Short-Term Rental Registration Portugal (RNAL): Complete Guide

Every year, tens of thousands of property owners in Portugal begin operating a short-term rental — known in Portugal as Alojamento Local (AL). The mandatory step before welcoming the first guest is registering with the Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local (RNAL — Portugal’s National Short-Term Rental Register). Without it, the activity is illegal and subject to a serious administrative fine.

This guide covers the complete process: what to prepare, how to submit the prior notice, and what happens afterwards — including what changed with Decree-Law 76/2024, in force since 1 November 2024.

Registration and RNAL: what it is (and what it isn’t)

Short-term rentals in Portugal do not require a tourism establishment licence. What the law requires is a registration, submitted as a prior notice to the municipality.

The Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local (RNAL) is the public database managed by Turismo de Portugal, I. P. (Portugal’s national tourism authority), where all AL establishments are listed. The RNAL registration number, assigned automatically by the Balcão Único Eletrónico (BUE — Portugal’s unified online business registration portal) upon submission, is the only legal document required to operate. This is set out in Article 7 of Decree-Law 128/2014, as amended by Decree-Law 76/2024.

The distinction matters in practice. Many property owners search for an “alojamento local licence” because that is the vocabulary in common use. No such document exists. What exists is the RNAL number, issued after a prior notice without municipal opposition.

The RNAL register can be searched publicly at rnt.turismodeportugal.pt.

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Who needs to register — and when

Any operator of a short-term rental in Portugal must register the property before welcoming the first guest. This obligation applies to all types of AL across the entire national territory.

Operating without a registration is a serious administrative offence. The municipality reports the situation to ASAE (Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica — Portugal’s Food and Economic Safety Authority), which can impose a fine and order the immediate closure of the establishment. Repeated non-compliance may result in suspension of the activity for up to two years.

The registration is submitted by the operator of the establishment. This can be the property owner or a third party operating the AL with authorisation. If the operator changes, the registration is updated at the BUE.

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Types of short-term rental and maximum capacity

Decree-Law 128/2014 defines five types of AL. The type chosen during registration determines which requirements apply and what identification sign must be displayed.

Type	Description	Maximum capacity
Moradia (villa)	Stand-alone residential unit	9 rooms / 27 guests
Apartamento (apartment)	Autonomous unit in a building	9 rooms / 27 guests
Estabelecimento de hospedagem (guesthouse)	Group of rooms or units	9 rooms / 27 guests
Quartos (rooms)	Rooms in the owner’s primary residence	Max. 3 rooms
Hostel	Includes dormitories; specific requirements	9 rooms / 27 guests

The maximum capacity of 9 rooms and 27 guests was reduced by Decree-Law 76/2024 (previously 30 guests). Up to 50% of fixed beds may be supplemented by convertible or pull-out beds.

For hostels in buildings under the horizontal property regime (condominiums), the prior notice must include the building’s assembly minutes authorising the installation.

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What to prepare before submitting

Three requirements must be in place before opening the registration form on ePortugal.

CAE 55201 registered with the Tax Authority

Short-term rental registration requires a declared business activity. The correct business activity code (CAE) for Alojamento Local is 55201 (Tourist Accommodation in Apartments). If this code is not yet active with the Autoridade Tributária (AT — Portugal’s Tax and Customs Authority), this is the first step. The process is free and done online via the Portal das Finanças. The complete guide on activating the CAE code for short-term rentals in Portugal explains each step.

Valid civil liability insurance

A civil liability insurance policy with a minimum coverage of €75,000 per claim is mandatory, under Portaria n.º 248/2021. For apartments in buildings under horizontal property, fire insurance is also required. Proof of insurance must be submitted to the municipality via gov.pt. The guide to short-term rental insurance in Portugal covers the requirements and the submission process.

Property documents

• Owner/operator identification (NIF tax number, Citizen Card or equivalent)
• Property floor plan or land register certificate (caderneta predial)
• Certificate of residential use (certidão da câmara or caderneta)
• For hostels in a condominium: building assembly minutes authorising the installation

Operators may be exempt from presenting documents already held by public services, provided they authorise the municipality to retrieve them via the Public Administration Interoperability Platform.

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How to register: step by step

The entire process is completed online at ePortugal.gov.pt.

Step 1 — Authentication

Log in using Chave Móvel Digital (Portugal’s digital mobile key authentication system) or Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card). Foreign nationals without these documents may need to request access credentials in person at a municipal services counter.

Step 2 — Find the service

Under “Espaço Empresa” (Business Space) > “Balcão do Empreendedor” (Entrepreneur’s Counter), search for “alojamento local” and select the municipality where the property is located.

Step 3 — Fill in the form

The form requests:

• Operator and establishment identification
• Full property address
• Type of accommodation (apartment, villa, rooms, etc.)
• Maximum guest capacity
• Planned opening date

Step 4 — Upload documents

Upload the required documents in digital format (PDF).

Step 5 — Submit the prior notice

Upon submission, the Balcão Único Eletrónico automatically assigns an RNAL registration number. This number is valid immediately and the submission is forwarded to the competent municipality.

