Latest requirements to enter and leave Madeira
Following on from the UK’s recent announcement, it may be useful for some visitors to understand the exact procedures and requirements when entering and leaving Madeira and returning to the UK.
As rules change this post will remain updated – so if anybody has a question or wants to add some advice please feel free to leave a comment below.
Before Flying
1. Things to do before travelling. a)If you are vaccinated, obtain your NHS Vaccination Certificate. Either call 119(NHS Covid line) and ask for your certificate for travel purposes or by using the NHS app. Print a copy for later. You must book a Day2 PCR covid test. When you purchase this you will be emailed a serial number. Make a note of this as you will need this later when you fill in the UK Passenger Locator Form. B) If you are not fully vaccinated you must take a PCR covid test in the three days before you fly home. You must purchase Day2 and Day 8 PCR Covid tests before you arrive home. You will be emailed a serial number for the tests, note this as you will need it later. You must quarantine at home for 10 days and undertake the two tests in this period.
The Government list of approved providers is here: Test providers
1. All visitors must register on madeirasafe.com prior to entering and leaving Madeira.
This can be completed in the 48 to 12 hour period prior to boarding and must be done, individually, by each passenger, except for dependents up to 12 years old, whose registration must be included in the survey of one of the accompanying adults. Each member of a party needs an individual email address and separate mobile phone numbers are preferred. If you do not have your seat number(s) just enter 0(zero). After completing the registration, the passenger receives a notification, via e-mail, with his access code for the madeirasafe.com platform. Once you have entered all the required information you can then upload a copy of you NHS vaccination certificate and you can also upload a copy of your PCR test if you are not fully vaccinated. The passenger should log in to his madeirasafe.com account where he/she will find the respective QR Code, to be presented upon arrival at Madeira Airport. Print a copy of the QR code and have it ready to show upon arrival. Bear in mind that there are reports that the associated app itself does not always work as well as the Madeira authorities would like, and it can be helpful to have the website open in a browser as well, and the completed form and QR code printed out.
Arriving in Madeira
*Note: A mask will need to be worn during the flight and in the airport!
2. Thermal screening:
All passengers who disembark at airports in the Autonomous Region of Madeira are subject to thermal screening, without exceptions.
3. Testing for COVID-19:
ll passengers who, upon disembarking at the airports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira who carry a negative PCR test for COVID-19, carried out within 72 hours prior to boarding, in laboratories certified by national or international authorities, can proceed to their destination.
Passengers who have not undergone PCR testing at their location of origin, or who do not meet the exception criteria in 4 below, will do so upon arrival at the airport, then proceed to their destination, thus having to fully self-isolate in their accommodation until a negative test result is obtained (normally well within 12 hours).
4. Exceptions to Testing: Vaccination Certificates and Recovered COVID-19 Patients
Exceptions to the submission of a PCR test for COVID-19 or undergoing testing upon arrival at airports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, include:
• (This will apply to most UK visitors) Passengers carrying a document certifying that they were vaccinated against COVID-19, with the Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, Sinovac, Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines, according to the recommended plan, and have respected the activation period of the immune system as provided for in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) (14 days);
• Passengers with a medical document certifying that the bearer is recovered from COVID-19 disease upon disembarking in the territory of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, issued in the last 180 days;
• Passengers with the European Union Digital Covid Certificate, according to the information laid down in Resolution No. 694/2021 (Portuguese version). UK nationals with residency in Madeira who have been vaccinated there can access this on the SNS 24 app.
5. Onward travel to Porto Santo
Over and above the requirements for entering and leaving Madeira, this normally requires additional testing which is detailed on the visitmadeira website here.
Returning to the UK
Passenger Locator Form
Passengers travelling back to the UK must complete a passenger locator form online before arriving. You must complete the form even if you are only transiting through the UK.
