Alojamento Local (AL): short-term letting licences in 2026

In Portugal, letting a home to tourists for short stays is "alojamento local" (AL). It is regulated by Decreto-Lei n.º 128/2014, most recently amended and republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 76/2024, de 23 de outubro, which came into force on the first day of the following month (1 November 2024). If a listing's yield depends on short-term letting, the AL registration — not the deed — is what makes that income legal.

The four types of AL

Article 3 sets four modalities: moradia (a detached single-family building), apartamento (a flat or independent part of a building), estabelecimento de hospedagem (which may call itself a "hostel" if it meets the conditions) and quartos (rooms in the owner's home).

How registration works

• You file a prior notice (comunicação prévia com prazo) electronically on the Balcão Único Eletrónico (Turismo de Portugal).
• The mayor can object within 60 days of filing, or 90 days in a containment area. Grounds include breaching the municipality's AL restrictions or not having an adequate licence of use for the building (art. 6, as amended). Turismo de Portugal's page describes these periods as working days.
• If there is no objection, the document from the Balcão Único containing the registration number is the only valid title for opening to the public (art. 7). The municipality inspects within the same 60/90-day window (art. 8).
• Platforms must require and display the RNAL number. Advertising an unregistered AL is not allowed (Turismo de Portugal).
• You need the mandatory insurance; the municipality can ask for proof, to be provided within three days, on pain of cancellation (art. 13.º-A n.º 7).

Every registered AL appears in the public RNAL search. Before you buy a property marketed as "with AL licence", look its number up there and check the modality and capacity match.

What changed in 2023 and 2024

Lei n.º 56/2023 (Mais Habitação) tightened AL: among other measures, it suspended new AL registrations for apartments and hospedagem, limited the validity of registrations and created an extraordinary AL contribution (CEAL).

DL 76/2024 reversed much of that. It revoked articles 18 to 21 and 52 of Lei 56/2023. Turismo de Portugal summarises the revocations: the suspension of new registrations, the five-year validity of registrations, the requirement for condominium authorisation (except for hostels), the special rules for seasonal letting of up to 120 days, and the CEAL. In their place, DL 76/2024 gives municipalities the tools:

• Municipal regulations can define containment areas (where there is an overload of AL) and sustainable growth areas, by parish or part of a parish, and cap new registrations in them (art. 15.º-A). They must be reviewed at least every three years.
• In containment areas, a registration can be cancelled if the unit was let as a permanent home in the two years before the AL application, in breach of the municipal regulation (art. 9 n.º 1 f)).
• Condominiums: the owners' meeting can oppose an AL in a flat by a reasoned resolution of more than half of the building's permilagem, based on repeated, proven disturbance; the mayor decides (art. 9 n.º 2). A condominium can also prohibit AL in its rules by a two-thirds majority of permilagem, effective only for registration requests filed afterwards (art. 6.º-B n.º 5). It may charge AL units an extra contribution of up to 30% of the annual quota for heavier use of common parts (art. 20.º-A).
• Inspection is shared between ASAE and the municipality (art. 21).

What this means for a buyer

• Check the municipal AL regulation of the concelho where you are buying, and whether the parish is a containment area. Rules differ between Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve municipalities and can change; we do not summarise individual regulations here.
• Check the condominium rules (título constitutivo and regulamento) for an AL ban.
• Verify any existing AL number in the RNAL. Whether an existing registration survives a sale depends on the rules that apply to it; we have not verified a general rule for 2026, so ask your lawyer.
• Model AL income conservatively: see Why gross yield isn't cash flow.

Taxation of AL income is not covered here.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Why gross yield isn't cash flow
• Buying steps for foreigners
• IMI rates by concelho
• Lisbon
• Porto
• Algarve
• Lagos
• Tavira
• Faro

Sources

1. Decreto-Lei n.º 128/2014, de 29 de agosto (regime do alojamento local) — Diário da República — accessed 2026-10-10
2. Decreto-Lei n.º 76/2024, de 23 de outubro (altera o DL 128/2014; republica-o) — Diário da República PDF — accessed 2026-10-10
3. Lei n.º 56/2023, de 6 de outubro (Mais Habitação) — Diário da República — accessed 2026-10-10
4. Turismo de Portugal — Estabelecimentos de Alojamento Local: registo — accessed 2026-10-10
5. Turismo de Portugal — Alteração ao regime jurídico do alojamento local (DL 76/2024) — accessed 2026-10-10
6. RNAL — Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local, public search (Turismo de Portugal) — accessed 2026-10-10

Last reviewed: 2026-10-11. Rules change; check the official source before acting.

This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Confirm with Portal das Finanças, AIMA, Banco de Portugal or a qualified professional for your situation.