The prior notice does not require express approval. If the municipality does not oppose within the legal deadline, the registration is tacitly approved.

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Deadlines after submission

After the prior notice is submitted, the municipality has a set period to oppose the registration. Deadlines differ depending on whether the property is in a containment zone.

Situation	Opposition deadline	Inspection deadline
Outside containment zone	60 days	90 days
In containment zone	90 days	60 days

The opposition and inspection deadlines run in opposite directions — a lesser-known detail that often surprises property owners. In containment zones, the municipality has more time to evaluate the opposition (90 days) but carries out the inspection sooner (60 days). Outside containment zones, the reverse applies: opposition within 60 days, inspection within 90 days.

These deadlines are established in Article 6(9) (opposition) and Article 8(1) (inspection) of Decree-Law 128/2014, as amended by Decree-Law 76/2024.

If no opposition is raised within the deadline, the registration is tacitly approved and the RNAL number remains valid.

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What changed with Decree-Law 76/2024

Decree-Law 76/2024, in force since 1 November 2024, brought significant changes to the short-term rental regime in Portugal.

Transferable registration

Previously, the registration was personal and non-transferable. It now functions as a “licence” that stays with the property. When an owner sells the apartment, the RNAL registration can be transferred to the buyer without a new prior notice process. This change increases the value of properties with an active AL registration, as the buyer inherits both the property and the registration history.

In containment zones, the municipality may limit transferability. Mandatory exceptions apply: inheritance, gratuitous transfer between spouses, descendants and ascendants, and divorce or dissolution of civil partnership.

End of “Mais Habitação” restrictions

The “Mais Habitação” programme (Law 56/2023) had introduced restrictive measures: a 5-year validity period for existing registrations, a national suspension of new apartment registrations, and an extraordinary levy on AL operation (CEAL). All these measures were repealed by Decree-Law 76/2024.

Municipalities with over 1,000 registrations

Municipalities that exceed 1,000 registered AL establishments must deliberate within 12 months on whether to create their own municipal regulation, under Article 4 of Decree-Law 128/2014.

Short-term rental ombudsman

Municipal regulations may now create the role of “provedor do alojamento local” — a short-term rental ombudsman with mediation functions between operators, building residents and the municipality.

At Host Wise, we accompany the owners we manage through the registration process and ongoing legal compliance. When a new property joins our portfolio, we verify that the RNAL registration is active and up to date before listing on any platform.

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Post-registration obligations

Having an RNAL number does not exhaust the legal obligations. There are four areas to keep current after registration.

Guest reporting via SIBA

The AL operator must report guests’ identification details to AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo — Portugal’s agency for integration, migration and asylum) through the SIBA system (Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento), within 3 working days of each guest’s check-in. This obligation replaced communication to SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras — Portugal’s former border and immigration service), which was dissolved in October 2023.

Current civil liability insurance

The insurance policy must remain valid throughout the operation. Any renewal or change must be communicated to the municipality via the BUE within 10 days of the new contract being signed, under Article 8(2) of Portaria n.º 248/2021.

Identification sign

All AL establishments, except standalone villas, must display an identification sign at the entrance. Specifications are fixed by law: transparent crystal acrylic, 10mm thickness, 200×200mm, Arial typeface in Pantone Blue 280, installed 50mm from the wall with stainless steel screws.

Guest information booklet and complaints book

The guest information booklet is mandatory under Lei n.º 62/2018 of 22 August 2018 and must be available in Portuguese, English, and the language of the country of origin of most guests. The complaints book is required under Decree-Law 156/2005.

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Registering in a containment zone

If the property is in a containment zone, the registration process follows the same steps — but with extended deadlines and the possibility of refusal.

The municipal opposition deadline increases from 60 to 90 days. The municipality also has the power to prohibit new registrations in that area, if the municipal regulation provides for it. In containment zones, additional requirements may apply: minimum energy efficiency class D and average or better conservation state, certified by a qualified technician.

To check whether a property is in a containment zone, consult the official municipal map. For Porto, the map is available at geo.cm-porto.pt/regulamentoal/mapa. For Lisbon, check the Lisbon City Council portal.

Detailed information on containment zones — including pressure ratios by parish and what they mean for each neighbourhood — is available in the dedicated articles for Porto and Lisbon.

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Conclusion

Short-term rental registration in Portugal is entirely online, free to submit, and fast — the RNAL number is assigned at the moment of submission. The key is arriving at the form with the prerequisites in place: CAE 55201 active and a valid civil liability insurance policy.

The main changes introduced by Decree-Law 76/2024 simplified the regime: indefinite registrations, transferability with the property, and the end of the “Mais Habitação” restrictions. What remains is ongoing responsibility: current insurance, guest reporting via SIBA, and compliance with the post-registration obligations on signage, the guest information booklet and the complaints book.

For a complete overview of how to open a short-term rental in Portugal — from choosing the right type of AL to daily operations — the central guide brings all the steps together.

If you would prefer to delegate the full management of your short-term rental in Portugal, get in touch with Host Wise for a free property assessment.