NEW - Canadians Can't Travel to Portugal

[claudiaYVR]

I just learned that Portugal has removed Canada from the list of countries from which people can travel for non-essential purposes. We are booked on a cruise out of Lisbon on February 19. Has anyone else heard about this?

[paf225]

46 minutes ago, claudiaYVR said:

I just learned that Portugal has removed Canada from the list of countries from which people can travel for non-essential purposes. We are booked on a cruise out of Lisbon on February 19. Has anyone else heard about this?

Hi Claudia, I just checked the Visit Portugal website and their "Covid-19 Measures Implemented in Portugal" page no longer lists Canada as one of the countries whose citizens can travel to Portugal for non-essential reasons.  It appears this page was updated 2 days ago.  I've pasted the link below.  Regards, Paul

 

COVID-19 | Measures implemented in Portugal | www.visitportugal.com 

[claudiaYVR]

40 minutes ago, paf225 said:

Hi Claudia, I just checked the Visit Portugal website and their "Covid-19 Measures Implemented in Portugal" page no longer lists Canada as one of the countries whose citizens can travel to Portugal for non-essential reasons.  It appears this page was updated 2 days ago.  I've pasted the link below.  Regards, Paul

 

COVID-19 | Measures implemented in Portugal | www.visitportugal.com 

Thanks Paul, that's where I was getting my info as well. Seabourn didn't know when I called them earlier. I have also just received confirmation from the Portuguese consulate in Vancouver. Unless Seabourn has a way around this looks like we won't be boarding encore on the 19th.

[paf225]

28 minutes ago, claudiaYVR said:

Thanks Paul, that's where I was getting my info as well. Seabourn didn't know when I called them earlier. I have also just received confirmation from the Portuguese consulate in Vancouver. Unless Seabourn has a way around this looks like we won't be boarding encore on the 19th.

As if there aren't enough hurdles for travel already.  Did the information you received from the Portuguese consulate indicate the reason behind this change?  Canada has a high vaccination rate and cases appear to be trending down.  This is really short notice for you.  I have a T/A from Miami to Lisbon in the middle of March so I have a little more time to hope for a resolution.  Good luck.  Regards,  Paul

[claudiaYVR]

@paf225Here is the complete email from the consulate. Looks like you may be ok timewise:

 

"Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Due to the pandemic, commercial airspace restrictions can occur without warning and can prevent non-essential travelling.

 

Canada was removed from the list of countries whose citizens can travel to Portugal for non-essential reasons. This measure is in place until February 28th and could be renewed. 

 

So, at the moment, Canadians, and permanent residents in Canada, cannot travel to Portugal, except for essential travel.

 

“Essential travel” is defined as trips allowing the transit, entry into and departure from Portugal for professional purposes, study, family reunions, health and humanitarian reasons and under the reciprocity principle. (https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal)

 

It is up to the passenger to proof to his/her/their airline carrier that his/her/their trip is essential. 

If allowed to travel, upon arrival in Portugal the passenger may present himself/herself/themselves at the border to be authorized entry by the Portuguese Immigration authorities."

 

[waiting2retire]

It makes zero sense to me that Canada has been removed from this list while the U.S. remains on it. 

[dog]

My cruise stops in Lisbon  in March, hope this restriction is removed. If not do we just stay on-board or are we not allowed to embark?

[FeelingRestless]

1 hour ago, waiting2retire said:

It makes zero sense to me that Canada has been removed from this list while the U.S. remains on it. 

 
I am a Canadian impatiently waiting to travel to go to Portugal for leisure - I was just looking at the list. I do not see the US on it, but perhaps I misread it?

 

oops yep, I did misread it.  My bad.
That’s insane that people can from the US but not Canada.

Edited February 12, 2022 by FeelingRestless
Correction

[paf225]

1 hour ago, claudiaYVR said:

@paf225Here is the complete email from the consulate. Looks like you may be ok timewise:

 

"Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Due to the pandemic, commercial airspace restrictions can occur without warning and can prevent non-essential travelling.

 

Canada was removed from the list of countries whose citizens can travel to Portugal for non-essential reasons. This measure is in place until February 28th and could be renewed. 

 

So, at the moment, Canadians, and permanent residents in Canada, cannot travel to Portugal, except for essential travel.

 

“Essential travel” is defined as trips allowing the transit, entry into and departure from Portugal for professional purposes, study, family reunions, health and humanitarian reasons and under the reciprocity principle. (https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal)

 

It is up to the passenger to proof to his/her/their airline carrier that his/her/their trip is essential. 

