FAQS - Frequently Asked Questions

Pay what you use – We implemented a credit system in which usage is only paid per Accommodation Bulletin submitted. 1 Accommodation Bulletin submitted costs 1 credit.

Credits can be purchased after you created your account. Prices can be consulted here.

The more credits you buy the cheaper become the cost for each credit.

When you register, you automatically receive 10 free credits for you to try.

The currently existing payment methods are ATM reference, MB Way and PayPal. Upon payment the credits will be immediately added to your account.

The accommodation and departure of each foreigner, ie of all elements of the couple or group, must be reported.

All foreign citizen's accommodation must be communicated to SEF, regardless of age.

The deadline for lodging the lodging bulletins is three working days for the entry of foreign citizens. The deadline is full days from the date of entry into the accommodation, regardless of the time when the registration was made.

There are two types of penalties:

Criminal sanctions: Paragraphs 2 to 4 of Article 183 of Law No. 23/07 of 4 July, in their current wording, state that anyone who favors or facilitates the permanence of a foreign citizen in the national territory, with a profit intention, is punished with imprisonment from 1 to 4 years, if the facts are committed by keeping the foreign citizen in inhuman or degrading conditions or endangering his life or causing him serious offense to physical integrity or death, the offender will be punished with a prison sentence of 2 to 8 years. In any case, the attempt is punishable. In other words, non-communication of accommodation may be a way of favoring the illegal stay of a foreign citizen and the imprisonment will be aggravated if, by taking advantage of his vulnerability to the authorities, keeping him in inhuman or degrading conditions or putting in jeopardy endangering your life or causing you serious injury to physical integrity or death.

In addition, the following penalties are added: Sanctions: Article 203 of Law 23/2007 of 4 July, as amended, states that, for not communicating the accommodation and / or departure of a Foreign citizen through Accommodation Bulletin within the deadline can be imposed a minimum fine of € 100.00 to € 2,000.00, depending on the number of offenses committed, which may be aggravated under the conditions provided for in the Framework Law of Offenses (Decree-Law No. 433/82, of 27 October and other amendments). In any of the situations (criminal and contravenational) may still suffer accessory sanctions (loss of objects and other limitations).

Awareness of the importance of identification is critical:

You could explain that displaying identification and recording data is necessary to enable accommodation; Registration in SIBA stems from an obligation under Portuguese law and Article 45 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement (CAAS) and that this duty certainly exists in the country of provenance, as it exists in most countries of the world. ;

You may note that the identification and registration measure is useful for the citizen who identifies himself as, in an emergency, police forces can find him more quickly and provide him with the nearest SEF contact or show the website where all legal clarifications are provided.

A customer who refuses to identify should not be accepted because, in addition to security issues, customer registration in the hotel unit is still required for, inter alia, fiscal and statistical control (INE and Turismo de Portugal IP) and in case of non-compliance. The head of the establishment is subject to the cumulative imposition of heavy penalties (imprisonment and fines).