AIMA vs. SEF: what actually changed for your Alojamento Local
AIMA replaced SEF — but what does that mean for your AL? Here's what stayed the same, what tightened up, and how to stay on the right side of it.
The abolition of SEF and the creation of AIMA was one of the most talked-about moments in Portuguese immigration in recent years. If you run an Alojamento Local, it's natural to wonder: does this actually affect me? The short answer is: less than you might think — but there are a few things worth knowing.
What AIMA is and what it inherited from SEF
The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) took over SEF's responsibilities for immigration, borders, and documentation of foreign nationals. For AL owners, direct contact with SEF was already fairly limited — and that hasn't changed with AIMA.
What hasn't changed: the obligation to register guest data through the PSP portal (the system used for guest reporting) remains in force, with the same deadlines and identification requirements. The agency's name changed; the operational process did not.
What stays exactly the same in your day-to-day
- Guest registration: reporting identification data for non-EU guests (and in some cases EU guests) remains mandatory, with the same fields and timeframes.
- AL licensing and registration: this stays with the Câmara Municipal and AT — AIMA has no role here.
- Tax obligations: IRS/IRC, VAT where applicable, and income reporting to the Autoridade Tributária were unaffected by this institutional transition.
- Insurance and safety requirements: civil liability insurance and property safety standards are entirely independent of this change.
Where scrutiny is sharper in 2026
This is where it's worth paying attention. The institutional reorganisation brought greater coordination between agencies — and that has practical consequences.
More regular PSP and GNR visits
Security forces have been stepping up on-site checks at local accommodation, particularly in high-pressure tourist areas. These field inspections tend to focus on two things:
- Up-to-date guest registration — if data hasn't been submitted within the required timeframe, this is where it becomes visible.
- Mandatory signage — complaints book, AL identification plaque, house rules, and emergency information.
This isn't alarmism: most owners who have their processes in order don't feel any pressure during these visits. But if you've been putting off guest registration or ignoring mandatory signage, there's noticeably less tolerance for that now than there used to be.
Closer coordination between AT and enforcement agencies
One of the less visible — but more significant — effects of this reorganisation is smoother information-sharing between the Autoridade Tributária and on-the-ground enforcement bodies. In practice, an irregularity flagged during a physical inspection can more easily be cross-referenced with an AL's tax history.
This isn't legally new, but operational efficiency has increased. Owners with undeclared AL income or inconsistent records are more exposed than they were a couple of years ago.
What to check right now
If you want to make sure you're in good shape, run through these quickly:
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Guest registration | Is guest data being submitted on time for every stay? |
| Mandatory signage | Is the AL plaque, complaints book, and emergency info displayed? |
| Income declaration | Is your AL income correctly reported to AT? |
| AL registration | Is your property registered and your licence current? |
| Listing details | Is the address, capacity, and owner information up to date in the municipal register? |
The bottom line
AIMA didn't come to make life harder for AL owners — it came to replace an acronym. What has shifted more tangibly is the enforcement landscape: better coordinated, more present on the ground, and with less tolerance for irregularities that previously slipped through.
The good news is that if you have the basics in order — guest registration, income declaration, correct signage — there's nothing to lose sleep over. The goal isn't to catch anyone off guard; it's to make sure the sector operates with clear rules for everyone.
This is where ALerta comes in
Staying on top of everything in a tighter enforcement environment is entirely doable — but it requires consistent attention to deadlines, documents, and obligations that stack up across the year. That's exactly what ALerta is built for.
The platform tracks your compliance obligations in real time — from guest registration to key tax dates — and alerts you before a deadline passes, not after. You stay in control; we handle the monitoring. In a landscape where inter-agency coordination has meaningfully increased, having that kind of proactive oversight has gone from a nice-to-have to the sensible default.