What an AL licence actually is
Alojamento Local (AL) is Portugal's short-let registration. Any property rented for stays under 30 days needs one — including via Airbnb, Booking, VRBO or direct. It's issued by the local Câmara Municipal (in Vilamoura's case, Câmara de Loulé) and gets you a registration number you're legally required to display on every listing.
What Vilamoura owners need to file
- Property ownership document (caderneta predial urbana + certidão do registo predial)
- Copy of ID / passport of the owner (or company docs if held via SPV)
- Portuguese NIF
- Habitation licence (licença de utilização) or equivalent
- Declaration of the property's suitability for short-let use
- Basic property drawings (planta)
How long it takes
Câmara de Loulé's stated timeline is 10–20 working days from a complete submission, but in practice count 4–8 weeks. You can begin renting under a provisional AL number as soon as the submission is accepted.
Common reasons filings get rejected
- Habitation licence issued before 1951 without the alvará equivalence
- Property use classified as commercial, not residential
- Missing or mismatched NIF on ownership vs. filing
- Building is in a "contention zone" under municipal AL restrictions
Vilamoura sits outside Loulé's active contention zones as of 2026, so contention isn't usually a blocker here — but always verify at filing time.
After you get the number
- Display the AL number on every listing (Airbnb requires this in the listing description)
- Register every guest with AIMA (formerly SEF) within 3 working days of arrival
- Keep a Livro de Reclamações (physical + digital) available to guests
- Declare rental income under category B of IRS (or corporate if held via SPV)