Porto Short-Term Rentals License Information

Operating a short-term rental in Porto means complying with two sets of rules: national legislation, which defines the property requirements and the obligations of the licence holder; and Municipal Regulation 1462/2024, which determines in which parts of the city new registrations are permitted. This guide covers how the registration process works, what is mandatory, and what you need to do once your registration is in place.

If you have not yet confirmed which zone your property falls into — containment or sustainable growth — that is the first thing to check. Our guide on Porto’s short-term rental containment and sustainable growth zones includes the official map and ratios updated for July 2026.

Before you start: three things to check

Before submitting a registration request, three factors can determine whether the process is viable:

• Your property’s zone. If the property is in one of the five parishes designated as a containment area (Vitória, São Nicolau, Sé, Santo Ildefonso, or Miragaia), new registrations are generally not permitted, except in specific circumstances defined by law. In the remaining ten parishes, you will need to confirm whether the parish’s numerus clausus limit has been reached.
• Usage licence. The property must have a residential usage licence (or equivalent). Properties without a licence, or with a commercial usage licence, cannot be registered as short-term rentals.
• Condominium rules. If the property is a flat in a multi-owner building, you need to confirm that the building’s regulations do not expressly prohibit short-term rentals. Under Decree-Law 76/2024, a blanket prohibition requires the approval of owners representing at least two-thirds of the building’s permilage.

The registration process: step by step

Registering a short-term rental in Portugal is done by prior notice to the president of the municipal council, submitted through the Single Electronic Counter (BUE) on the Portal Gov.pt. The process follows three steps:

1. Register the activity with the Portuguese Tax Authority

Before submitting the BUE request, you need to register the short-term rental activity with the Autoridade Tributária (AT — Portugal’s Tax Authority). Registration can be done online via the Portal das Finanças or in person at a local tax office. The applicable CAE code is 55201 for houses and apartments, or 55204 for rooms, hostels, and other non-conventional accommodation.

2. Prior notice via the Single Electronic Counter (ePortugal)

The submission is made at ePortugal.gov.pt, by searching “alojamento local — registo de actividade” (short-term rental activity registration). You will need to select the district and municipality (Porto), complete the property details and pay the submission fee.

Required information in the submission:

• Licence holder identification
• Property address
• Category (house, apartment, accommodation establishment, or rooms) and maximum capacity
• Planned opening date
• Public liability insurance details

After submission, Porto City Council has a set period to raise an objection: 60 days in sustainable growth areas and 90 days in containment areas. If no objection is raised within that period, the registration is automatically issued through the BUE with a RNAL number — Portugal’s national short-term rental registry reference.

3. Municipal inspection

Following the submission, Porto City Council carries out an inspection of the property. The legal deadline for the inspection is 60 days in sustainable growth zones and 90 days in containment zones (Art. 8, paragraph 1 of DL 76/2024). The inspection fee is charged separately from the submission fee.

For the current fee values (submission and inspection), see the Municipal Fees and Other Revenue Regulation on the CMP website.

Property requirements

Beyond the zone and usage licence, the property must meet the following requirements under the consolidated DL 128/2014:

• Adequate conservation and hygiene conditions
• Hot and cold water supply
• A window to the exterior in each unit
• Furniture and equipment in good condition
• Privacy systems on windows
• Maximum capacity: 9 rooms and 27 guests (except the rooms and hostel categories)

Safety equipment requirements

For properties with a capacity of up to 10 guests — which covers the majority of short-term rentals in Porto — full fire safety certification (SCIE) is not required, but the following are mandatory:

• A fire extinguisher and fire blanket, accessible to guests
• A first aid kit, accessible to guests
• The national emergency number (112), displayed visibly

The following are also mandatory for all short-term rentals:

• Identification plaque at the entrance (clear acrylic, 200×200 mm, Pantone 280 blue lettering). For guidance on all required signage, see our guide on short-term rental signage requirements.
• Guest information booklet, in at least four languages, covering the property and house rules
• Complaints book (physical and digital), as required by DL 156/2005

Insurance requirements

All short-term rentals in Portugal must have two valid insurance policies:

• Public liability insurance: minimum guaranteed capital of €75,000. Insurance details must be submitted via Portal Gov.pt at the time of registration.
• Fire insurance: mandatory for properties in horizontal property (apartments and autonomous units).

Missing or lapsed insurance — specifically the failure to communicate valid liability insurance to the portal — is one of the most frequent causes of registration cancellation. It was the primary reason behind the cancellation of 1,413 registrations announced by Porto City Council in May 2026.

Ongoing obligations after registration

Guest reporting to SIBA (AIMA)

All foreign guests must be reported to SIBA — Portugal’s guest reporting system, currently managed by AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo — the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, which replaced the former SEF in October 2023). The deadline is 3 working days from the guest’s check-in. The portal is available at siba.ssi.gov.pt. Portuguese nationals do not need to be reported to SIBA, but must appear in the property’s internal guest records.

Municipal Tourist Tax

Porto charges a tourist tax of €3 per night, capped at 7 consecutive nights per guest. The tax applies to all guests, with the exception of children aged 12 or under and guests staying for medical reasons.

Registration on the Porto Municipal Tourist Tax platform is mandatory within 30 days of receiving the RNAL registration number. The licence holder collects the tax from guests and submits it to the municipality on a monthly basis.

Keeping your RNAL registration up to date

Any change to the licence holder, capacity, or property characteristics must be reported to Turismo de Portugal to keep the registration current. An outdated registration can trigger a cancellation process.

Containment and sustainable growth zones

Municipal Regulation 1462/2024 divides Porto’s fifteen parishes into two zone types. Five historic-centre parishes are in containment areas — where new registrations are generally not permitted — and ten parishes are in sustainable growth areas, where new registrations are allowed up to a maximum limit (numerus clausus) per parish.

For the current ratios, the numerus clausus limits by parish, and the exceptions that apply in containment areas, see our dedicated guide: Porto’s Short-Term Rental Containment Zones: 2026 Guide.

What happens to existing registrations?

The municipal regulation primarily affects new applications. Properties with a valid registration in containment areas continue to operate — the regulation does not retroactively cancel existing registrations. What changed with Decree-Law 76/2024 is that the registration became transferable: it can now be passed between owners (including through a property sale), which was not previously possible.

Keeping a registration active requires ongoing compliance. The main obligations are: valid public liability insurance communicated to the portal, foreign guest reporting to SIBA/AIMA, collection and monthly remittance of the tourist tax, and keeping all RNAL data current.

If you would rather manage your Porto short-term rental’s compliance requirements with support from people who know the local market — insurance, SIBA reporting, tourist tax, and registration updates included — see Host Wise’s short-term rental management service in Porto.