Tourist establishment or Alojamento Local in Portugal? Differences in 2026 (registration, classification, capacity, obligations)

Updated: 10 November 2026

The Algarve has hotels, resorts, rural tourism houses and thousands of local accommodation (AL) units. The difference is not just the name: registration, classification, capacity and obligations all change. We read Decree-Law 128/2014 as republished by Decree-Law 76/2024 and Turismo de Portugal's pages on the tourist establishments regime (DL 39/2008). Links are at the end. Where we could not confirm something, we say so. This is not legal advice: check with your municipality, accountant or lawyer.

The short answer

Alojamento Local (AL): regime of DL 128/2014, amended by DL 76/2024. Registration with the municipality, no classification, capacity limits.
Tourist establishment (empreendimento turístico, ET): regime of DL 39/2008 (RJET). Opening title with the municipality, official classification and entry in the RNET.
The rule linking the two: an establishment that meets the requirements of a tourist establishment may not be run as an AL (DL 128/2014, art. 2(2)).

Types of tourist establishment

According to Turismo de Portugal, the RJET covers:

Hotel establishments: hotels, apartment hotels and pousadas.
Tourist villages (aldeamentos) and tourist apartments.
Tourist complexes (resorts).
Turismo de habitação (manor and heritage houses).
Rural tourism: casas de campo, agroturismo and rural hotels.
Campsites and caravan parks.
The latest amendment to DL 39/2008 listed by Turismo de Portugal is DL 9/2021. We found no 2025 or 2026 amendments, but we could not open the consolidated text in the Diário da República.

Types of Alojamento Local

DL 128/2014, art. 3 (as amended by DL 76/2024):

Moradia: a detached single-family building.
Apartamento: an independent unit or part of an urban building that can be used independently.
Estabelecimento de hospedagem: units made up of rooms. It may use the name «hostel» if the main unit type is the dormitory.
Quartos: rooms in the holder's home, which must be their tax residence, with a maximum of three units.

Registration and opening

AL: a prior notice with a deadline (comunicação prévia com prazo) to the mayor, filed only through the Balcão Único Eletrónico. The municipality may object within 60 days (90 in containment areas). The registration number is the only opening title (arts. 6 and 7).
ET: a filing with the municipality. With a prior notice with a deadline, use may start 20 days later unless the municipality orders an inspection. The old permit for tourist use (alvará de autorização de utilização para fins turísticos) is listed as a title under the previous regime.
ET: entry in the RNET (national register of tourist establishments, part of the RNT) within 30 days of the opening title; changes reported to Turismo de Portugal within 10 days.
In both cases the registration number must appear in listings: for an AL, next to its name or logo (art. 17); for an ET, the RNET number on every sales platform.

Classification: stars only for tourist establishments

Turismo de Portugal classifies hotels, apartment hotels, pousadas, tourist villages, tourist apartments, resorts and rural hotels.
The municipality classifies campsites, turismo de habitação, casas de campo and agroturismo.
Hotels: 1 to 5 stars. Tourist villages, tourist apartments and rural hotels: 3 to 5. Turismo de habitação, casas de campo, agroturismo and resorts: no stars.
The classification audit takes place within 60 days of the opening title, and the classification is reviewed every five years.
An AL may not use the label of tourist establishment, of any of its types (for example, hotel) or any classification system (DL 128/2014, art. 17).

AL capacity

DL 128/2014, art. 11:

Maximum 9 bedrooms and 27 guests, except for the «quartos» and «hostel» types.
Capacity is the number of bedrooms times two; houses and apartments may add two more guests in the living room.
Convertible or extra beds: in total, up to 50% of fixed beds.
The same holder may not run more than nine AL apartments in one building if that number exceeds 75% of the building's units.
Under the RJET, capacity depends on the type and the applicable ministerial order; we do not summarise it here.

When you must become a tourist establishment

The law sets no number that triggers an automatic switch. The rule is art. 2(2): if the establishment meets the requirements of a tourist establishment, it cannot operate as an AL.
If an inspection finds this, Turismo de Portugal sets a deadline of at least 30 days, which can be extended, to start the tourist-use authorisation process (art. 21(4)).
Above 9 bedrooms or 27 guests (outside quartos and hostels), the property no longer fits the AL regime. Before you grow, ask the municipality how it fits under the RJET.

Other obligations

AL: third-party liability insurance with minimum cover of 75,000 euros per claim (art. 13-A).
AL: complaints book (livro de reclamações, art. 20) and an identification plate at the entrance for apartments, hospedagem and quartos (art. 18).
ET: we did not read the RJET articles on insurance and the complaints book; check with the municipality or Turismo de Portugal.
Foreign guests: they are reported through SIBA (the guest registration system). We do not cover it in detail here.
Municipal AL regulations in the Algarve: see our guide /portugal-local-accommodation-2026-ceal-insurance.

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Frequently asked questions

Can an AL have stars or call itself a hotel?

No. DL 128/2014 (art. 17) bars an AL from using the label of tourist establishment, any of its types or any classification system. Stars are given to tourist establishments by Turismo de Portugal or the municipality.

What is the maximum capacity of an AL?

Nine bedrooms and 27 guests, except for «quartos» (at most three units in the holder's home) and «hostel» (DL 128/2014, arts. 3 and 11).

Where does each one register?

An AL files a prior notice with the municipality through the Balcão Único Eletrónico. A tourist establishment files with the municipality and registers in the RNET within 30 days.

Sources

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