Portugal has the powerful European passport in the world with access to most countries in the World. As 2025, Portuguese citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 186 countries and territories, ranking the Portuguese passport 6th strongest in terms of travel freedom according to Henley passport index.
The Portuguese passport (Passaporte português) is being recognised as proof of identity and nationality. It is a international travel document issued to citizens of Portugal for the purpose of international travel. The passport, along with the Citizen Card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland. This is because every Portuguese citizen is also a citizen of the European Union.
Biometric
On 28 August 2006, the Portuguese government began issuing the first version of electronic passports (Passaporte Electrónico Português, commonly abbreviated as PEP)
Passport Features
The regular passport is a deep red colour with golden print, and is written only in Portuguese. Following European Union Standards, the passport bears the title União Europeia above the country name, the title of Passaporte, and the Portuguese coat of arms. It contains all official languages of the EU. The cover is only printed in Portuguese with translations inside the first page. The fields on the biographic page are printed in Portuguese, English, and French (in that order), with translations in the last three pages of the passport.
The passport includes several security features: invisible ink that shows up under UV light, security paper with a watermark of the Portuguese coat of arms, and a perforated passport number at the bottom of every page.
The passport has 32 pages, excluding the biographic information page, however only 28 are suitable for visas, while the other 4 pages include the translation of the fields in the biographic page into each of the official languages of the EU.
Where to Apply?
All citizens of Portugal are entitled to a Portuguese passport. In Portugal, applications for a Portuguese passport need to be made in person in the Institute of Registries and Notary (IRN) offices (one or more existing in every Portuguese parish) or in a Loja do Cidadão (in the Azores, RIAC – Rede Integrada de Apoio ao Cidadão, English: Citizen’s Assistance Centres). Overseas applications need to be made in person at a consular authority (e.g. embassy, consulate-general, or consulate).
| Eligibility | Portuguese citizens |
|---|---|
| Expiration / Validity | 5 years after issuance for individuals aged 5 and above; 2 years for citizens 4 and under The Portuguese passport is set to extend its validity extended from the current 5 years to 10 years, doubling its duration. This change is expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2026. |
| Cost | €65 |
