Starting an Alojamento Local in Portugal: A Checklist Before You List Your First Property
published 28 September 2026
Opening an Alojamento Local (AL), Portugal's short-term rental regime, looks simple from the outside: some photos, a listing on Airbnb or Booking, and guests start arriving. In practice, there is a sequence of legal and operational steps worth completing before your first booking. None is especially hard, but several have deadlines, and some you only discover when a guest is already at the door.
This article is a checklist. For each topic, it covers the essentials and points to the article where we explain it in detail.
Part 1: Legal Steps
1. Check That the Property Can Be an AL
First, find out whether your municipality has an AL regulation, containment areas or a suspension of new registrations in force. Since 2024, these rules increasingly depend on each municipality (câmara municipal). If the property is in a multi-owner building, also check whether the building's founding deed or condominium rules prohibit the activity. We explain the current framework in our article on AL registration in 2026.
2. Register the Activity With the Tax Authority
The operator must file a declaration of start of activity with the Tax Authority (Autoridade Tributária), using the activity code for short-term accommodation. A copy of that declaration is one of the registration documents. For the tax set-up (personal or corporate income tax, simplified regime or full accounts, VAT), speak to an accountant before you start.
3. Register the AL
Registration is made by a prior notification with a deadline (comunicação prévia com prazo) on the Balcão Único Eletrónico, the government's online one-stop shop, addressed to the municipality. It includes, among other things, the operator's ID, a statement of responsibility, the property record (caderneta predial), the start-of-activity declaration and, if you are not the owner, the document that authorises you. The municipality has 60 days to object, or 90 in a containment area. The registration number is your permit to open and must appear in every listing.
4. Take Out the Mandatory Insurance
Third-party liability insurance with a minimum of €75,000 and, in multi-owner buildings, fire cover. Missing or invalid insurance is grounds for cancelling the registration. Details in our guide to mandatory AL insurance.
5. Complaints Book
Every AL must have a complaints book (livro de reclamações) in both paper and electronic form, and display the mandatory notice. See our article on the complaints book.
6. SIBA
Foreign guests, including EU citizens, must be reported through SIBA within 3 working days of arrival. You can only sign up for SIBA once you have your registration number. We explain it all in our SIBA guide.
7. Tourist Tax
If your municipality charges a tourist tax, you collect it from guests and pay it to the municipality, often after registering on a municipal platform. Rates and rules vary by municipality: see our article on the tourist tax.
8. Safety and Signage
According to Turismo de Portugal's technical guide, AL properties with up to 10 guests must have an accessible fire extinguisher and fire blanket, a first-aid kit and a visible notice of the 112 emergency number. Above that capacity, the general fire safety rules for buildings apply. Apartments, guesthouses, rooms and hostels must also display an identification plate at the entrance, following the official model.
Part 2: Operational Decisions Before Your First Guest
- Check-in: in person or self check-in? Key box, smart lock or code? See the options in self check-in.
- Cleaning and linen: who cleans, how much time between check-out and check-in, where the bedding is washed.
- Pricing and calendar: high and low season, minimum stay, cancellation policy.
- Channels: which platforms you will list on, and how you will avoid double bookings if you use more than one.
- Maintenance and contacts: a plumber, an electrician and someone who can cover when you cannot be there.
- House rules: noise, smoking, parties, visitors, pets. Our template in four languages is a good start.
Part 3: Guest Information From Day One
New hosts tend to spend their first months answering the same questions: how to get in, what the wi-fi is, where the rubbish goes, when check-out is. Having it all written down before the first booking saves you from firefighting.
The law requires some minimum information: a reception and information service for guests, which may be remote, a way to contact the operator and a notice of the national emergency number. For an AL in a multi-owner building, it also requires an information book in Portuguese, English and at least two other foreign languages, with the relevant building rules.
Beyond the legal minimum, a good guide includes arrival instructions with photos, wi-fi, how the appliances work, rubbish and recycling, check-out procedure, emergency contacts and a few personal recommendations. We have gathered the questions guests ask most and how to answer them in advance.
How ciceroni Helps
ciceroni takes care of part 3. If you already have an Airbnb or Booking listing, you can paste the link, or upload a PDF, and ciceroni drafts a guide for you to review and complete. Each stay gets its own guide in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish, and an AI concierge answers guests on WhatsApp or in the guide, using only what you wrote, and passes you anything it cannot resolve. Guests can also fill in their details before arrival, which helps you prepare the SIBA list; you still submit it yourself. It is free during launch.
FAQ
Can I list my property on Airbnb before I have a registration number?
No. The law prohibits offering, advertising and brokering unregistered AL properties, and the registration number must appear in listings. Publish only once you have it.
How long does AL registration take?
The municipality has 60 days after the prior notification to object, or 90 in a containment area. If it does not object in that time, the registration number becomes your permit to open. Some municipalities have suspensions of new registrations in place, so check first.
Do I need an accountant to open an Alojamento Local?
The law does not require one in every case, but the tax set-up for an AL has several options that affect how much tax you pay. It is sensible to talk to an accountant before registering the activity.