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Ease of testing in Lisbon?

I'm wondering if anybody has any insight into current wait times at pharmacies for covid testing? Is it pretty easy to find a pharmacy to do the test, and how expensive is it? I'm debating whether to rely on pharmacies or to stock up on those binaxNOW kits...but those are $25 a pop.

Posted by
1654 posts

A lot of labs are also doing the testing and they schedule appointments ahead of time. Cost for antigen is €25-35.

You can buy the self tests which will sometimes work for restaurants and hotels for €3-4 at supermarkets and Farmacia’s..

Posted by
1499 posts

We were there in November so I don't know if this information is up-to-date. At that time the US accepted the rapid tests for returning. There were free walk in rapid testing sites in the major squares. There were also pcr test sites. At that time we were told those were 90 euro and required an appointment through a nearby pharmacy. We took the rapid test and had no problem.

Posted by
13 posts

kathrynj---interesting. We'll be staying at airbnb's, so are mostly concerned with restaurants (and flights). So you've seen some of the restaurants accepting self tests--do you think most do, or just some? If the self-tests suffice, and we could buy them cheaply there, that would be awesome. I'd probably rather bring some of the telemed kits than have to make appointments at the pharmacia though.

Posted by
1654 posts

When I visited the states in December I was required to have an antigen test within 24 hours of departure toward the US and 48 hours when I returned to Portugal. A friend arrived here two weeks ago with the same requirements. Self tests were not acceptable.

Since she has been here, we’ve only eaten inside a restaurant a few times. They accepted her US vaccination card, if they asked for anything. Several did not request either my EU Covid certificate or her US proof. If you eat outside, there are no requirements for tests, etc.

For Airbnb’s, it’s my understanding that they will accept self tests. It’s easy and much cheaper to buy them here but I would bring a couple just in case. And, for going back to the states, there are many places offering tests. Google is your friend for this.

Safe Communities Portugal is a good site for all requirements.