If allowed to travel, upon arrival in Portugal the passenger may present himself/herself/themselves at the border to be authorized entry by the Portuguese Immigration authorities."

 

Hi Claudia, Thank you for the additional information.  There is no specific reason for the change in policy stated in the letter.  On its face the change in entry restrictions appears to be either totally random or a response to an unknown action by the GOC.

 

Would you be okay with me posting the text of the letter on the Roll Call for the Azamara cruise I'm on in March?  There are a bunch of Canadians on the cruise and I would imagine many of them are unaware of this sudden travel restriction.  Regards,  Paul

[claudiaYVR]

@paf225for sure share it as you will. Thanks 

[*Miss G*]

I have 3 stops in Portugal next month: Azores, Madeira, Lisbon.  Sherpa says we are allowed if we are “arriving from” United States.  This is markedly different than if-you’re-Canadian-you-can’t-come.  Reminds me of the mess at the beginning of the pandemic.  To complicate things even further, I am a British-Canadian with US Permanent Resident status.  Can I enter because I live in the United States?  Can I enter because I am British?    Will I be barred because I’m Canadian?

 

Would love to know what Canada did to tick Portugal off.  In any event, I am not going to sweat it until the next announcement.  Hopefully Canada will rectify whatever mess they made and we will be friends again.

 

[DirtyDawg]

16 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

It makes zero sense to me that Canada has been removed from this list while the U.S. remains on it. 

It makes a whole lot of cents!

 

U.S. tourism's value to the Portuguese economy is likely 10X larger that Canada's. In international relations, money talks.  

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

I have 3 stops in Portugal next month: Azores, Madeira, Lisbon.  Sherpa says we are allowed if we are “arriving from” United States.  This is markedly different than if-you’re-Canadian-you-can’t-come.  Reminds me of the mess at the beginning of the pandemic.  To complicate things even further, I am a British-Canadian with US Permanent Resident status.  Can I enter because I live in the United States?  Can I enter because I am British?    Will I be barred because I’m Canadian?

 

Would love to know what Canada did to tick Portugal off.  In any event, I am not going to sweat it until the next announcement.  Hopefully Canada will rectify whatever mess they made and we will be friends again.

 

From what I've seen, both in what you have quoted and from the Air Canada requirements page, it isn't the nationality of the passenger or the country issuing your passport that determines whether or not you are able to enter, but instead it's the country from which your flight originates.

 

Travellers arriving from  Canada (see 173 additional countries) are not allowed to enter mainland Portugal. Please note, direct travel to Madeira and Porto Santo is allowed. The land borders between Portugal and Spain are open. Please check the source for exemptions, documentation, quarantine, and/or testing requirements before travelling.

 

So, as things stand today, you can't fly there from Canada but you can do so from the US.

 

[claudiaYVR]

I'm still reeling and didn't sleep much last night. I only have 4 days to figure it out. One avenue I'm pursuing is flying to Portugal from the US.

 

Even though the email from the consulate says "Canadians and permanent residents in Canada" can't travel to Portugal except for essential purposes, they then go to say "It is up to the passenger to proof [sic] to his/her/their airline carrier that his/her/their trip is essential. If allowed to travel, upon arrival in Portugal the passenger may present himself/herself/themselves at the border to be authorized entry by the Portuguese Immigration authorities."

 

I have tried Sherpa and other "check travel requirements" online tools and it appears there would be no reason for an airline in the US to screen us for essential/non-essential travel to Portugal unless our Canadian passports flag us for it. However, if we do make it to Lisbon the immigration authorities may not let us in after all. 

 

It just sucks. I'm waiting to speak with Seabourn again on Monday to see if they have any brilliant ideas (which I doubt).

[*Miss G*]

49 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

From what I've seen, both in what you have quoted and from the Air Canada requirements page, it isn't the nationality of the passenger or the country issuing your passport that determines whether or not you are able to enter, but instead it's the country from which your flight originates.

 

Travellers arriving from  Canada (see 173 additional countries) are not allowed to enter mainland Portugal. Please note, direct travel to Madeira and Porto Santo is allowed. The land borders between Portugal and Spain are open. Please check the source for exemptions, documentation, quarantine, and/or testing requirements before travelling.

 

So, as things stand today, you can't fly there from Canada but you can do so from the US.

