Portugal: Public sector holiday for Pope’s visit May 12 /update 1

Event

 The Portuguese government has announced that a public sector holiday will be observed on Friday, May 12, to celebrate Pope Francis' visit to Portugal. Celebrations are scheduled to begin in Fátima, on May 12 and continue into May 13. Pope Francis is expected to arrive in Portugal at 16:20 (local time) on May 12 and visit the sanctuary of Fàtima, Portugal's most revered pilgrimage site, and to depart at 15:00 on May 13. More than 500,000 pilgrims are expected to celebrate the centenary of Fátima's Marian apparitions on May 13.

Portugal will step up security throughout the country ahead of the Pope's visit. Temporary border controls will be implemented as of 00:00 (local time) on May 10 until 00:00 on May 14. All visitors to the country will be required to produce their passports or other identification documents when crossing into the country during this period. Border guards will be positioned along Portugal's international borders to prevent any person or group displaying suspicious behavior from entering the country, and to manage the inflow of people and vehicles. According to the Immigration and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras, SEF), border controls will, where possible, abide as much as possible by the free movement of people in accordance with Schengen, while the Portuguese air space will remain open. Similar border controls were implemented during the 2004 UEFA European Championship and the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon.

Advice

Travelers are advised to carry the proper identification papers with them (e.g. passport or ID issued by an EU member state), to anticipate longer wait times at border crossings, and to contact the nearest Portuguese consulate for further details.