A message from the Australian Ambassador – 25 March 2020
G’day to all of the established Aussie community here – I will be sending different messages out to you tomorrow and over coming weeks.
If you live here long-term and have local support networks, if you have Portuguese residency or citizenship, this message is not for you.
For Australian tourists and short-term travellers who are still in Portugal and want to go home, please go home now. The Australian Government has strongly urged Australians overseas who want to go home to return as soon as possible. Your Prime Minister and your Foreign Minister have asked you, repeatedly, to return to Australia.
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians who are travelling abroad. We know this is an anxious time. We know there are major reductions in flight options and many restrictions on where you can transit. We know flights are getting cancelled and routes are changing every day.
But flights are running, and plenty of Australians are managing to buy tickets and get themselves on a plane home. So if you want to go home, please go home now.
We know this is difficult. Commercial flights ARE more expensive, in part because it is much harder for airlines and their staff to operate right now.
In many other countries there are total flight bans and no planes running, at all. In Portugal we are fortunate that there are still flights running that can take you home, including via London. I won’t list all the airlines and transit points, because it’s changing every day. But you can call or email us at the Embassy and we will tell you the latest flight information. We can tell you which airlines we think are running and which places you can transit.
If you want to go home, please go home now.
If you are waiting for things to improve, this is unlikely to happen in the near future. If you choose to stay in Portugal, you will likely be here for months and months.
If you are waiting for a free flight or an evacuation from the Australian Government, please don’t. The Government has said that it’s talking to Qantas and Virgin about extra non-scheduled flights from key hubs to bring Australians home. But that is only where existing commercial flights are exhausted. And it won’t be free. If those flights are offered in future, Australians will have to pay for their ticket. We do not have any plans for assisted departures, or free flights.
If you want to go home, please go home now.
Our capacity to provide consular services during the global Covid-19 pandemic is limited. We are working around the clock to provide information and assistance to Australians in Portugal affected by this crisis.
Please sign up to our Facebook account, and to the Smartraveller Portugal Travel Advice. That way you can receive any updates and alerts.
If you are staying in Portugal, you’ll hear from me again soon. If you want to go home, please go home now.
Thank you.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Travel
We are advising Australians who wish to return to Australia to do so immediately while commercial flights are available.
Portugal and countries across Europe are introducing movement restrictions due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The restrictions are changing often and quickly.
Commercial flights out of Portugal are increasingly limited and may cease without warning.
Australians are responsible for making their own arrangements to return to Australia. Contact your airline, travel agent or insurance company to arrange flights.
If you can’t or don’t want to return to Australia, follow the advice of local authorities. Take care to minimise your risk of exposure to coronavirus.
The Australian Embassy in Lisbon remains open and available to support Australians in Portugal.
Embassy contact (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm), tel: +351 21 310 1500
Email: austemb.lisbon@dfat.gov.au
For out of hours urgent consular assistance, contact +61 2 6261 3305.
The Australian Government advises all Australians in Australia to not travel overseas. This is our highest advice level. If you’re overseas and wish to return home, do so ASAP.
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Welcome to the website of the Australian Embassy in Portugal
Our contact details and other information about the Embassy are available under the About us in the menu.
Please be aware that if you plan to visit the Embassy, you must book an appointment and bring valid identification.
The Australian Embassy does not handle visa or other immigration enquiries.
For security reasons, we ask that you keep travel bags, including hand bags, to a minimum when visiting the Embassy.
We are on Facebook Australian Embassy in Portugal
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Australian Ambassador to Portugal
On 19 July 2019, Australian Ambassador to Portugal, Ms Claire Rochecouste, presented credentials to HE the President of the Portuguese Republic, Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
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Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) – Australia and Portugal
11 February 2020: Portuguese Work and Holiday program is nearing completion for 2019-20
Due to significant interest in Australia’s Work and Holiday visa arrangements with Portugal, this program is nearing completion for the 2019-20 program year! If you are a national of Portugal and would like to lodge a Work and Holiday visa application, you may wish to do so as soon as possible. No further applications can be lodged once the cap for this program year has been reached, until the new program starts on 1 July 2020.
Applications must be lodged online via ImmiAccount. Please see https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/first-work-holiday-462 for further information.
Information about whether there are places available for each country in the Work and Holiday program is available at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/status-of-country-caps
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On 23 November 2014, the Work and Holiday Maker visa (subclass 462) became available for holders of Portuguese passports, aged between 18 and 30.
The Work and Holiday program for 2019-20 opened on 1 July 2019 (it is in force from July-June every year).
