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Entry to Portugal - Covid bind

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Hi all,
My husband and I are in a bit of a bind in terms of meeting the requirements for entry. We’re trying to fly in for a dear friend’s wedding in Cascais next week. As far as I can tell we need proof of vaccination and a negative test (either PCR 72 hr or a Laboratory Antigen test 24 hr).

We’re both vaccinated and boosted but we caught Covid on May 13. Therefore we can’t meet PCR/NAAT requirements. We do have letters of recovery but they are not accepted by the EU.

We are flying on one ticket from SEA>JFK, have a six hour layover, then to Lisbon on a separate ticket. The flight to Lisbon is via TAP and leaves at 10:30 pm - so the 24 hour clock starts the night before. Our flight to Seattle leaves at 7:30 am.

We have eMed proctored kits (for entry back into the US) but that’s technically not a laboratory antigen test. Additionally, they are Abbot BinaxNow tests which are not on the EU approved list (because Abbot’s sister tests, panbio, are approved in the EU). There are no pharmacies open from 10:30pm to 5:30am in Seattle to do a laboratory test.

Do we chance it with eMed results? Try to find a pharmacy during our six hour layover? Do both?

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Posted by
2427 posts

Please see the thread “Only Need Proof of Vaccination” under the Portugal posts on this site. I am also seeing that you can get a rapid antigen test at Terminal 8 at JFK. Google covid-19 test at JFK for info.

Posted by
2076 posts

I don't know if anything has changed in recent days but the US is not on the reciprocal list for entry with just a vaccine. I haven't checked in a week or so. if someone has the source please post it. I could be wrong. Are you sure the letter is not accepted along with the positive PCR? Double check to be sure. We travel there in September but I find checking to be confusing and find it more so if you don't read the info completely. I'm going to start checking the end of July.

Posted by
1092 posts

Technically a covid test is required, but lately the CDC card has been unofficially accepted. I'm not as sure about the recovery letter since I haven't heard of anyone using it.

Try to check in with the CDC card or recovery letter, if no luck, antigen test at the airport or find a corner and give the emed test a go. I'm not sure how closely the results are looked at. Binax antigen tests done at a pharmacy have been accepted.

Or another idea, I understand how you can continue to test positive, but maybe you can try your luck with a NAAT test anyways. Walgreens has one with a 2 hour turnaround time that will buy you the 72 hrs if you are lucky and it shows up negative. Last time I tested with them, it was free.

Posted by
55 posts

I agree with Gail,
While checking tests has been sporadic, it is still technically on the books.
First try Walgreens. Then a rapid test at JFK
We are going Sunday for a wedding in Sintra the following Saturday. Wish us luck at Walgreens on Friday

Dennis and Elinore

Posted by
1883 posts

We just got back from 3 weeks in Portugal. We flew Denver-London with our negative Covid tests and CDC cards in hand. We never had to show the test. United required us to enter either into their website to be "travel ready" In London, TAP airlines asked to see our CDC cards only as we boarded the flight, there was no Covid test required, and no check point to pass through when we landed in Lisbon.

NOTE, TAP only required the CDC card showing 2-3 vaccinations, the Covid test was not required, but we did it to make sure we were not positive before leaving on holiday, last thing I wanted to happen was get to Portugal and get sick and be stuck for 8-10 days in a hotel.

Returning, we diligently got our PCR test 24 hours before our flight, and not once did anyone ask to see it. We flew back LIsbon-Toronto-Denver.

Posted by
11 posts

Hi, all!
We are on the fence about whether we need PCRs. We leave in a few days. Paying ca $120 each for a PCR would mean about $500 more for our family. We have looked at the United and Delta websites and they appear to say that PCRs (or equivalent) are not needed if you are triple vaxed, as we are. Then we hear horror stories that people end up paying $250 for a test at Lisbon airport. We are losing sleep over this issue. Why don't we have reciprocity with the EU?
Thanks in advance for your wisdom. Recent experience highly valued in our situation.

Posted by
2 posts

Hi! Happy to provide a follow up.

We found that NYC was doing free rapid antigen tests at JFK in the terminal 8 parking lot. We went immediately after we landed and had our negative results emailed to us in 15 minutes. There was no line - all we had to do was create an account with the city (3-5 min). We figured that those were as official as we could get. Like I said in my original post, we couldn’t get PCR’s as we had Covid within the last 90 days.

We then checked in at the desk for our TAP flight to Lisbon. They asked for our passports and vaccine cards but never asked for our negative tests. Not at check in. Not at boarding. Not when we landed. No one asked for them at all.

It was worth it to us to have them just in case but they never checked anyone’s as far as I could tell.

Honestly I think this decision is up to each person individually depending on their willingness to gamble. We’re generally more “better safe than sorry” people but, as I said, no one asked for anything other than our vaccine cards.

Happy traveling!

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