# Portuguese passport

A Portuguese passport (Portuguese: Passaporte português) is an identity 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. Every Portuguese citizen is also a citizen of the European Union.

## History

The first machine readable passport was introduced in 2001. On 28 August 2006, the Portuguese government began issuing the first version of electronic passports (Portuguese: Passaporte Electrónico Português, commonly abbreviated as PEP) which in addition to containing enhanced security features also contain a contactless microchip. The microchip included all the biographic information printed in the passport as well as a digital version of the photograph suitable for use in digital facial recognition.
The 2006 version electronic passport was designed by Henrique Cayatte. Its final form incorporated a set of thematic elements related to 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. In 2017 a new model was put into use, designed by Jorge Silva. It features a set of 20 elements of the Portuguese UNESCO World Heritage throughout the interior pages.

## Description

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 and the title of Passaporte. The passport contains images of the Portuguese Coat-of-arms. Security features on the cover include: invisible ink printing that is visible under an ultraviolet light.
Following European Union passport standards, the passport contains all official languages of the EU. The cover is only printed in Portuguese (translations are 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 has 32 pages (excluding the biographic information page), however only 28 are suitable for visas (the other 4 pages include the translation of the fields in the biographic page into each of the official languages of the EU)
Security features on the visa pages include: security paper with watermark (the Portuguese Coat of Arms), passport number is perforated into the bottom of all pages.

### Identity Information Page

The biographic information is the first page at the front of the passport. It includes the following information:
* Type
* Code of Issuing
* Passport Nr.
* Surname
* Name
* Nationality
* Height
* Date of birth
* Personal number
* Sex (M/F)
* Place of birth
* Date of issue
* Authority
* Date of expiry
* Holder's signature

## 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 the Institute of Registries and Notary 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 (i.e. embassy, consulate-general, or consulate).
To apply for a passport, an individual needs to provide a valid Bilhete de Identidade or a valid Cartão de Cidadão.

## Gallery of historic images

* Portuguese machine readable passport (2001–2006)
* Portuguese electronic passport (2006–2017)

## Visa-free travel

Visa requirements for Portuguese citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Portugal. As of 4 February 2025, Portuguese citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories, with the Portuguese passport being in the 4th ranking group according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, as ranked in the Henley Passport Index.