You can submit the form any time in the 48 hours before you arrive in the UK. It’s free to submit the form. You will most likely have to show a copy of this prior to boarding a flight back to the UK. When filling the form in online you will need to enter the serial number of the Day2 (or Day 2 & Day 8) covid test(s). the online form can be found here: uk.gov
Pre-departure tests
At one point, every traveller coming to the UK will now have to have a negative pre-departure Covid test in order to enter the country. This could be a Lateral Flow or a PCR test. The change came in at 04:00 on Tuesday, December 7th but was discontinued with effect from Jan 7th when the requiremnt was withdrawn
Day 2 Covid tests upon return
Subsequent to the arrival of cases of the new Omicron variant the U.K. government has amended (on a number of occasions!) the test requirements for ALL persons entering the U.K. The requirements are (as of January 7, 2022):-
- Anyone entering the UK will require a Lateral Flow test by the end of the second day after their arrival and will need to self-isolate until they have a negative result.
This requirement applies to all irrespective of your vaccination status.
If the test result is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the lateral flow test is day 0. Members of your household may also be asked to self-isolate.
The UK and constituent countries
Please bear in mind that the new measures announced yesterday currently only apply to England. Other home countries are expected to follow suit shortly.
Printing documents in Funchal. Most hotels will help clients with printing documents that may be needed for the return journey. There is a Cyber café opposite Jaime Moniz school behind the Mercado and there is a chap that runs a small stand selling toner cartridges just inside the entrance to Anadia Shopping that will print documents at 10cents per page.
Part of this article was used by the copyblog the day after being posted here
COVID-19 in Madeira: daily updates can be found in an earlier post
Vaccinations in Madeira: updates can be found in an earlier post
Do children require pre-departure tests to return to the UK?
Nikola – from the .gov.uk website: Children aged 10 and under do not need to take a pre-departure test to travel to England. There are different age limits for other COVID-19 travel tests.
Read more about children and COVID-19 travel tests:: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england
Frustrating that they still want a pcr test on Day2 but it looks like it will change to an antigen after half-term, around Nov 2nd.
Other than that the only difference for many of us is the dropping the need for the antigen test before flying back. This could be a stumbling block if the check-in staff at CR7 still expect people to have a negative test report. I suggest people returning after Oct 4th grab a print from gov.uk where is states the test is not required. They can then show it at check-in.
I guess that the Antigen test is still required for people departing ON the 4th October ….as opposed to AFTER the 4th Oct.
Am I correct in thinking that this has changed again from 27/11 and we now need day 2 PCR test to return home.
Also we are arriving on 13/12 will we need to take an antigen test and where/ how can we get that? We are triple vaccinated.
A comprehensive article that will be invaluable to travellers arriving in Madeira over the coming weeks – before the government changes its mind again!
The Telegraph has a report that even the lateral flow and rapid antigen tests can cost as much as £150 – which tells you that there are still unscrupulous companies out there making a killing out of the pandemic!
Very helpful article – thank you.
Good to see all the information in one place.
I see what you mean about being copied ….. very sad on the part of that immitator.
Price of success – you will be imitated – particularly by someone bearing a grudge – learn to live with it!
Getting tedious – just checked – 5 out of the last 6 posts have been replicated – always with a different slant, but the source clearly remains the same. It is like being stalked!
When does the PCR test be replaced with the cheaper option? – we travel back right at the end of October
James – at the moment .gov.uk website simply says: “fully vaccinated passengers will be able to replace day 2 PCR tests with cheaper lateral flow tests – from the end of October”
From <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-system-for-international-travel>
I think it is around half-term holiday which is Fri 22nd Oct to Mon 1st Nov.
We fly back on Sat 23rd so do not know which test but a test you do at home costs as little as £20
A bit desperate otherwise I wouldnt normaly bother with somthing that I doubt you can help with, unless there is a precedent and you know the solution. Madeira Safe!! I am a resident and used it to come over from England in July. I intend to return next week but Madeira safe will not allow me to enter any details . My wife managed fine but when I tried to sign in all it wants me to do is re-register and then doesnt recognise the details. Ive tried all methods including alternate e-mail address and changing the password. Wits end really otherwise how can I enter the country. Full vaccinated etc, all I want to do is enter details and obtain the QR code. Is there a solution that you have encountered. Apologies but as I said a bit desperate. Many Thanks.
