Regulation explainerJuly 13, 2026

How to register your alojamento local in 2026: RNAL step by step

AL registration in 2026, start to finish: the prior communication on the Balcão Único, documents, the câmara's opposition window (60/90 days), insurance, and the obligations that start on day 1. Verified against the law.

Registering an alojamento local in 2026 is simpler than it was in 2023 — and more municipal than ever. The national process is an online prior communication; what varies is your concelho, your property and your timeline. This guide walks the whole path, in the right order, with the post-Decree-Law-76/2024 text of the law as the map.

Before you start: can your property be an AL?

Three checks before you touch the form:

Use permit: the property needs a compatible authorization of use (or valid title). It's the first thing the prior communication asks for.
Containment areas: since Decree-Law 76/2024, municipalities decide where AL can grow. In containment areas, new registrations are generally blocked — and the câmara's opposition window is longer. Before dreaming up the listing, confirm your zone's status: we track the rules per municipality in Lisboa, Porto, Cascais, Albufeira, Loulé and Lagos.
Capacity: outside the "quartos" and "hostel" categories, the limit is 9 rooms and 27 users (article 11 of the AL regime); capacity counts 2 users per room, plus 2 in the living room, with extra beds up to 50% of the fixed ones.

Documents and prior decisions

What the prior communication requires (article 6 of the AL regime):

Activity opened with the tax authority under the right CAE code — the law only admits subclasses 55201 (furnished accommodation for tourists) or 55204 (other short-stay accommodation). Handle this first: the activity-start declaration is one of the registration documents.
Urban property record (caderneta predial), if you own the property.
Lease agreement and, if the lease doesn't already allow it, the landlord's authorization — if you'll operate a rented property.
Signed statement of responsibility (termo de responsabilidade).
What about the condominium? The prior condominium authorization that Mais Habitação imposed for residential units was revoked by Decree-Law 76/2024. Only hostels in buildings that include housing still need the assembly's authorizing minutes — attached to the communication. (The condominium keeps powers after registration — we explained both mechanisms in the Decree-Law 76/2024 article.)

Registering on the Balcão Único, step by step

The prior communication is addressed to the mayor of the property's municipality and is made exclusively through the Balcão Único Eletrónico (via gov.pt — the "alojamento local activity registration" service).
Fill in the information (holder, NIF, address, establishment name, capacity, intended opening date, emergency contact) and attach the documents above.
The câmara can oppose within a maximum of 60 days — 90 days in containment areas — on exhaustive grounds: incorrect filing, property under a post-cancellation ban, breach of municipal restrictions, lack of an adequate use permit, or non-conformity with applicable legislation.
Don't open your doors on submission day. The registration number is only assigned once the opposition window lapses without objection — and the Balcão Único document carrying that number is "the only valid title for opening to the public" (article 7).

Your RNAL number: where to display it and how to look it up

Once assigned, the number follows you everywhere: displaying it in every listing, on every platform, is a national requirement — one that EU Regulation 2024/1028 has now reinforced at European scale, with platforms sharing data keyed to registration numbers. Any registration can be looked up in the public RNAL (National Tourism Register).

The mandatory insurance — without it, the registration falls

The civil-liability insurance (minimum capital of €75,000 per claim) isn't attached to the prior communication — but you must have it, and the proof is submitted on gov.pt right after the RNAL number is assigned, before starting activity. Lack of valid insurance is direct grounds for cancellation — and, as 2025 showed, the câmaras really do check. Our insurance article covers the proof crisis and the submission rules.

After registration: the obligations that start on day 1

Registration is the front door — behind it is the calendar. From your first guest:

SIBA: register with the UCFE as a user and report every foreign guest within 3 working days — arrival and departure (the fines for failing have their own article).
Municipal tourist tax: depending on the concelho — rates by municipality here.
Invoicing: invoice every guest, on the right date, reported to the AT by the 5th.
IRS: the tax framing is decided early — simplified regime or not.
INE/IPHH: if your establishment is covered, the monthly survey is mandatory.

Startup costs: what can be said rigorously

The AL regime sets no fee for the prior communication — the only cost in the law is the optional inspection to review an opposition, at your expense (article 6(11)). In practice, any fees depend on your municipality — the gov.pt service shows applicable costs after you pick the location. Add the market costs: the annual insurance, the identification plaque and the complaints book — amounts that vary and that no official source fixes, so we won't invent them here.

This is where ALerta comes in

You register once; the obligations repeat forever. ALerta picks you up right where the Balcão Único drops you off: it reminds you about the insurance proof, handles the SIBA calendar, the tourist tax and the invoicing from your reservations, and the Radar alerts you when your municipality changes the rules — including new containment areas. Join the waitlist and start compliant from day 1.