Portugal and the euro

Portugal at a glance

Surface area: 91 910 km²
Population: 10 599 095 (Eurostat 2007, provisional figure)
Joined the European Union: 1 January 1986
Currency: Euro since 1 January 1999 (formerly Portuguese escudo, PTE)

Euro information

Status: Euro-area member since 1 January 1999.

Fixed conversion rate: €1 = 200.482 PTE

Adoption of the euro: The euro banknotes and coins were introduced in Portugal on 1 January 2002, after a transitional period of three years when the euro was the official currency but only existed as ‘book money’. The dual circulation period – when both the Portuguese escudo and the euro had legal tender status – ended on 28 February 2002.

Exchange of former national currency: The Banco de Portugal (Central Bank of Portugal) exchanged escudo coins until 31 December 2002 and will continue to exchange escudo banknotes until 28 February 2022.

Documents and publications

• Documents from the euro changeover, as well as the 2002 information campaign, are available on the Bank of Portugal website

Opinion polls and surveys

• Public opinion and the single currency (Eurobarometer website)

Downloads

• National sides of Portuguese euro coins
• Portuguese commemorative coins

Websites

Euro websites

• Euro on the Bank of Portugal site (also in English)
• Archived websites on the euro

Institutions

• Banco de Portugal (Bank of Portugal, also in English)
• Ministério das Finanças e da Administração Pública (Ministry of Finance and Public Administration, also in English)
• Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda (Portuguese Mint, in Portuguese only)

Business

• Euro Info Centres Portugal
• Associação Portuguesa de Bancos (Portuguese Bankers Association)

Consumers

• Associação Portuguesa para a Defesa do Consumidor, DECO (Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection)