COVID-19 Testing in Portugal

Now that we live in COVID-19 era, it is critical to know how and where to get tested if you are traveling to Portugal.

An acceptable test to re-enter the US is one which is performed by authorized medical professionals. Self-done antigen tests are not accepted. As of Nov. 2021, you must have a negative RT PCR (done within 72 hours of flight) OR a negative antigen test (done within 48 hours) if you are fully vaccinated. Please view the CDC guidelines to understand who is considered vaccinated and for those who are not fully vaccinated. Update - As of Dec. 2021, you must have a negative COVID test done 24 hours prior to boarding a US bound aircraft.

A good thing is that a lot of local pharmacies can perform the antigen test and give you the report in about 2 hours. They will print the report for you so you are all set to travel. When we stayed at Rua Augusta, the pharmacy next door took our appointment and gave us the result within 2 hours the same day. We got the test done for free. We got our test done here --

If you can't get the test at a local pharmacy, they also have "test & go" trucks at various parks or squares, they charge you 25 EUR per person for the antigen test and will give you the report in about 4 hours.

You can also contact Unilabs. If you need to get an RT PCR, Unilab seemed to be more reliable. RT PCR is an expensive test and costs anywhere between 85-100 EUR per person.

If for whatever reason, you can't find the local pharmacies or unable to get tested locally. Then you last resort is the Lisbon Airport. Lisbon Airport offers both RT PCR and Antigen. To get RT PCR test, you need to plan a bit. For 100 EUR, they will email you the report in 12hours. For Antigen, 25 EUR and report in 4 hours. Note the Airport testing facilities closes at 6pm so if this is your last resort, get there in time.