 

Thanks, @Fouremco.  That is my take on it too.  We embark in Port Everglades and if there was a problem I would anticipate being notified by the cruise line, which hasn’t happened.  Yet.  🙃

 

Looking forward to hearing what they have to say @claudiaYVR.  Hoping it all works out for you.  (And cruise lines wonder why we cancel.  😂)

[ALD18]

Wondering if it affects entry into the Azores?  Is it not a separate country now, not directly part of Portugal?    

[david,Mississauga]

19 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

It makes zero sense to me that Canada has been removed from this list while the U.S. remains on it. 

 

Surely the Portuguese government has seen the statistics. The last time I checked, the death rate from COVID is three times higher in the US than in Canada and the vaccination rate is 15% less in the U.S. 

[Tango99]

19 hours ago, claudiaYVR said:

@paf225Here is the complete email from the consulate. Looks like you may be ok timewise:

 

"Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Due to the pandemic, commercial airspace restrictions can occur without warning and can prevent non-essential travelling.

 

Canada was removed from the list of countries whose citizens can travel to Portugal for non-essential reasons. This measure is in place until February 28th and could be renewed. 

 

So, at the moment, Canadians, and permanent residents in Canada, cannot travel to Portugal, except for essential travel.

 

“Essential travel” is defined as trips allowing the transit, entry into and departure from Portugal for professional purposes, study, family reunions, health and humanitarian reasons and under the reciprocity principle. (https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal)

 

It is up to the passenger to proof to his/her/their airline carrier that his/her/their trip is essential. 

If allowed to travel, upon arrival in Portugal the passenger may present himself/herself/themselves at the border to be authorized entry by the Portuguese Immigration authorities."

 

It’s highly likely that TAP airplanes, the flagship airline for Portugal, may be deployed elsewhere in Europe. Or there aren’t enough connecting flights with the major partners who may be involved in getting Europeans out of potential harms way in Kiev. The pandemic has reduced the number of commercial aircraft in service. It will be a long time before there’s a return to normal. 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, ALD18 said:

Wondering if it affects entry into the Azores?  Is it not a separate country now, not directly part of Portugal?    

Both the Azores and Madeira are autonomous regions of Portugal, not independent countries. Their entry requirements are not the same as those, but I've not made a side-by-side comparison. 

[Brentwood Bay]

claudiaYVR

We also live in Victoria and travel to Portugal frequently (where we have an apartment).  Our normal route is YVR to CDG Paris with Air France.  On certain days it is a direct flight though CDG is certainly not our favourite airport.  Then we fly on to Lisbon (also via Air France) from where we can travel easily throughout Portugal by air, train, bus or rental car.  Since you would be entering Portugal from France you should be fine.

[zook50]

My sister and husband were leaving for London and then to Portugal in early March.  They contacted the Portuguese Consulate in Vancouver.  They confirmed that "Canadians are not welcome in Portugal at this time".  They said it didn't matter WHERE Canadians fly from.

[zook50]

They are now changing plans.  Still flying to London and probably going on to Spain or Italy.  Then, if things change, they can still make it to their second booked condo in Portugal.

[claudiaYVR]

The Portuguese consulate in Vancouver today through their Facebook page.

My question: Is the ban only on Canadians traveling to Portugal from Canada or on any Canadian traveling from anywhere?

 

Their answer:  the measures apply to Canadians travelling from Canada.

[paf225]

5 minutes ago, claudiaYVR said:

The Portuguese consulate in Vancouver today through their Facebook page.

My question: Is the ban only on Canadians traveling to Portugal from Canada or on any Canadian traveling from anywhere?

 

Their answer:  the measures apply to Canadians travelling from Canada.

Hi Claudia, That sounds pretty positive for flying to Lisbon from the U.S. or in my case cruising from Miami to Lisbon.  I hope everything goes smoothly for you and you're able to make your cruise.  Please let us know how things go.  Take care,  Paul

[em-sk]

On 2/12/2022 at 2:45 PM, Tango99 said:

It’s highly likely that TAP airplanes, the flagship airline for Portugal, may be deployed elsewhere in Europe. Or there aren’t enough connecting flights with the major partners who may be involved in getting Europeans out of potential harms way in Kiev. The pandemic has reduced the number of commercial aircraft in service. It will be a long time before there’s a return to normal. 

 

Hi-Fly (also based in Portugal) usually does those types of flights.  Hi-Fly also does those those types of flights for the Canadian government when they needed to repatriate Canadians at the start of COVID or from war zones.