Have you tried changing your name, f ex from Michael to Mick – this is not immigration or airline you are dealing with……
Good luck!
Unlike 99.999….% of programs/apps, the Madeirasafe app & website appear to be case sensitive for the email address. Discovered that today when could not log wife in until I tried the first letter as a capital!!
Micheal – are you using the app or the madeirasafe website?
Michael. Try logging out and use your browser to access madeirasafe.com website. You should get a fresh application Irn that is KT connected to your wife’s account.
The entry procedure at Madeira airport is pretty slick – they have been doing it for some time and all the staff are very friendly. The biggest problem seems to be at passport control when a few planes land at the same time.
Passport contol? What passport control? Oh yeah right, I forgot……
I hadn’t noticed the weather forecast below before – it is saying 77% humidity! – it seems to have been humid in Funchal for a month now.
Very useful, thank you, we are considering coming for Christmas now we feel a bit more confident about flying.
Thank you for posting this blog. This clearly explains what the Covid entry requirements are for Madeira. I found that the ‘visitmadeira’ official government site was quite confusing as to whether you had to have a PCR test or not, if you were double vaccinated. Looking forward to my first visit to the island next week
Sumita, if you see section 3, copied here, you will see that vaccinated or recovered patients are exempted pcr testing upon arrival. I hope this is clear for you–
3.Vaccination || Recovered COVID-19 Patients
Exceptions to the submission of a PCR test for COVID-19 or undergoing testing upon arrival at airports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, include:
• Passengers with a medical document certifying that the bearer is recovered from COVID-19 disease upon disembarking in the territory of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, issued in the last 180 days;
• Passengers carrying a document certifying that they were vaccinated against COVID-19, with the Astrazeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, Sinovac, Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines, according to the recommended plan and have respected the activation period of the immune system as provided for in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) (14 days);
Thanks Maurice – yes, it was after reading this blog that I finally had a clear idea of what I needed to do. It’s such a relief to know that I don’t need the PCR test before coming or even a test before I return to the UK, as I’m going back after the 4th Oct.
You still need a Day 2 pcr test though.
Something needs to be done about Passport Control at the airport. On Monday there were 5 flights to the UK mid-morning with hundreds of passengers. There was only one desk open for UK Passport holders and the queue went twice the length of the Passport Control hall.
My flight was an hour late leaving, waiting for passengers to clear Passport Control.
Who wants to come back to Madeira with such poor organisation. Travelling is stressful enough already.
I uploaded my vaccination certificate to Madeira Safe – but it still hasn’t validated my certificate. My friend who’s going with me has had hers validated. There is no guidance on Madeira safe as to what to do if you encounter problems and no contact or help section. I’d really appreciate some guidance on who to contact for help on this
There is some incorrect information in this posting.
Firstly, you do not need to be within 48 hours of travel in order to register on Madeira Safe. You can do it any time.
You might want or need to upload your proof of vaccine or test later, but that’s not a requirement.
Secondly, you say that you need a code number to complete registration and get a QR code. Not so. You do not need a code to register or to get a QR code.
The code number is used when you arrive in Madeira to book a test for return.
Happy Traveller
The advice from the official Visit Madeira website regarding madeirasafe is that: “the completion can be done in the 48h to 12h prior to boarding …. after completing the registration, the passenger receives a notification, via e-mail, with his access code for the madeirasafe.com platform. The passenger should log in to his madeirasafe.com account where he/she will find the respective QR Code, to be presented upon arrival at Madeira Airport”.
As I understand it the code has been replaced by a link sent to your e-mail address to activate your access to madeirasafe. Likewise, if you forget your password a reset link is sent to reactivate your account rather than a code.
Admin,
The advice on the Visit Madeira website is incorrect then.
The registration can certainly be done at least a week in advance (I know, because I’ve done it) and I’ve heard that some people have registered several weeks in advance.
I didn’t get a link by email to activate access either.
