Local Lodging in Madeira: SIBA, municipal tourist tax and guest management
Welcome to the Madeira local lodging compliance hub. Here we cover everything a Madeira host needs: SIBA guest bulletins, municipal tourist tax in every council, monthly INE statistics, document vault and complaints tracking. Chave AL was built in Madeira, for Madeira hosts — and handles all 11 councils automatically.
What Local Lodging in Madeira means
Local Lodging (Alojamento Local, or AL) is Portugal's legal regime for short-term tourist rentals — villas, apartments, private rooms and small guesthouses. In Madeira the same national regime applies, plus a regional layer: each of the 11 municipalities runs its own tourist tax portal, the Regional Government sets some additional rules, and several councils have temporary bans on new AL registrations.
A Madeira AL host needs a valid RNAL number, must file SIBA bulletins with AIMA for every foreign guest, must declare tourist tax monthly on the correct municipal portal, and must report monthly statistics to INE (WebINq / IPHH).
Who this applies to
- Hosts with property in any of Madeira's 11 municipalities or Porto Santo.
- Villas, apartments, private rooms or small buildings with multiple units — each unit has its own RNAL.
- Professional managers running AL on behalf of owners in the region.
- Foreign owners with a Portuguese NIF and a locally registered property.
When and how often to file
SIBA: within 3 working days of every foreign guest's check-in. Missing the window triggers fines of €100–€2,000 per bulletin.
Municipal tourist tax: monthly, usually by the 15th of the following month (Funchal, Santa Cruz and Machico each have their own calendar — Chave AL warns before every deadline).
INE / WebINq: monthly, by the 15th of the following month, for every AL with an active RNAL — even with zero stays.
RNAL renewal and insurance: annual. Store both in the Document Vault to receive 30-day expiry alerts.
Data you need on hand
- RNAL number of each unit and its municipality.
- SIBA credentials (Utilizador + Senha, set after activation with the AIMA letter).
- Municipal portal credentials — one per council where you operate.
- Guest ID document: passport, citizen card or residence permit.
- Check-in / check-out dates, number of adults and children up to 12, nationality.
- Host NIF for the Santa Cruz commission invoice (2.5%).
Most common Madeira mistakes
- Using the wrong tourist tax portal — Check the municipality on the RNAL. Chave AL picks the correct portal per unit so you don't file Santa Cruz stays on the Funchal form.
- Forgetting the Santa Cruz commission invoice — The council pays the host a 2.5% commission on production of an invoice. Chave AL generates the invoice alongside the monthly declaration.
- Not exempting under-12s or municipal residents — Mark age and resident status on the guest form — the exemption is applied automatically to the tax calculation.
- Skipping INE with zero stays — You must submit zero rather than leave the form blank. Chave AL pre-fills IPHH even in months without bookings.
- Trying to register in a suspended municipality — Funchal, Santa Cruz and Machico have partial suspensions — check /al-legal-status before investing in a new unit.
- Sharing one SIBA login across units — Every RNAL needs its own SIBA inscrição. A single login cannot serve 6 units — AIMA rejects the submission.
How Chave AL handles Madeira compliance
- All 11 Madeira and Porto Santo councils pre-configured with rate, night cap and exemptions in force.
- Automatic split for stays crossing two months, with correct totals in each monthly PDF.
- 2.5% commission invoice ready to submit to Santa Cruz.
- SIBA submission via Web Services to AIMA, with one inscrição per unit.
- IPHH pre-filled for the monthly INE return.
- Renewal alerts for RNAL, insurance and complaints book.
- Multi-language guest form so guests fill in their data on their phone before arrival.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Chave AL cover every Madeira council?
- Yes — all 11 municipalities of Madeira and Porto Santo are pre-configured with the current tax, exemptions and official portal link: Funchal, Santa Cruz, Machico, Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol, Calheta, São Vicente, Santana, Porto Moniz and Porto Santo.
- What if a stay crosses two months?
- Chave AL splits nights automatically. A stay from 28 June to 5 July produces 3 nights in June's declaration and 4 nights in July's, with the correct totals in each PDF.
- Do I need to submit SIBA in Madeira?
- Yes. SIBA applies across the whole country, including Madeira. You must submit an accommodation bulletin for every foreign guest within 3 working days of check-in.
- I am in Funchal — what is the tourist tax?
- In Funchal the tax is €2 per guest per night, limited to 7 nights per stay. Children up to 12 and municipal residents are exempt.
- I work with Airbnb and Booking. Does Chave AL connect?
- Yes. You can sync calendars (iCal) from Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo so bookings appear automatically, ready to send the guest the check-in link.
Related
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