Children aged under 18 travelling to mainland Portugal with a fully vaccinated parent or guardian will not have to quarantine, authorities have confirmed.
It follows two days of confusion over whether Portugal’s new rules on entry applied to young people.
Under the rules, adults must quarantine for 14 days unless they can prove they received their second vaccine dose a fortnight before arrival.
But children aged 12 and over do have to show a negative Covid-19 test, the Foreign Office confirmed.
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This must either be a PCR test taken 72 hours before their departure, or a lateral flow test taken 48 hours before departure.
“You must show your test certificate before you board your flight to Portugal,” the FCDO said. “Your airline is likely to deny boarding if you cannot show this at check-in. Check with your airline before you travel.”
The rules are specific to mainland Portugal, which is currently on the amber list, meaning those travelling back to the UK from there must quarantine for ten days at home.
Tourist office Visit Portugal said: “Children up to 18 years old do not need to comply with 14 days isolation when accompanying adults have proof of complete vaccination. Children under 12 are exempt of testing requirements.”
Different regulations apply for travellers to Madeira, which is added to the UK’s green watch list from today (Wednesday).
Joe Mountain, who runs Sandy Blue Villas renting accommodation in the Algarve, told the BBC he had been contacted by half of UK guests with forward bookings for this summer due to the confusion.
“It was carnage and chaos for every business in the Algarve,” he said. “People were in meltdown and just not understanding the rules. It’s impossible to find answers.
“For us, it has been continued uncertainty for the last two months, with a real lack of ability to plan. We rely on that and it is critical that we get UK guests this summer.”
Meanwhile, green list country Malta confirmed that travellers arriving from the UK from today will need an official NHS letter to prove their vaccination status.