For further information on how to apply, please click here.
For any queries on the program or visa requirements, you must contact directly the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) as follows:
- using the online enquiry form at https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au
- calling no. +61 2 6196 0196, Monday – Friday, from 9am – 5pm (mainland Portugal time).
Australian applicants can apply now through the Consulate General of Portugal in Sydney.
Message from the former Ambassador.
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Direct Aid Program 2019-2020 – Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe
The deadline for submitting applications closed on 4 August 2019.
The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a small grants program managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that works directly with communities in developing countries. It focuses on supporting small-scale aid activities that deliver practical and tangible results.
DAP supports local community efforts towards poverty reduction and engages a wide range of partners including non-government organisations, community groups, educational institutions, health facilities and local governments.
DAP projects cover a range of sectors such as education, health, water and sanitation, environmental protection, women’s empowerment and gender equality, supporting people with disabilities, economic livelihoods, food security and human rights.
In 2017-18 Australia supported 843 DAP projects in 130 countries with a total funding of AUD 22 million. Projects helped people with disabilities, provided small-scale infrastructure, encouraged community income generation and improved people’s health.
Through helping people in need, Australia demonstrates that it is a supportive and trusted partner in addressing global aid challenges in partner countries, including Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Queries about the Program should be addressed to:
Cabo Verde: dap.caboverde@dfat.gov.au
Guinea-Bissau: dap.guinebissau@dfat.gov.au
São Tomé and Príncipe: dap.saotomeeprincipe@dfat.gov.au
*Total funding allocation for the 2019-2020 Direct Aid Program is subject to approval.
Queries about the Program should be addressed to:
Cabo Verde
Guinea-Bissau
São Tomé and Príncipe
The Australian Embassy in Lisbon manages the Direct Aid Program (DAP) in Cabo Verde, Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea-Bissau.
DAP is a flexible small grants scheme available to individuals, community groups and local and international NGOs, government entities, academic institutions, museums or other non-profit organizations working in development activities at community level and that involve the beneficiaries in the identification and implementation of the project. The projects focus on areas of: poverty alleviation, income generation, education, sanitation, health, human rights, good governance, rural development, gender equality, environment and ad hoc humanitarian relief.
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Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper
Australia is closely connected to the world. To ensure we benefit from our international links, the Government has developed a plan – the Foreign Policy White Paper.
Visit www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au to learn more.
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Visiting the Australian Embassy
Australian Passport and Notarial Fees
The Australian Embassy Lisbon can provide a limited number of notarial and documentary services for Australians in Portugal.
See the list of Australian passport and notarial fees.
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Visiting Australia
The Australian Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal does not process visa or citizenship applications. For clients resident in Portugal visa processing is undertaken electronically through the online ‘eVisa’ service, or by processing centres in Australia, or by an immigration office at another Australian Embassy.
Eligible travellers visiting Australia can consider visa options such as an ETA (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601) or an eVisitor visa (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651
EU nationals transiting through Australia on their way to another country for less than 8 hours may be able to transit without a visa. Find out more at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/transit-771/travellers-eligible-to-transit-without-visa
For further information, including telephone and email contact details, please click on Information regarding Visas and Migration.
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Privacy Policy
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) uses third-party software (Setmore) to manage the Consulate-General’s appointments. Your personal information (including your name and contact details) will be collected by DFAT via Setmore to book your appointment and for related purposes. By proceeding with this booking, you are consenting to the collection of this information by Setmore on DFAT’s behalf for these purposes. If this information is not collected, DFAT’s ability to arrange your appointment will be limited. Your personal information will be handled by Setmore in accordance with Setmore’s Privacy Policy, and by DFAT in accordance with DFAT’s Privacy Pollicy.
Where local notaries can provide services, the Australian Embassy will not provide them.
In many cases, local notaries can provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.
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Beware of Employment Scams
The Embassy’s attention has been drawn to instances of fraudulent online advertisements for employment in Australia. If you are a Portuguese citizen, you can contact the office of the Secretary of State for Communities:
https://www.portaldascomunidades.mne.pt/pt/trabalhar-e-viver-no-estrangeiro
Please be aware that only the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is authorised to issue Australian visas. You are advised to verify the fraud alert on DHA’s official website:
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa/migration-fraud-and-scams
Further information on internet scams is available from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website www.scamwatch.gov.au.
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Travelling in Portugal
Petty Crime in Portugal continues to be a problem for tourists. Australians planning to travel to Portugal should read the following information
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Other useful information
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