How to open an Alojamento Local, step by step.

Before you start

• Check your municipality's rulesSome municipalities have their own regulations or zones where new registrations are not accepted.
• Check the building rulesIn a flat, read the condominium regulations and confirm whether there are restrictions on short-term rentals.
• Choose the typeHouse (moradia), flat, guesthouse (estabelecimento de hospedagem) or rooms. The type sets the requirements and capacity.

Registration and Finanças

1. Register the propertyRegistration is a prior notification (mera comunicação prévia com prazo) filed on the Balcão Único Eletrónico, the online one-stop shop, addressed to the câmara municipal (city council). At the end, you receive your Alojamento Local registration number.
2. Register your activity with FinançasDeclare the start of activity with the Alojamento Local activity code and choose the right tax regime with your accountant.
3. Take out insuranceCivil liability insurance covering damage to guests and third parties is mandatory.

Not sure where to start? We file the licence application with you, in a video call session, for €50 + VAT.

What you must have in the property

• Fire extinguisher and fire blanketIn a visible, accessible place.
• First-aid kitComplete and in date.
• Emergency number on display112, somewhere easy to find.
• Complaints Book (Livro de Reclamações)In paper and electronic form.
• Identification plaqueAt the entrance, when the type requires it.
• Guest informationHouse rules, contacts and instructions for how things work, ideally in several languages.

Obligations after opening

• SIBAReport each foreign guest within three working days. Read the SIBA guide.
• INESend overnight-stay and guest statistics every month.
• Tourist taxCollect it and pay it to the municipality, where there is one.
• InvoicingIssue an invoice for every stay.
• Registration number on listingsOn every channel. See the EU regulation.

12 tasks you can automate from day one

With one or two properties, these tasks easily take ten hours or so a month. With MyStay, they no longer depend on you:

Start for free on the Host plan and add check-in with SIBA (+€4) and INE (+€4) per property/month, or try Pro for 14 days.

This content is for information only and is not a substitute for legal advice. Rules may change and some depend on the municipality: always check with the official authorities.