New Foreign Office update on Portugal rules and warns ‘you may be refused entry’

Foreign Office officials have issued new safety advice for people going to Portugal – and also provided vital information for some people entering the country. In an update this afternoon, officials said people should take safety precautions when hiking.

Following several tragedies in Europe this summer, the Foreign Office said people should take extra care in Madeira and the Azores. It read: “Hiking in Madeira and the Azores can be challenging. Choose paths suitable for fitness and experience.

“Be prepared for narrow, bumpy paths and elevations. Wear suitable clothing and walking boots. Take extra care if it has been raining as the ground can be slippery and unstable. Check with your tour guide or local organizer that it is safe before you go.

“Leave details of where you’re going at the hotel reception and take a phone with you. Reduce your risk by going with a group or following a guide. See more information on staying safe, gangway closures and access restrictions at Visit Madeira and Visit Azores.”

The UK government website also warns people about swimming, saying that deaths occur frequently: “Every year people drown in the sea and in swimming pools in Portugal. Be careful when walking close to the water’s edge, especially along unsupervised stretches of beaches. The waves can be unpredictable and have a strong undercurrent. Do not:

• swim at beaches that connect to or from rivers as they can have strong currents
• swim at any beach without lifeguards
• dive in unfamiliar waters, as hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death.”

Advice has also been updated today in relation to young people traveling into the country either alone or not with their parent or legal guardian. The advice says that anyone aged 17 or under should be met at the airport or point of entry by their parent or guardian.

It also says that they must have a letter of authorization to travel from their parent or guardian and that the parent/guardian’s signature must be notarized by a lawyer or notary public.

It adds that the letter must also include: “The child’s arrival and departure dates, the address where he will be staying, the name of the adult in Portugal who will be responsible for him during the stay, full names, dates of birth. , the passport numbers and contact details of the parent or guardian, the signature of the parent or guardian and the date of issue.”

It adds: “If you bring a child to Portugal without a properly certified authorization letter, your entry will be delayed and may be refused. Teenagers under the age of 17 traveling alone or with friends of the same age who are not matched may be refused entry if they do not have an authorization letter.” For more information on rules and laws in Portugal click here.