Although Portugal does not officially recognize the validity of proof of vaccination against Covid-19 issued in Brazil, Brazilian tourists traveling to the country have been able to widely use the document issued by the SUS (Unified Health System) in accessing restaurants, cultural events and others activities where proof of immunization is required.
Portugal does not require proof of vaccination to travel to the country, but, since the beginning of December, proof of immunization is required in various situations, including to attend the indoor areas of cafes and restaurants and to enter cultural events such as theaters and cinemas .
In addition to the European Union’s digital certificate —which attests to full immunization or Covid-19’s recovery less than six months ago—, Portugal also accepts proof of vaccination from countries that reciprocally recognize the European document.
As Brazil is not one of the nations whose certificates have reciprocity with the European Union, the SUS document is not considered valid proof of vaccination.
The only formal alternative, in these cases, would be the mandatory submission of a negative test for Covid-19: a more labor-intensive option that can represent an additional expense for travelers.
With prices starting at €60 (about R$380), PCR-type exams are valid for 72 hours. Widely available in pharmacies, antigen tests cost around €30 (approximately R$190) and are valid for 48 hours.
In some cities, like Lisbon, there are free testing posts, but demand has outstripped the supply, which has also grown among the country’s residents.
The government also offers the possibility of carrying out a self-test of antigen at the entrance of establishments, found from €2.80 (R$ 17.80) in supermarkets. Several spaces, however, do not accept this modality.
Although technically they always need to submit negative tests to Covid, in practice Brazilian tourists have been able to use proof of vaccination from the SUS without major embarrassment.
This week, in the center of Lisbon, the report witnessed the acceptance of the Brazilian vaccination certificate in cafes and restaurants.
At a large Christmas fair set up in a city park, there was no difficulty in using the Brazilian document either.
Questioned, those responsible declined to provide statements. Informally, the owner of one of the restaurants, in the Chiado region, stated that the requirement of tests for Brazilian tourists would mean the loss of around 30% of current customers.
On vacation with her husband in the Portuguese capital, retired Maria Angela Ribeiro says she had no problem using her certificate. “No one has ever complained. I’ve been to the mall, shopping, eating out every day, always showing the vaccine in Brazil . People look to see if they have the two doses right, and that’s it. I didn’t even know it wasn’t valid here.”
Since Portugal reopened to tourists from Brazil, in September, an average of 1,500 arrive in the country a day.
Although tourism accounts for an important part of the Portuguese economy, entrepreneurs in the restaurant sector have complained about the lack of guidance from the government on how to deal with vaccination documents issued abroad.
“There was additional pressure on a sector that is already being heavily affected, with a reduction in the number of people who come to restaurants in person. Furthermore, we have not received any guidance on what to do with foreign vaccination certificates”, says Glauco Junqueira, owner from the A Coxinharia restaurant, in Alcântara.
In addition to Brazil, the United States, another important market for tourists from outside Europe, is also not part of the list of countries with reciprocal immunization certificates.
Secretary General of Ahresp (Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Services of Portugal), Ana Jacinto says that the entity has the principle of not criticizing the measures to combat the pandemic implemented by the government, but says that it is not possible to ignore the negative impact on the sectors that depend on tourism. “Obviously, our entrepreneurs do not have, nor do they have to have, technical knowledge to assess the conformity or non-conformity of certificates. This entire process causes constraints in the operation of the establishments”, he says.
At the moment, the European Commission already recognizes in reciprocity the vaccination certificates of 28 countries or territories: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Cape Verde, El Salvador, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Iceland, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Northern Macedonia, Moldova , Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, United Kingdom and the Vatican.
Portugal and Brazil began negotiations for a bilateral agreement to validate vaccination certificates more than five months ago, but the process has not progressed.
When contacted, Itamaraty did not respond to the questions in the report.
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