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3 stages for the new lifting of COVID measures
2 August 2021
On the 29th July 2021, the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa has announced a new plan to lift the Covid-19 rules. The new strategy is composed by 3 stages and the criteria is now based on the percentage of the population fully vaccinated, as follows:
Phase 1: More than 50% of the population with complete vaccination (1st August)
- Working from home is recommended, whenever activities allow it;
- End of traffic restrictions on public roads from 11pm onwards;
- End of limitation on opening hours and establishment of 2am as closing hours;
- Audience at sporting events, according to rules to be defined by the DGS;
- Cultural events with 66% capacity;
- Bars subject to restaurant rules.
Phase 2: More than 70% of the population with complete vaccination (September)
- End of mandatory use of mask in public outdoor spaces;
- Restaurants and cafes have a maximum limit of 8 people per group inside and 15 people per group on terraces;
- Public services without prior appointment;
- Public transportation without capacity limits;
- Cultural events with 75% capacity;
- Events (namely weddings and baptisms) with 75% capacity.
Phase 3: More than 85% of the population with complete vaccination (October)
- Restaurants and cafes with no maximum number of people per group, either indoors or on terraces;
- Establishments and equipments without capacity limits;
- Cultural events with unlimited capacity;
- Events (namely weddings and baptisms) with unlimited capacity;
- Bars and clubs reopen upon presentation of the EU COVID Digital Certificate or a negative test result.
The following general rules also apply:
- Rules become the same throughout the continental national territory;
- It is also mandatory to present the EU COVID Digital Certificate or a negative test result to have access to:
- Events with more than 1000pax (outdoors) and 500pax (indoors)
- Weddings and baptisms with more than 10pax
- Travel
- Hotels and other tourist accommodations
- Dining indoors after 7pm on Fridays, weekends, and holidays
- Gym group classes
- Thermal baths and spas
- Casinos
- Alcohol consumption in public spaces remains forbidden after 8pm.
On Friday, 14 February 2025, Law No. 9/2025 came into effect, introducing amendments to Law No. 23/2007 of 4 July, which governs the legal framework for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreign nationals from Portugal. For context, Law No. 9/2025 introduced amendments to seven articles, aiming to facilitate and simplify the entry and stay of citizens from the Member States of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in Portugal. The CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries – Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa) is an international organisation comprising countries where Portuguese is an official language. Its primary objectives are to promote cooperation in political, economic, and cultural areas among its member states while fostering the Portuguese language and cultural exchange. Among the amendments, Article 75, paragraph 2 is particularly noteworthy. It states: When the applicant is covered by the CPLP Agreement and holds a short-stay visa or has legal entry into the national territory, they may apply for a temporary residence permit. In practical terms, this means that citizens who enter Portugal legally can apply for a temporary residence permit without the need for a visa. They simply need to enter the country as tourists, as is the case for citizens of CPLP member states. Tourist stays are limited to a maximum period of 90 days. Citizens from countries that are not members of the CPLP can still apply for a temporary residence permit; however, they must first obtain the appropriate visa . Temporary stay visas are intended for individuals planning to stay in Portugal for more than 90 days but less than one year. Various types of temporary stay visas are available to accommodate different purposes, such as medical treatment, family reunification, employment, study, and seasonal work. These visas are formally classified as E1 Visa, E2 Visa, and so forth. The member states of the CPLP include: The Republic of Angola The Federative Republic of Brazil The Republic of Cape Verde The Republic of Guinea-Bissau The Republic of Equatorial Guinea The Republic of Mozambique The Portuguese Republic The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
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