Alojamento Local glossary
A bilingual glossary of the terms Portuguese short-term rental hosts meet: SIBA (Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento), AIMA, RNAL, boletim de alojamento, CEAL, INE WebInq, ecotaxa/taxa turística, Balcão Único, alvará and more.
Each entry explains what the term means, who it applies to and what a host actually has to do about it.
- SIBA — Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento
- The AIMA online system where Alojamento Local hosts file a Boletim de Alojamento for every foreign guest, within three working days of arrival. One SIBA registration is required per AL licence.
- AIMA — Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo
- The Portuguese immigration agency that replaced SEF in 2023 and now runs the SIBA guest registration system.
- AL — Alojamento Local
- Portugal's legal regime for short-term rental accommodation. Every unit must hold a registered AL licence with an RNAL number before it can be advertised or let to tourists.
- RNAL — Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local
- The national register of Alojamento Local. The RNAL number identifies a single licensed unit and must now be shown and verified on booking platform listings.
- Boletim de Alojamento — Guest accommodation bulletin
- The individual guest record filed to SIBA: identity document, nationality, date of birth, address and dates of stay for each foreign guest.
- INE — Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- Portugal's national statistics institute, which collects the monthly tourism accommodation survey from AL establishments.
- WebInq — INE online survey portal
- The INE portal where Alojamento Local establishments file the monthly IPHH tourism statistics: guests entered, overnight stays by country, capacity and days open.
- IPHH — Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes na Hotelaria
- The monthly guest-occupancy survey filed through INE WebInq by accommodation establishments in Portugal.
- CEAL — Contribuição Extraordinária sobre o Alojamento Local
- The extraordinary contribution levied on Alojamento Local apartments, revised by Decree-Law 57/2024.
- Taxa turística — Municipal tourist tax
- A per-guest, per-night municipal charge on overnight stays. Rates, night caps, exemptions and declaration deadlines are set by each câmara municipal.
- Ecotaxa — Madeira environmental tourist tax
- The tourist tax applied in Madeira municipalities, declared monthly to the câmara municipal, with exemptions for children and residents.
- Balcão Único — Balcão Único Eletrónico
- The Portuguese single electronic counter used to submit AL registrations, changes, transfers and cancellations to the municipality and Turismo de Portugal.
- Alvará — Municipal licence or permit
- A municipal authorisation document; in the AL context, the supporting municipal permissions and certificates held alongside the RNAL registration.
Chave AL — SIBA, tourist tax and INE compliance for Alojamento Local. Pricing · Concierge · Guides · Guias (PT) · Glossary · iCal sync · Agencies · SIBA setup help · AL licence application