Perhaps your instructions need updating.
There is a lot of confusion already around this issue.
I have just done our registrations 10 days in advance. As Happy Traveller says, you don’t get sent any codes by default. You do get a welcome email and once you have added all your details you can upload a .pdf file of your vaccination certificate. If you have test results I.e. you are not vaccinated you can upload those. Next you can get your QR code which if all is ok will have a light-green boundary which means follow the light-green line at the airport. This may turn to dark-green as you arrive in the terminal in which case you follow the dark-green line for rapid processing.
After you arrive at your accommodation you can log in and request your free antigen test for return( no longer needed for return to the UK).
Just tested it – you do get an e-mail link to register. Should be no confusion – just remember to have the madeirasafe website with your QR code open in a browser when you arrive on the island – the smartphone app is unreliable. I have been through the process very recently and can vouch for this.
We love Madeira and have visited about 15 times, but we will be holidaying in the UK so long as all the useless (well, harmful actually) mask-wearing and the testing rigmarole continue in Madeira. I suspect we are not alone in this view and it’s so sad to see Madeira shooting itself in the foot.
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-09-24/new-rules-for-portugal-from-1-october/62585
as u see now anyone can drink freely any place, like before.
no covid passport req. it is abolished as a terrorist rule/behaviour.
no maskaras, except a few places.
In Funchal the flower parade will be free of maskaras,,, needed for the participants.
mention many times before, maskaras are idiocy except few places, like hospitals or nursing homes or even grocery store.
but forcing children to play football/soccer with maskaras is a sin.
Thanks again Admin – just passed on to a friend who is coming later this month – very useful!
How long are the queues to check in when leaving Madeira – I had heard reports that they were quite lengthy? Do you need to leave more than the normal two hours?
I’ve heard that too. For those returning to the UK—
Apparently is down to people not having all the relevant papers ready to show at check-in. As well as passport you should have; vaccination certificate(Or pcr test results), proof of Day2 test booking, proof of UK plf filled in.
When we flew back at the end of July, apart from passport and booking / boarding pass, the only other documentation required was – certificate of negative pre departure covid test ( no longer applicable from 4th Oct. )and your completed UK passenger locator form. I don’t recall them wanting to see our Vaccination certificates.
On arrival in the UK, Border Force were only interested in our passports presumably because the onus of pre departure checking had been put on the airlines and their terminal check in agents.
We flew on a Saturday so it wasn’t too busy but I could imagine Monday departures may need to allow more time although in theory the procedure should be quicker with the changes due to come into effect next week.
RE Queues – we left Madeira on 20th September. Yes there were queues, but nothing more than the usual at CR airport. In fact Jet2, or their agents, were well organised, and at least 6 desks were open. Staff were around to assist, and the whole thing went very smoothly.
Security was very thorough so make sure you have NOTHING remotely metallic on your person !
And returnng to Edinburgh – had copies of everything on our phones – but Immigration checked the passport and waved us through, saying ‘everything’s online’ !
But the goalposts are being moved so rapidly it could be even easier very shortly. Now if they could only remove the necessity to wear masks on the plane……..
I have received a email from the Madeira safe, saying that my application is invalid, but I’ve been fully vaccinated, and sent my Covid19 certificate to them, my partner received a email saying valid, I can’t seem to log back in and re submit. We fly out Saturday 23/10/21 . What do I do it doesn’t say why it’s invalid. Help!
I had similar experience when going to Madeira with my husband 2 weeks ago. Got my go ahead but husband had same experience as you. Went to gatwick and explained situation at check in. Staff reluctant to let him fly even though both of us jabbed. Eventually they called a portugese member of easy jet who said there is often a problem with the site and would be rectified at Madeira airport. Allowed him to fly and was dealt with very quickly at Madeira – no problem with signing in there and through very quickly with help from staff there. All very stressful. Madness.
