What was the name of the currency of Portugal prior to the Euro?

Portugal officially began using the euro in January 1999. Before adopting the euro, Portugal used the Portuguese “escudo” as its official currency. The escudo was phased out on March 28th, 2002 after the euro was adopted on January 1, 1999.

The escudo was divided into 100 "centavos" (cents). During the adoption of the euro, the exchange rate for the escudo was 200.48 to €1. Although the currency is no longer used as a medium of exchange in Portugal, the escudo banknote is still eligible for exchange with the euro until February 28, 2022. The exchange of escudo coins ceased on December 31, 2002.

The first euro banknotes were released for circulation in 2002, and are produced by the European Central Bank. They took over from the local currency and became the official banknote of the Eurozone. The design of the euro banknote is identical across the Eurozone although they are printed in the respective countries. They are made of pure cotton fiber to make them have a durable and distinctive feeling.

The Portuguese euro coins have three designs. They portray seven castles and five escutcheons, the same image portrayed in the Portuguese coat of arms.

The euro notes in circulation are €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. All euro notes bear the flag of the European Union, the map of Europe, the name "euro" in both Latin and Greek, and the signature of the president of the European Central Bank.