Entering Portugal from Brazil — a complete guide

Visa: for tourism or business up to 90 days in any 180-day period, Brazilian citizens do not need a visa for Portugal or the rest of the Schengen area — Brazil is on the official list of nationalities exempt from the Schengen visa. The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for at least 3 months after the planned departure from the Schengen area. Visa exemption does not guarantee entry: the final decision is made at border control.

Accepted documents: a valid Brazilian passport. The Brazilian national ID (RG) is not a travel document for Portugal. Dual nationals (Brazilian and Portuguese or another EU nationality) must enter and leave Brazil on the Brazilian passport and may present the EU document at the Portuguese border.

EES (Entry/Exit System): fully operational since 10 April 2026 (gradual start on 12 October 2025). There is no advance application or form — registration happens at border control and replaces the passport stamp. At first registration 4 fingerprints and a facial image are taken (children under 12 give no fingerprints); the data is kept for 3 years and on later entries the officer only verifies it, which is faster. Allow extra time on arrival at Lisbon, Porto or Faro.

ETIAS: not yet mandatory and no start date is confirmed (check the official site travel-europe.europa.eu); once it starts there will be a transition period of at least 6 months during which nobody is refused for not having one. It will be an electronic authorisation requested before travel, valid 3 years or until the passport expires, with a €20 fee (free under 18 and over 70). ETIAS is not a visa — it is a prior travel authorisation for travellers who are already visa-exempt.

At the border: airport border checks are carried out by the PSP police. You may be asked for proof of accommodation (hotel or short-let booking), a return ticket and proof of means of subsistence. The Portuguese reference amount is €75 per entry plus €40 per day of stay (or, alternatively, a declaration of responsibility signed by a Portuguese citizen or resident).

Source: MNE / vistos.mne.gov.pt (exempt nationalities), European Commission and travel-europe.europa.eu (EES and ETIAS), AIMA and MNE (means of subsistence), Government of Portugal (PSP at air borders), Itamaraty / Portal Consular. Always confirm on the official sites before travelling.

Travel insurance: not mandatory for visa-exempt Brazilians (ETIAS will not require it either), but strongly recommended. Only Schengen visa applications require insurance with minimum €30,000 cover.

PT/BR-13 certificate (formerly PB4 / CDAM): Brazil and Portugal have a bilateral health agreement. Before travelling, request the free Certificado de Direito à Assistência Médica (PT/BR-13) on the gov.br portal — it is issued by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and normally valid for 1 year. With it you are treated in public SNS facilities under the same conditions as a Portuguese citizen (including the same user fees); without it, the SNS may bill the full cost of care. The certificate is only valid in the public SNS, does not cover private hospitals or repatriation, and the bilateral agreements provide no reimbursement — so travel insurance is still recommended.

Emergencies: nobody is turned away from an emergency department in Portugal, but without a PT/BR-13 or insurance SNS care may be billed, and private hospitals charge directly — check prices before being seen.

Pharmacies: marked by a green cross; outside normal hours there are duty pharmacies on rotation, listed on the door of every pharmacy. Medicines prescribed in Brazil may have a different brand name or need a prescription in Portugal — bring the prescription and your usual medication.

Emergency number: 112 (free, 24 hours, nationwide). SNS 24 health line: 808 24 24 24 (clinical advice 24 hours; charged as a call to a landline).

Currency: Euro (€). The EUR/BRL rate moves a lot — check the day's rate (Banco Central do Brasil or ECB) before travelling.

FX and cards: avoid changing money at the airport or at tourist exchange offices. Use an international card (Visa/Mastercard debit or credit) or a multi-currency card and withdraw euros from bank-operated Multibanco ATMs. When a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in reais (dynamic currency conversion), always choose to pay in euros — your own bank's conversion is usually better. Independent ATMs outside banks tend to add their own fees. Check with your bank the IOF tax and the FX and foreign-withdrawal fees, and enable international use of the card before departure.

Multibanco: the nationwide ATM and payment-terminal network; international chip-and-PIN cards generally work. Always carry a second card as backup.

Cards: Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere; American Express less so at small businesses. Contactless and phone payments are very common. Cash is still useful in small restaurants, markets and some taxis.

Cash declaration: anyone entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency) must declare it to customs.

Tipping: far more discreet than in Brazil. In restaurants, 5-10% or rounding up is generous; not mandatory. No tip in taxis or cafés.

Brazilian driving licence (CNH) in Portugal: recognised by the IMT — as a tourist you may drive on your CNH for up to 185 days, counted from the day after entering the country, as long as you do not take up residence. The Brazilian International Driving Permit (PID), issued by the Detran, is not required in Portugal; if you have one, always present it together with the CNH (it is not valid on its own). Carry the physical, valid CNH; rental companies may have their own rules — check when booking.

Residents: Brazil is in the CPLP/OECD regime (Decree-Law 46/2022): after taking up residence in Portugal you may keep driving on the CNH as long as you are under 60 and the licence was issued or last renewed less than 15 years ago, and you can exchange it for a Portuguese licence at the IMT without a driving test (medical exam only). A CNH with a QR code (issued from 18 May 2017) can be exchanged directly with the IMT. This authorisation is valid only in Portugal.

Tolls: many motorways have electronic-only tolls with no booths. Visitor options: Easytoll (links a bank card to the number plate, valid 30 days), prepaid Tollcard, Via Verde for visitors (Go Toll), or post-payment at CTT post offices/Payshop between 48 hours and 15 working days after passing. With rental cars, the company usually supplies a Via Verde transponder and bills the tolls at the end. Official information at pttolls.com.

Driving rules: drive on the right (same as Brazil). Limits for cars: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on other roads, 100 km/h on roads reserved for motor vehicles and 120 km/h on motorways. Alcohol: the Portuguese limit is 0.5 g/L of blood (0.2 g/L for drivers licensed less than 3 years and professionals) — more permissive than Brazil's Lei Seca, under which any blood alcohol is an offence, but Portuguese fines and bans are heavy: do not drive after drinking.

Mealtimes: lunch later than in Brazil (1-2pm), dinner between 8-10pm. Restaurants rarely serve dinner before 7:30pm and many stop seating new tables after 10:30pm. Shops close on Sunday and many during lunch (1-3pm). Big supermarkets open until 10-11pm; small ones close at 7-8pm.

Social manners: Portuguese is more formal than Brazilian Portuguese — "tu" is informal, "você" is formal. Café and restaurant staff are less chatty with strangers; personal space is wider.

Breakfast: called "pequeno-almoço" in Portugal; coffee is usually short (espresso) or with milk ("galão"), with bread (toast, croissant, mixed sandwich). Freshly squeezed orange juice is widely available.

Language: same language but important differences — "casa de banho" (PT) = "banheiro" (BR, bathroom); "fixe" (PT) = "legal" (BR, cool); "autocarro" (PT) = "ônibus" (BR, bus); "comboio" (PT) = "trem" (BR, train). To order coffee: "um café, se faz favor" rather than "um cafezinho, por favor".

Restaurant reservations: in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve in peak season (Jun-Sep), booking ahead is essential — most restaurants take online bookings. Some popular tasquinhas take no bookings — queue at the door.

Transport: in Lisbon and Porto, the metro plus the rechargeable transport cards (Navegante in Lisbon, Andante in Porto) are the cheapest way to get around. Ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uber) operate in the main cities — there is no "informal taxi" culture like in Brazil. Official taxis run on a meter — insist on the meter if the driver offers a "fixed price".

Safety: Portugal is one of the safest EU countries. The main risk in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve is pickpocketing on crowded public transport, on tram 28 and in downtown Lisbon. Wear bags across the front; never keep your wallet in a back pocket.

Plugs: types F and C (two round pins, European standard), 230 V, 50 Hz. Dual-voltage or 220 V appliances work without a converter; Brazilian plugs (NBR 14136) do not always fit — bring an adapter.

Water: tap water is safe in mainland Portugal — the regulator's (ERSAR) "safe water" indicator was 98.8% at the consumer's tap in 2025. In restaurants you can ask for "um copo de água da torneira".

Time zone: mainland Portugal and Madeira are on UTC (UTC+1 in summer time, from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October); the Azores are 1 hour behind. As Brazil has had no daylight saving time since 2019, Lisbon is 3 hours ahead of Brasília in the European winter and 4 hours ahead in the European summer.