maybe we’re ok? This is so confusing…

#11

Yeah, it may be worth trying to specifically find your consulate’s webpage or even getting in touch with them.

#12

Well, one could say the timing couldn’t be better as more and more EU countries are scrapping entry restrictions.

“proof of vaccination will be sufficient to come to France whatever country you are coming from, just as it was before the spread of the Omicron variant”.

The entry rules in the EU are bound to be relaxed as more and more countries accept the current wave as the last one to worry about. Hope they are right, and that the situation clears up quickly so everyone can join. Can’t wait to see you all :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#13

Oo confirmed: NYTimes: The European Union wants to relax pandemic rules for vaccinated visitors from abroad. by 1 March.

Plus:

The guidance also recommends more relaxed rules for deciding which countries qualified for the European Union’s “safe travel” list. The new requirement for eligibility would be a two-week average of fewer than 100 new cases a day for every 100,000 population; the current ceiling is 75 cases per 100,000.

The United States is well under the ceiling, with a current average of 27 per 100,000, according to a New York Times database.

Daily average cases per 100,000 for various countries today:

5 Likes
#14

Hi guys,

Just an update from the South Africa side, Portugal is still not open for visa applications, and Portugal is still not accepting non-essential travel from SA (it looks like travel to attend professional or educational conferences is defined as “non-essential”). We’ll keep an eye on things, but @gabriel this means we can’t purchase tickets yet, BUT we’ll still look for an Airbnb that gives us time to cancel.

:slight_smile:

1 Like
#15

Same for Australia too, and most other countries. But Brazil, Canada, USA and UK are good!

2 Likes
#16

As a non-swedish permanent resident, I am trying to get my European Covid certificate but it has still been pending for 2 months without success for now. I am hoping to find a solution to that as soon as possible. :crossed_fingers:

#17

@pooja @kaustav @kshitij @farhaan did you have any luck in applying for the visa from India?

#18

I haven’t applied yet. I got married last year so I’m waiting on getting my marriage certificate.

#19

Nope. There’s still no change in the status. Apparently VFS is also waiting for updates.

#20

@pooja @saksham @kshitij @farhaan

VFS center in Kolkata, has started giving limited appointment slots for business visa applications.

Check the status from vfs in your city