Does anyone know if it’s ok to submit proof of completed covid vaccination before the 48-12 hr window prior to flying to Madeira? Also, I have completed my Madeira safe form- it is saved but no submit button. Not sure if this means its ok to print out or not. I have the light green QR code by the way so am obviously registered with Madeira safe but worried I may have submitted my documents too soon- I fly with Jet 2 November 21st and concerned I won’t be allowed to fly because of sending documents too soon. No one seems to be able to tell me the answer to this. Grateful for any advice!
Denise, although they say you should fill in madeirasafe 2 days before flying you can actually start the procedure far earlier, I did ours 10days before flying. You have the light-green surround to the QR code so everything is ok. You can log in each day and click on the “I feel fine” button each time and check the colour round the QR code. Ours changed to dark-green 36 hours before we travelled. Have a printed copy of it and your vaccination certificates ready to show at the Jet2 check-in. When you arrive in Madeira they’ll scan your QR code and away you go.
Enjoy your holiday.
*Read the post contents above as they have just been updated
Hi, I will be arriving in Madeira late December from Canada via Lisbon on TAP.
I have checked the requirements on TAP, IATA, Madeira Safe, and other sites and information is still not clear about accepted vaccine certificates. Although most blog posts here are re coming from the UK, I am wondering if anyone coming from Canada reads this blog and if so, I would appreciate hearing if the Canadian vaccine certificate is accepted in Lisbon and/or Madeira.
Both TAP and most other sites indicate that vaccine certificates are only accepted from countries with a reciprocal agreement, and Canada is not listed as one of those countries. TAP says that if you are not coming from one of those countries or you do not have an EU certificate, you will be treated as unvaccinated. Considering all that, when reading the Madeira Safe info, it reads as if any vaccination certificates is accepted.
I would greatly appreciate it if anyone arriving from Canada can tell me their experience upon arrival in Madeira and also Lisbon. I’m sorry this post is so long, but between arranging for testing around Christmas holidays, determining which test to get, and all the other rules, I want to make sure I’ve got it all correct. Thanks in advance for any help. Great blog with helpful people btw!
Thank you Maurice ,so helpful!
Fortunately Peter I suspect you are pretty much alone in your view.
The reason we are still able to visit Madeira is their handling of the precautions necessary to stop the spread of covid across a small island. Something which the larger countries in Europe seemed to have miss judged badly. I would have thought if you truly loved Madeira and its residents, you would respects its customs & safety requirements. So please stay at home at let other people enjoy their stay, until this ends and we can all have a holiday mask free.
UK ( England )
According to Flemish TV a European Vaxination certificate is no longer enough to enter Portugal from 1 december.
All air travellers will need a PCR test BEFORE travel.
If that is correct, will this apply to Madeira too?
MAINLAND Portugal
ALLOWED (Essential and non-essential travel)
Countries of the European Union, Schengen Associated countries (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland), Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, South Korea, Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao
RT-PCR Test (or similar NAAT test) – 72h before boarding, or
Rapid Antigen Test – 48h before boarding, or
a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate, or
a valid Vaccination or recovery certificate issued by a third country, under reciprocal conditions: Albania, Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Israel, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Monaco, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, San Marino, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine, The Vatican.
Children under 12 do not need to present test.
All passengers need to fill a Passenger Locator Card (individually) before departure to Portugal or on board at https://portugalcleanandsafe.pt/en/passenger-locator-card
From December 1st
Mandatory negative test for all flights arriving in Portugal, even for those who have a digital vaccination certificate, regardless of the point of origin of the flight or the passenger’s nationality.
This measure applies to air, land, sea and river borders.
MADEIRA
ALLOWED (Essential and non-essential travel)
RT-PCR Test – 72h before boarding, or
Rapid Antigen Test – 48h before boarding, or
Vaccination certificate (2 shots 14 days prior to entrance in PT) or,
Imunity declaration (for those who already had COVID-19, for example), or
a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate .
Perform free test on arrival, or
Perform voluntary isolation, for a period of 10 days, at home or in a hotel accommodation.
Children under 12 don’t need to present test.
