SIBA: reporting foreign guests
Reviewed on 12 October 2026, against the law in force that day.
If foreign guests stay at your AL, you have to tell the authorities about every arrival and every departure. You do it with an accommodation form (boletim de alojamento), sent through SIBA. It is paperwork, no way around that, but the deadlines are short and the fines are real.
We've put the rules together here as the law states them, with the article next to each one so you can check.
Who counts as foreign?
Anyone without Portuguese nationality. That includes citizens of other EU countries: a couple from Madrid or Berlin gets reported too. Lei n.º 23/2007 says so in so many words, in article 15, no. 2.
Age doesn't matter. A foreign child gets a form as well.
The duty falls on whoever provides accommodation for payment (article 16, no. 1). In an AL, that's the host.
One form per person?
Yes, one for each guest. For a couple with children under age, or a travel group, one spouse or one member of the group can fill in and sign for everyone (article 15, no. 3).
How long do I have?
Three working days after arrival to report the check-in. Then, when the guest leaves, another three working days to report the check-out. That second part is the one people forget. It's in article 16, nos. 1 and 2.
The forms are kept for a year, counted from the day after you report the departure (article 15, no. 5).
How do I register and send them?
Before your first form, register as a SIBA user with the UCFE (Unidade de Coordenação de Fronteiras e Estrangeiros). It has run the system since SEF was closed down. Registration asks for your name, your NIF and your economic activity code (Portaria n.º 321/2023).
Once you're confirmed, there are three ways to send forms: fill in the form on the SIBA website (or connect software by web service), upload a pre-formatted file there, or email a file made with the UCFE's free program.
If you have the old address saved, siba.sef.pt, it now takes you to siba.ssi.gov.pt.
What do I need from each guest?
Whatever the official form asks for. It's published as an annex to Portaria n.º 321/2023:
- surname and given names
- nationality
- place and date of birth
- ID card or passport number
- home address and country of residence
- date of arrival (and, later, the date of departure)
Ask for this before they arrive. Nobody standing at the door with their luggage wants to read out a passport number.
If a guest is reluctant to give their details, send them the page that explains it from their side:
What if I forget?
It's an administrative offence. Article 203 of the same law sets the fine by the number of missing forms: €100 to €500 for up to 10, €200 to €900 for 11 to 50, and €400 to €2,000 above 51.
If you were late through carelessness rather than on purpose, the minimum and maximum drop to a quarter (article 203, no. 2). It's still a fine.
Where to check
- Lei n.º 23/2007, consolidated version, in the Diário da República (articles 15, 16 and 203)
- Portaria n.º 321/2023, in the Diário da República
- SIBA's frequently asked questions (in Portuguese)
- The SIBA website
This is a summary of the law as it stood on the date above, not legal advice. If anything here doesn't match the law, the law wins.