What SIBA is
SIBA (Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento) is the platform where accommodation providers report the stay of every foreign guest. The obligation comes from Law no. 23/2007 (articles 15 and 16) and applies to hotels, Alojamento Local and any other establishment that accommodates foreign nationals for payment.
Each stay is reported through a guest registration form (boletim de alojamento): one record per person, with their ID document details and the dates of the stay.
From SEF to AIMA
In October 2023 SEF, the former immigration and borders service, was abolished and its administrative powers passed to AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo). For anyone running accommodation, the essentials haven't changed: SIBA is still the channel, the credentials are still valid and the obligation is the same. Many guides still say “report to SEF”; today the body is AIMA.
Who has to be reported
- All guests who do not hold Portuguese nationality, including citizens of the European Union.
- Each person individually, not just the person who made the booking.
- Children included, with the details of their own ID document.
Portuguese citizens are not reported in SIBA. But mind INE: the monthly statistics count every guest, Portuguese and foreign.
Deadlines
The form must be submitted within three working days of the guest's arrival, and the departure must also be recorded within the same deadline. With back-to-back bookings, late arrivals and weekends in between, it's easy to miss a form when the process depends on someone remembering.
What data you need
- Full name
- Date and place of birth
- Nationality
- Type, number and issuing country of the ID document (passport or identity card)
- Usual place of residence
- Arrival and departure dates
This data should be collected before or at arrival. Asking for a photo of the document by message means copying everything by hand afterwards and keeping images of ID documents on personal phones.
Three ways to submit
- Manually on the portalYou fill in one form at a time on the SIBA website. It works for a few guests, but it's slow and prone to typing errors.
- File uploadYou upload a file with several forms to the portal. The file has to be prepared in the right format.
- Automatic submission (web service)Software connected to SIBA sends the forms by itself, from the online check-in data. This is how MyStay works.
Submission by fax no longer exists. Reports are made through the SIBA portal or by direct integration.
The most common mistakes
- Reporting only the lead guestEvery foreign guest has their own form, including companions and children.
- Forgetting EU citizensA Spanish or German guest must be reported too.
- Leaving it until the end of the monthThe deadline runs from arrival, not from the end of the month.
- Not recording the departureThe stay is only complete with the departure date.
- Data copied with errorsA wrong document number invalidates the form. Reading the document automatically avoids this.
- Credentials of someone who has leftIf SIBA access is in the name of someone who has left the team, submissions stop without anyone noticing.
What happens if you don't report
Failing to report, or reporting late, is an administrative offence (contraordenação) punishable by a fine, applied for each missing form. In a property with many arrivals a month, a process that fails now and then quickly becomes expensive.
How MyStay handles SIBA
With MyStay, guests do online check-in on their phone before arriving: they scan their document with the camera, confirm their details and sign. On the day after check-in, MyStay sends the form to SIBA automatically, for every foreign guest. Access codes are only sent once check-in is complete, so nobody gets in without their details collected.
- Document scanning and signature on the guest's phone
- Forms sent automatically, with the status of each submission visible
- INE sent every month, on a day of your choice between the 1st and the 10th
See online check-in, SIBA and INE · Available as an add-on on the free Host plan (+€4 per property/month) and included in Pro and Business.
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.
FAQ
Do EU citizens have to be reported too?
Yes. All guests without Portuguese nationality are reported in SIBA, including EU citizens.
Do children need a form too?
Yes. Every foreign guest is reported individually, whatever their age.
What is the deadline for reporting?
Three working days after the guest's arrival, and the departure must be recorded within the same deadline.
Did SIBA change when SEF became AIMA?
Not in practice. AIMA took over SEF's powers in 2023, but SIBA and the credentials remain the same.
Does MyStay send the forms by itself?
Yes. Using the online check-in data, MyStay sends the form to SIBA automatically on the day after check-in.