Passengers need to register at https://madeirasafe.com. More information at http://www.visitmadeira.pt
from https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/covid-19-measures-implemented-portugal
Good to see the different requirements (“Portugal” / Madeira) spelt out. Thanks, John.
My preparation for leaving Helsinki for a direct flight to Madeira will be to have a print-out of my question to (made after the new Portugal rules were announced) and the reply from the Madeiran Health Authorities confirming the requirements in the Madeiran Regional Authority. It’s there just in case they are aware of the Portugal rules and want to stop me leaving when I have a vaccination certificate but don’t have a valid test. Such precautions are perhaps wise given the present confused situation.
Just an update on where we are travelling to and from Madeira. We are in Madeira at this moment and the journey out was very easy and allot less stress full than what was expected. The restrictions are relaxed but sensible and the need for a second negative test is not required for most activities you will need to enjoy your holiday. This allows for your second free test to be used for return journey. This is where we stumbled today. We fly out Monday 13th and today Wed 8th visited main chemist in Funchal to book appointment for test. There was no appointments available. SO my advice is ASAP schedule a test through the Madeira safe website and get a appointment from a chemist or covid pop up. The main chemist we visited in Funchal was absolutely snowed under with people trying to get covid tests, it was total confusion.
Mark, I’m not totally clear on the requirements for arriving in Madeira which we hope will happen early January.
As things stand at the moment, and I believe Albequerque would be re-assessing the situation after the 3 weeks have passed (was that from 27th November?) do we need to have a pre-arrival test before leaving the UK, and which sort is acceptable these days?
Brian see my reply to Nicola, it will apply to you same, just that may change Jan. Hopefully for you it will be for the better in relation to regs Back to England
I am flying to Madeira from UK on 20 December.
I am fully vaccinated
Do I need a negative PCR test before I travel to Madeira?
Thanks
Nicola
Hi Nicola. At the moment and lets hope it stays this way there is no requirement to have any test to enter Maderia. You will need to complete the Madeira safe registration and upload your proof of vaccination. Its that simple and there are plenty of assistance at Funchal airport to get you through.
One thing, on the way out of airport it may be suggested you need to take a free LFT test to enter certain areas. This is not necessary so save your free test to come back home.
We fly back tomorrow but if you need more help, i’m happy to try. Mark
Can I ask what rules are currently in place regards the wearing of a face mask? If outside for example walking along the promenade or any outdoor ventilated area, is a mask mandatory? Or are they only required inside or large public gatherings like a concert by where you can’t socially distance?
Many thanks
Masks are not required outside including areas like outdoor bar/restaurant. Madeira is trying to have a relaxed sensible attitude to mask wearing, so everyone is wearing masks indoors and wherever it seems sensible to do so.
There is no pressure to wear/ not wear I would suggest just go with flow and enjoy your holiday.
We are arriving on the 7th January. We will take a LFT before we leave the UK as I understand you have to have a negative LFT result to get into shops. As we are staying for 2 weeks, we then have to take another LFT after 7 days in Madeira, as well as one before we depart home. Can someone please confirm we need a negative LFT, every 7 days, to get into shops? Thanks
Hi Simon.
We departed on 13th Dec so I can only comment on then. You do not need to take a LFT in UK. You are allowed one free LFT test on the Madeira government, so save that one for when you leave. We found no shops,restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls or any other establishments, required a negative test or vaccination status. Despite what other people suggest.
There is a fun fair & small section of Christmas market (10 stalls) which needed negative test, but this maybe abolished by the time you get there as locals are unhappy with situation.
As I replied to Nicola on exit from airport they may offer you a LFT test. Don’t take the offer but have a day in Maderia to see where you can enter freely and safe your test.
Hi Mark,
Many thanks, fingers crossed we can get there even with the looming lockdown here.
Hello. The more I read about entry requirements for direct flight to Madeira from UK, for a fully vaccinated adult, the more confused I am getting!
Could someone confirm that I do or do not to have a negative Covid test before arrival?
Thanks
Becky
Hi Becky, we arrived on the 7th and I can confirm there is no requirement for a test before arrival.