Azores - Pets
All pets on board should be declared on arrival at each harbor in the Azores and kept on board until papers have been presented to the authorities. To avoid any issues with entering the Azores with pets on board, choose either Terceira or Sao Miguel as your first port of entry.
The Azores comes under the EU Pets Travel Scheme (PETS) and pets must have a Pet Passport, be micro-chipped and have a current Health Certificate and Rabies Vaccination Certificate issued by an authorised Veterinarian.
See the latest rules if coming from within the EU on the DGAV website.
If coming from a non-EU country, pets must also be micro-chipped and have a current Health Certificate and Rabies Vaccination Certificate issued by an authorised Veterinarian. Upon arrival pet owners must prioritize an appointment with a local Vet to see the animal and be given an EU Pet Passport valid in all EU Member states.
See the latest rules if coming from outside the EU on the DGAV website.
Last updated: October 2021
Feedback from a US boat entering the Azores in Horta (May 2023):
“We entered the EU via Horta, Portugal from the US. There were no issues at immigration or customs, they didn’t even look at my stack of medical records. I took all of the current medical records and both dogs to a vet in Horta and got Pet Passports. We continued through the Azores, Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, Greece, Italy, and Montenegro with no issues or fees whatsoever. EU is very pet friendly, especially Italy. We are just loving that aspect of cruising here.”
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In the Azores, Horta is welcoming yachts already from across the Atlantic and their busy season is in full swing. Duncan Sweet of MAYS, a company dedicated to ocean cruising sailors, reports “the main waterfront thoroughfare in Horta has been given a serious rebuild over the winter with on-going work to complete a new laundry and showers complex to the south of the Yacht Club (Club Naval da Horta). Until these are completed, the original laundry, toilets and showers by the marina bar, are still operational.
The Island of Sao Jorge is having a seismic episode at the moment – some 20,000 tremors in the last two weeks. No-one really knows what, if anything, this portends – earthquake or lava effusion – however visiting yachts should be aware. The tremors are mostly in the Velas area where the main town and marina are.
You can come directly to Santa Maria – Vila do Porto !
We arrived in Horta June 17th. The COVID test is free and results back in 24 hours. All very organized and the marina, maritime police, and Peter Cafe Sport all doing an amazing job to support boats. With a negative test result document we went to Velas, São Jorge and Angra de Heroismo, Terceira; cleared in through the local marinas and anchored in both places free of charge. Ponta Delgada is not requiring COVID test for entry.
Please note – the above comment is not true. Horta and Ponta Delgada remain the only open ports of entry and at BOTH PORTS a SARS-Cov-2 test will be required on arrival, unless the regional health authority waives it in view of the non-stop travel time and the absence of symptoms. A passage time of more than 14 days is seen as voluntary quarantine. If test results are negative you will be given permission to go ashore.
s/v DellaMyra departs today, 22nd June, 2020, for Horta and Falmouth,UK
lone sailor . MMSI235102055
Hurricane Lorenzo struck the western Azores in October, destroying the breakwater at Lajes, Flores. Until repairs are complete, this port is unusable.
Ponta Delgada is a convenient place to enter the Azores : nice city, facilities for provisioning, skilled professionals if repairs are needed. But there are some issues :
– the local police considered me as highly suspect because I stopped in Ponta Delgada and not Horta like everybody ! So I had a complete police search, including drug search with dog.
– the professionals like the famous Thomas and JB Electronica don’t accept payment with credit cards, only cash or bank transfer. Cash is not possible beyond a small amount, so bank transfer is the only solution, which implies delays and possible errors on the bank apps. It is what happened to me and at my next stop in Gibraltar my mail box was full of complaining and threatening e-mails, saying I would be designed to all ports as a robber ! Visitors should make a strong pressure on these people for accepting credit cards like anywhere in the world (and in Sao Miguel by all shops and restaurants) to avoid such problems.
Just spent a fortnight here in ponta delgada marina in unsettled weather,in my opinion it is untenable in any strong south,south east or southwest winds.We had so many boats break lines and fenders.I bought a pump from Thomas through bank transfer,he put it on ferry to Santa Maria(€4.80) and the total time took 2 days.
I just watched a you tube video of a couple who were charged an engine tax based upon the weight and power of their engine. They had an electric engine which should have been exempt but were forced to pay upon threat of their boat being impounded. They were also charred a lighthouse tax. Neither are mentioned in the formalities section. Report here:-
https://youtu.be/PSm5SbcBHUQ
The old page was perfect, This is useless
couln not agree more
Must do’s if you have time on Terceira:
1. Go to the local town where there is a “running of the bulls” that particular evening (they move them from town to town). The reason to go is more to observe the way the locals commune around this event than to see the bulls themselves, who are given stimulants and then downers when they are still in their bright red boxes before being released to put on their show.
2. Terceira has several interesting caves that are worth visiting, donning the requisite hard hats, and exploring on a guided tour.
3. Lastly, driving across the island and enjoying the miles of hydrangeas lining the roads is another not-to-miss experience on Terceira in the spring/summer.