Portugal Listed as a Safe Destination for the UK
4 September 2020
The British government announced on 20th August 2020 that Portugal will be added to the air travel corridor list for the UK, which means that visitors from the country will not have to quarantine upon their return to the UK. This positive news was already confirmed by the UK Secretary of State and Transport, Grant Schapps, who revealed on Twitter “Data also shows we can now add Portugal to those countries INCLUDED in Travel Corridors (…)” and by the British Embassy in Lisbon: “UK travel advice restrictions to mainland Portugal have been removed with immediate effect. The British Embassy wishes to thank the Portuguese authorities for their constructive cooperation in recent weeks, including regularly providing updated figures on the evolution of the virus in Portugal”.
This decision follows a review of the recent data from the UK’s Joint Biosecurity Center and entered into force at 4 am on 22nd August 2020. Portugal is now part of the small group of countries that were added to the corridor list for the UK since July, which includes Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the archipelago of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Brunei, and Malaysia. Besides Portugal, the UK air travel corridor also includes Poland, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Cyprus.
Other countries, such as Croatia, Austria and the Island of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, will be removed from the list due to the growing number of infections.
In a statement, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs explains that “this decision is very important in the sense that it will allow to restore the usual mobility of people between Portugal and the UK, whatever the reason for the travels may be: tourism, work, family motives, study, educational exchange programmes, among others”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds that this decision is the “(…) acknowledgment of the positive evolution of the Portuguese situation, namely the ability of testing on a large scale, detecting the positive cases, controlling their transmission and treating them in the most adequate form. It also emphasizes the ability from our National Health Service, that never ceased to assure regular monitoring of the people infected with COVID-19”. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Portugal has been registering a decrease in the number of infections, having recorded 27.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks.
The Portuguese National Confederation of Tourism considered this to be a “very positive” decision: “It is obviously good news for the Tourism, since the UK is our main outbound market. However, it comes rather late (…)”.
Despite last week rise in coronavirus cases, Portuguese government is confident the situation is under control. For now, United Kingdom, with the exception of Wales and Scotland, will keep the travel corridor list unchanged.
Bringing children under Portugal’s ARI scheme is a strategic step that strengthens family unity while paving the way toward long-term citizenship and legal security.
Portugal remains one of the EU’s most accessible and welcoming countries, consistently attracting foreign nationals who seek residency and a fresh start.
A new National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF) has been created within the Public Security Police (PSP), taking over key responsibilities from the former SEF. UNEF will handle airport border control, visa issuance, foreign nationals oversight, and related operations.
Danielle Avidago | Immigration Consultant
Due to stricter AL rules in urban Portugal, many owners now turn to short-term residential leases to earn legal rental income outside tourist accommodation laws.
On 16 July 2025, the Portuguese Parliament approved major changes to the legal framework governing immigration (Law no. 23/2007). The reform ends the manifestação de interesse mechanism, tightens rules for job-seeker visas and family reunification, and sets a final deadline for transitional applications.
The Portuguese Parliament has decided to postpone the vote on the proposed amendments to the Nationality Law until September 2025. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, following pressure from several political parties who requested more time to assess the implications of the proposed reform. The delay allows for additional hearings with legal experts, immigrant associations and civil society representatives before a final vote is held in plenary session. The proposed reform introduces significant changes to the current legal framework for acquiring Portuguese nationality. Among the most impactful measures is the extension of the minimum legal residence period required before applying for naturalisation. Under the new proposal, this period would increase from the current five years to seven years for nationals of CPLP countries (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), and to ten years for applicants from all other countries. Another major change concerns the introduction of mechanisms to revoke Portuguese nationality . According to the proposal, naturalised citizens who are convicted of serious crimes — defined as those resulting in prison sentences of five years or more , within ten years of acquiring nationality — could see their Portuguese citizenship revoked by a court decision, based on a proposal from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, the reform would tighten the requirements for acquiring original Portuguese nationality through birth in Portugal. For children born in Portuguese territory to foreign parents, it would become mandatory that at least one parent has been residing legally in Portugal for a minimum of three years , instead of the current two years. Although the government initially intended to approve these changes before the summer recess, political consensus has not yet been reached. Left-wing parties have raised concerns regarding the constitutionality of retroactive revocation of nationality and the potential impact on the rights of long-term residents and immigrant communities in Portugal. In response, the parliamentary committee agreed to postpone the process and schedule a new round of expert hearings in early September. A final vote on the reform is now expected to take place later that month. Until then, the current version of the Nationality Law remains in force , including the five-year legal residence requirement for naturalisation. Applicants who meet this requirement and wish to apply under the current rules may still do so in the coming weeks.
Law No. 53/2023 transposes the EU Blue Card Directive into Portuguese law, improving conditions for highly skilled non-EU nationals to live and work in the EU.
Hiring a contractor in Portugal should be simple, but unmet terms can lead to financial loss and legal issues, especially for clients unfamiliar with local rules.
Portuguese nationality law requires more than just having a Portuguese spouse or grandparent—it also demands proof of a meaningful connection to Portuguese society.