Increased interest among foreigners to obtain Portugal Schengen visa

Lisbon: Foreigners’ interest in obtaining a Portugal Schengen visa continues to remain high despite the summer season coming to an end soon.

According to data from Google Trends, searches worldwide for a Portugal Schengen visa are currently up 90 per cent.

Even though not everyone who searches for a Portugal visa applies for the document, the high number of searches still indicates that many are interested in obtaining a visa and visiting the country, Schengen.News reports.

Due to the high temperatures that have dominated the EU’s most sought-after summer destinations these months, travellers have grown more cautious about the weather conditions.

This might be one reason there is suddenly a higher interest than usual in obtaining a Portugal Schengen visa in late summer.

Those who plan on applying for a Portugal Schengen visa in the next weeks or months are advised to take care of their application ahead of time.

Portugal Schengen visa applications can be submitted six months prior to the planned entry to the country at the earliest and 15 days before the planned entry to the country at the latest.

Portugal accepts a high number of Schengen visa applications each year. The latest data from the Schengen Statistics Portal shows that Portugal received a total of 207,654 visa applications in 2023. Of the total number of foreigners who applied for the document, 173,927 had their visa approval, while 33,220 had their visa denied.

The Europe Summer Tourism Index by SchengenVisaInfo, ESTI, has ranked Portugal as the fifth best European country for summer vacations.

According to ESTI, Portugal has been recognised for having some of the best beaches that attract a high number of tourists each year.

Portugal has also been ranked high when it comes to its friendliness. The country has been recognised as the third in the top ten list of being the most welcoming.

Portugal also has a high score for culinary, the country is considered to have one of the best cuisines in the European continent.

The full list of the top ten best European destinations for summer vacations is as follows:

Spain

Italy

Greece

Türkiye

Portugal

France

Montenegro

Croatia

Albania

Malta