Compliance reporting is a core offering that helps hoteliers in Portugal stay fully compliant with legal reporting obligations — seamlessly and automatically. It includes native integrations with SEF, INE, and Autoridade Tributária regulations.

Compliance is part of the Core Product: PMS, Channel Manager, Booking engine, and payments.

Police Integration – Foreign Guest Reporting

What is SEF?

SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) was formerly the Portuguese authority responsible for immigration control and border management. However, as part of a national restructuring, SEF was officially dissolved in 2023.

Its responsibilities have since been split across different entities:

The Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) and Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) now handle border and security duties.

The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) was created to manage administrative tasks related to immigration and foreign nationals, including residence permits and integration.

For tourist accommodations:

Although SEF no longer exists, the legal obligation to report foreign guests still applies. Accommodations must now report this information through the SIBA platform (Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento), which remains in operation and is now under the management of PSP/GNR, depending on the region.

When is it required?

You are required to submit:

• Guest check-in data within a max of 3 days of arrival

• Guest check-out data within a max of 3 days of departure

Reporting Foreign Guests

Tourist accommodations in Portugal are legally required to report all non-Portuguese guests to the authorities. This obligation previously fell under SEF but continues to exist today.

Reports must be submitted through the SIBA platform (Sistema de Informação de Boletins de Alojamento), now managed by PSP or GNR, depending on the location of the property.

In short: If you operate a hotel, guesthouse, or any other short-term accommodation and you accept international guests, you are legally obliged to report them via SIBA — regardless of the guest’s nationality (EU or non-EU).

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Failing to submit guest reports can result in:

• Fines for the accommodation provider

• Audits or investigations by the authorities

• In serious cases, legal action and the potential suspension of your rental license

This is a legal requirement under Portuguese law and part of the country’s commitment to public safety and immigration control.

How does RoomRaccoon integrate with SEF?

RoomRaccoon connects directly to SEF via the SIBA Web Service.

Fully automated - As long as the guest profile is completed and the reservation status is updated to “Checked-in” and “Checked-out,” RoomRaccoon automatically submits the required data to SEF.

Online check-in alone does not trigger the report - Only the manual status change to “Checked-in” and “Checked-out” in the PMS counts for SEF reporting. Once a guest arrives at the hotel physically, the hotelier will need to mark the guest as “Checked-in” if the guest is marked as “online checked-in”.

Why is online check-in important?

• Collects mandatory data before arrival

• Supports contactless stays and automated check-in for front-desk-free hotels.

Mandatory guest data fields:

According to SIBA rules, the following guest data is mandatory and must be submitted for each foreign guest:

• First name & Last name

• Nationality

• Country of residence

• Date of birth

• ID number & ID type

• Issuing country

Optional but recommended:

• Place of birth

• Address city

These are all fields that can be set to mandatory during booking via the booking engine, and during online check-in. To change the status of a reservation to Checked-in or Checked-out directly in the system all the mandatory fields need to be filled in.

INE Integration – Monthly Statistical Reporting

What is INE?

The INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatística) is Portugal’s National Statistics Institute, responsible for collecting tourism data to monitor the sector and support national planning.

If your accommodation is selected to participate in INE’s tourism statistics program, you are legally required to submit monthly reports through their platform (usually via Webinq - https://webinq.ine.pt/home.aspx).

What must be reported?

Typical data points include:

• Total number of guests and overnights

• Nationality breakdown

• Room occupancy rates

• Average length of stay

• Revenue data (optional or mandatory depending on the survey)

What happens if you don't comply?

Failure to submit the INE report can lead to:

• Administrative fines, which can range from €250 to €25,000 depending on the severity and frequency of non-compliance

• Repeated reminders and official notices

• Potential legal escalation in cases of systematic failure to report

• A negative mark on your compliance history with state institutions

How does RoomRaccoon integrate with INE?

RoomRaccoon automates the monthly INE report submission.

 Fully automated - RoomRaccoon submits your data to INE on the 3rd of each month as long as:

• Guest data is complete.

• Reservations are marked as checked-in and checked-out.

INE will send the hotelier a confirmation email after successful submission.

Important: Guest Country Field Required for INE Reporting

One of the most critical fields for the successful submission of your INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatística) monthly report is the guest’s country of origin.

This field is mandatory for each guest included in the report. The INE uses this data to measure inbound tourism, assess the diversity of international visitors, and inform national policy and marketing strategies for the tourism sector.

What you must know:

• If more than 5% of guests in your monthly report are missing the country of origin, the entire submission will be rejected by the INE platform.

• This means you will be required to correct the data and resubmit the report, potentially delaying compliance and increasing the risk of penalties.

• Frequent rejections due to missing or incorrect data can also result in flags on your record with INE, impacting your credibility as a data source.

Best practice to avoid issues:

• Always ensure that the guest country field is filled in at check-in or before submitting reports.

• Train your front desk or reservations team to verify this detail for every booking, especially for walk-ins or manual entries.