Portuguese passports are issued to citizens of Portugal for the purpose of
international travel. The passport, along with the National Identity Card
allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the
European Union and European Economic Area.
Electronic passport As of August 28, 2006, the Portuguese
government began issuing electronic passports which in addition to
containing enhanced security features also contain a contact-less microchip.
The microchip includes all the biographic information printed in the
passport as well as a digital version of the photograph suitable for use in
digital facial recognition. While fingerprint information is obtained when
applying for the passport, it is not included in the passport itself.
European Union member states will be required to include fingerprint
information in their passports by February 28, 2008.
The PEP meets ICAO standards for electronic passports, and contains the
biometric passport symbol. The PEP meets all the requirements for the United
States Visa Waiver Program. The passport is valid for 5 years, and can not be
renewed Passports issued before the PEP are still valid as long as they have not
passed their dates of expiry. Appearance
The new electronic passport was designed by Henrique Cayatte. Its final form
incorporated a set of thematic elements related to the Portuguese poets, Luís
Vaz de Camões and Fernando Pessoa, in both its technical and aesthetic
elements. Images were provided by the Portuguese painter Júlio Pomar.
= Cover= The regular passport is a deep red color
with golden print, and is written only in Portuguese. Following European Union
Standards the passport bears the title União Europeia above the country name
and the title of Passaporte. The passport contains images of the
Portuguese Coat-of-arms and the circle of twelve golden stars from the flag of
the EU. Security features on the cover include:
invisible ink printing which is visible under an ultraviolet light.
= Biographic information page= The biographic information is the first
page at the front of the passport. It includes the following information:
= Visa Pages= The passport has 32 pages, however only
28 are suitable for visas Security features on the visa pages
include: security paper with watermark, passport number is perforated into the
bottom of all pages. = Languages=
Following European Union passport standards, the passport contains all
official languages of the EU. The cover is only printed in Portuguese The fields
on the biographic page are printed in Portuguese, English, and French, with
translations in the last three pages of the passport.
Application All citizens of Portugal are entitled to
a Portuguese passport. In Portugal, applications for a Portuguese passport
need to be made in person in particular Civil Registries or Departments of
Citizen Cards or in a Loja do Cidadão Overseas applications need to be made in
person at a consular authority. In order to apply for a passport, an
individual needs to provide proof of citizenship i.e. with a valid Bilhete de
Identidade or a valid Cartão de Cidadão. Consular authorities may require other
pieces of identification as required by local law. Currently no photograph is
required, as a digital photograph is taken at the time of the application.
Visa free travel Visa requirements for Portuguese
citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other
states placed on citizens of Portugal. In 2014, Portuguese citizens had
visa-free or visa on arrival access to 172 countries and territories, ranking
the Portuguese passport 3rd in the world according to the Visa Restrictions
Index. See also
Portuguese nationality law Visa requirements for Portuguese
citizens Bilhete de Identidade
Passports of the European Union References
Some of the content of this article comes from the equivalent
Portuguese-language Wikipedia article. http:www.pep.pt/ Official website of the
Portuguese Electronic Passport. External links
Images of a well-travelled 1982 Portuguese passport from
www.passportland.com