SIBA common rejections — why filings fail and how to fix them

The 8 most common reasons SIBA rejects a guest filing — invalid document types, country code mistakes, date format errors, and the quick fixes for each.

A rejected SIBA filing is not just an inconvenience — under Portuguese immigration law, an un-filed guest is treated the same as a non-filed guest, and the 72-hour clock does not stop while you fix the error. Here are the 8 rejections that account for roughly 90% of the failures we see, and the exact fix for each.

1. Invalid document type for the guest's nationality

Why it fails: SIBA only accepts specific document types per country. An EU citizen filed with a "Passport" when they only presented a national ID card (Cartão de Cidadão) gets flagged. Conversely, a non-EU citizen filed with "ID Card" instead of "Passport" is rejected.

Fix: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens → national ID card. Everyone else → passport. Never both. Never guess.

2. Country code mismatch

Why it fails: SIBA uses ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes (PRT, GBR, USA) — not alpha-2 (PT, GB, US), not the country name in Portuguese. "United Kingdom", "UK", "GB", and "Reino Unido" are all rejected. Only GBR works.

Fix: Use the SEF/AIMA country code table. Chave AL enforces alpha-3 automatically on the guest form.

3. Date of birth in the wrong format

Why it fails: SIBA expects YYYY-MM-DD. A US-formatted 03/14/1985 or a UK-formatted 14/03/1985 both fail silently — the record is accepted at upload but rejected on validation.

Fix: Always ISO. Never rely on the guest's browser locale to translate for you.

4. Check-in date in the future or too far in the past

Why it fails: SIBA rejects filings dated more than 3 working days after the check-in, and any filing with a check-in date more than 24 hours in the future.

Fix: File within the 3-working-day window. If you missed it, file immediately — a late filing is still recorded and reduces the fine risk versus a missing filing.

5. Establishment code (Número de Estabelecimento) does not match

Why it fails: Every AL unit has its own SIBA establishment number. Submitting Falésia 11's guests under Falésia 12's establishment code silently attaches the guests to the wrong property — and often produces a rejection because the accommodation type or capacity doesn't match.

Fix: One SIBA registration per AL license (FAQ P07). Store the correct estabelecimento per unit in your host system.

6. Duplicate filing for the same guest and stay

Why it fails: Filing the same guest twice for the same check-in date returns a duplicate error. Common when a stay gets edited after filing and the host re-submits from scratch.

Fix: Use SIBA's correction workflow, not a re-submission. In Chave AL, use "Amend filing" rather than "Re-file".

7. Minor without a linked adult (kids under 12)

Why it fails: Minors under 12 are exempt from tourist tax but still must be filed to SIBA, and the filing must link them to at least one accompanying adult on the same booking. A lone-minor record is rejected.

Fix: Ensure every minor record includes an "acompanhado por" reference to an adult guest ID on the same stay.

8. Web Services credentials expired or role wrong

Why it fails: SIBA credentials created before 2024 sometimes lack the Web Services role. Filings then silently fail with a 403.

Fix: Log in to SIBA Área Reservada → Atualização dos dados de inscrição → confirm "Método de envio" is set to Web Services and the account is active. Details in our SIBA Web Services setup guide.

When in doubt, refile

SIBA does not fine you for correcting a filing — it fines you for not filing. If in doubt, file immediately with the best data you have, then amend. The 72-hour window is a hard deadline.