5th International Workshop on Image Analysis
for Multimedia Interactive Services

April 21-23, 2004, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa, Portugal

VENUE - Visas, Services, etc. 

 

Passports and Visas

Entry Requirements in Portugal:

1. Citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Andorra, Liechtenstein and Malta require an Identity Card in order to gain entry into Portugal.

2. Citizens from the following states require both a Passport and a Visa:

in Europe
in Africa
in Asia
in Oceania
in North America
in Central America
in South America

3. Citizens of states that are not mentioned above only require a Passport.

4. A Visa is required by refugees and stateless persons. Refugees bearing a travel document issued by one of the states that signed the Agreement for the Suppression of Visas for Refugees, of 20 April 1959, made under the auspices of the European Council, are exempted from the need for a Visa.

5. Holders of the United Nations´ "Laisser Passer" are exempted from the need for a Visa if they do not have one of the nationalities listed in section 2.

For all those countries requiring a visa, the maximum length of stay in Portugal is 90 days. When this limit is exceeded, a fine is levied in accordance with the number of days in excess of the limit.

The passport must be valid for three months longer than the period of stay except in the case of countries from the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Under the terms of the convention for the Application of the Schengen agreements, passengers coming from or traveling to another Schengen State, considered as a domestic flight, don't need a new Visa.

 

Currency

Since the 1st January 1999, the Euro has been the official currency of 12 European Union member states including Portugal. It was physically introduced in January 2002. Now, across the Eurozone, (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain) the Euro is the official currency and used in all transactions.

The Euro is divided up into 100 Centimes. There are eight coins denominated in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 Centime and 1 and 2 Euro values. The design on one side of the coins is common to all (the European side) while the reverse side features a national symbol. However, all Euro coins can be used in every member state irrespective of their national origin.
 

The notes are distinguishable by both their color and size and are available in the following denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro.

 

 

Banks

Banks are open from 8.30 am to 3 pm, from Monday to Friday. 

At IST, there are 2 banks (Caixa Geral de Depósitos, CGD and Banco Português de Investimento, BPI) where you can easily deal with currency exchange, deposits and all other bank operations. 

Debit cards for use in the ATM machines system is wide spread (there are often several machines in the same street), and credit cards are also common. Cards accepted in cash machines are: American Express, 4b, Clau, Bancontact/Mistercash, Bancomat3/Eufiserv, Eurocheque, Cirrus, Master card, Eurocard, Plus and VISA. These machines work 24 hours a day and are commonly known as MULTIBANCO; you can use your MULTIBANCO card to withdraw money or pay for services (at shops, main train stations, etc.). Check with your bank for details on debit and credit cards compatible with those used in Portugal.

 

Post Offices

During the week, Post Offices are open from 9 am to 6 pm and closed on weekends (for more informations please visit www.ctt.pt).

 

Shopping

Shops are usually open only from Monday to Friday, from 9 am or 10 am to 6 pm or 7 pm, and some close for two hours for lunch, from 1pm to 3 pm. Some shops are open on weekends, especially on Saturday mornings. 

Shopping malls are normally not much more expensive, and are usually open on weekends. 

There are big shopping zones in the following streets/squares of Lisbon: Chiado, Rossio, Rua Augusta (Baixa de Lisboa - downtown) and Avenida da Liberdade. There are also three big shopping malls in Lisbon: Amoreiras, Colombo, Vasco da Gama. The Saldanha Atrium is a smaller shopping mall that is conveniently located near IST.

 

Restaurants

Open for lunch from 12 noon to 3 pm and for dinner from 7 pm to 10 pm. There are also a large number of Restaurants with longer opening hours.

 

Chemists ("Farmácia")

Working days: open from 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm. 

Saturdays: open from 9 am to 1 pm. 

When chemists are closed, there will be a notice in the window showing the nearest Chemist on duty, which is open 24 hours a day.

 

Emergencies

In case of emergency dial 112 at any time of the day or night and wherever you are in Portugal. 

EU citizens have the same benefits are Portuguese citizens in accordance with Community Law. For access to health services, EU citizens who are not resident in Portugal should have their passport or identity card and the E111 and E112 forms.

 

Electrical Power

Voltage: 230 Volt at a frequency of 50 Hertz. 

All sockets follow European standards. 

To use American type plugs, a 230 volt transformer should be applied together with an adapter plug.

 

Telecommunications

Public telephones can be found at airports, seaports, bus and railway stations, in the streets, bars and restaurants. There are two types of telephones that you are likely to come across: coin and card operated.

International Calls - Say, for example, that you want to call London: you dial directly 00, followed by the country code (44), then area code (206), and finally the telephone number.