The Polish embassy in Portugal advised on 4 November that its Lisbon Consular Section will be closed on 10 and 11 November for Portuguese public holidays, prompting warnings for travellers to finalise paperwork in advance.
While the closure is routine, it coincides with a surge in Polish leisure travel to Portugal’s Algarve and with year-end residence-card renewals for Polish expatriates working in Lisbon’s tech sector. Applicants requiring emergency travel documents will need to contact the honorary consulate in Porto, but that office issues only limited-validity ETDs.
![Lisbon Consular Section to Shut 10–11 November—Polish Citizens Urged to Collect Documents Early]()
Schengen business travellers transiting Portugal should carry printed proof of onward flights in case of random police checks; the embassy will not issue replacement passports during the shutdown. Employers running A1 social-security attestations for posted workers into Portugal must post original documents by courier no later than 8 November to ensure arrival before the holiday.
Visa outsourcing partner VFS Global confirmed that biometric centres will continue to accept submissions but cannot deliver files to consular officers until 12 November, extending processing by 2–3 days. Travel managers should therefore avoid booking 14-day lead-time itineraries that rely on just-in-time visa issuance.
The embassy stresses that Portuguese immigration police routinely fine travellers without valid ID—even EU citizens—so early collection of passports is essential.
While the closure is routine, it coincides with a surge in Polish leisure travel to Portugal’s Algarve and with year-end residence-card renewals for Polish expatriates working in Lisbon’s tech sector. Applicants requiring emergency travel documents will need to contact the honorary consulate in Porto, but that office issues only limited-validity ETDs.
Schengen business travellers transiting Portugal should carry printed proof of onward flights in case of random police checks; the embassy will not issue replacement passports during the shutdown. Employers running A1 social-security attestations for posted workers into Portugal must post original documents by courier no later than 8 November to ensure arrival before the holiday.
Visa outsourcing partner VFS Global confirmed that biometric centres will continue to accept submissions but cannot deliver files to consular officers until 12 November, extending processing by 2–3 days. Travel managers should therefore avoid booking 14-day lead-time itineraries that rely on just-in-time visa issuance.
The embassy stresses that Portuguese immigration police routinely fine travellers without valid ID—even EU citizens—so early collection of passports is essential.
