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Regulation explainer

INE's IPHH survey: the monthly report — and how to know if your alojamento local must file it

The IPHH doesn't cover every AL — but if yours is in scope, the monthly response is mandatory (even at zero) and the fines are real. Who's in the universe, WebInq deadlines and the Azores/Madeira, with sources.

There's an email from INE — Portugal's national statistics institute — that splits hosts into two groups: those who ignore it because "this can't be for me", and those who respond religiously without knowing why. Both deserve a better answer. The IPHH does not cover every alojamento local — but when it covers yours, the monthly response is required by law, even in months without a single guest. Here's how to know which side you're on, and what to do in each case.

What the IPHH is and why INE emailed you

The Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes na Hotelaria e Outros Alojamentos (IPHH) is INE's monthly statistical operation covering collective tourist accommodation — it's where Portugal's official tourism numbers come from, and it feeds the EU tourism-statistics regulation. Don't confuse it with SIBA: SIBA identifies foreign guests to the security authorities; the IPHH aggregates statistics — overnight stays, occupancy, revenue — anonymous in its outputs, but mandatory in its responses.

Important: it is not a "sample" where you can get unlucky. The methodological documentation is explicit — the covered universe is observed exhaustively (it's a census). If your establishment is in the universe, it's in the survey.

Are you obliged to respond? How to know

The IPHH universe, per INE's official documentation:

  • Establishments with 10 or more beds — the EU regulation's threshold; on the mainland, this is the general criterion. An AL with 4 rooms and 8 beds is generally out; a villa or apartments totalling 10+ beds are in.
  • Below 10 beds, "where relevant" — INE expressly includes rural tourism and establishments in the autonomous regions. In the Azores and Madeira, alojamento local is covered at scale, including below the threshold (details in the islands section).
  • Were you contacted by INE (or SREA/DREM)? Then the question is settled: responding to official statistical surveys is mandatory by law (article 4 of Law no. 22/2008), and WebInq reminds you of it on every form.

In practice: count the beds on your registration, check which region you're in, and treat any contact from INE as an obligation with a deadline — not institutional spam.

The data you'll need at hand

The AL form (questionnaire C-AL) asks, every month, for:

  • Guest arrivals and overnight stays, by country of residence — the same data you already have from your reservations and SIBA;
  • Capacity and usage — rooms/units, beds, days open;
  • Accommodation turnover — excluding VAT and excluding the municipal tourist tax (which isn't your income, here too);
  • Establishments below 10 beds are excused from the staffing section.

How to submit on WebInq

Responses go through the WebInq portal (webinq.ine.pt), via electronic form, by the 10th of the month following the reference month. And the detail that prevents the most fines: the obligation stands in months with no activity — zero guests is a response, not an exemption.

The Azores and Madeira: SREA and DREM

In the autonomous regions, the regional statistics services act as INE's delegations and handle collection in their territory: SREA in the Azores and DREM in Madeira. DREM states expressly that its IPHH operation covers all of the region's alojamento local, including below 10 beds — and regional figures are published on that basis; in the Azores, collection from AL is likewise handled by SREA. If you operate in the islands, the odds you're covered are much higher than on the mainland — and your counterpart is the regional service.

The cost of ignoring INE

Failing to respond within the set deadline is a serious administrative offence (article 26 of Law no. 22/2008), punishable with a fine of €250 to €25,000 for individuals — €500 to €50,000 for companies — with the amounts halved in cases of negligence (article 27). And one uncomfortable detail: paying the fine does not excuse you from submitting the missing response. It's the same pattern as SIBA fines: amounts that won't ruin you, processes that wear you down, and infractions that are entirely avoidable with a decent process.

Filling it in within minutes, straight from your reservations

Look at what the IPHH actually asks for: guests, overnight stays, countries, revenue. All of it already exists in your reservations — the same data that feeds your invoices and your SIBA bulletins. The survey is only painful when that data lives scattered across platforms, emails and Excel sheets.

That's ALerta's bet: with reservations centralised, the IPHH's monthly summary — stays, guests, countries, at zero or at full house — comes out practically ready, and the day-10 deadline becomes just another alert you receive in advance. Join the waitlist and answer INE in minutes, not an afternoon.

Sources