What is the Portuguese Touristic License?

General Requirements

To qualify for an Alojamento Local, the establishment should meet specific conditions.

• The property should be in good condition. This applies both inside and outside the building.
• The property should be connected to a mains water supply; otherwise, it should have access to a registered borehole.
• The structure must be connected to the mains drainage or have a septic tank that has sufficient dimensions that will cater to the property’s size
• The building should supply both hot and cold water.
• Houses must have adequate ventilation and windows for aeration.
• The structure must be sufficiently furnished and equipped.
• The property should have a mode for blocking out natural light. Curtains or shutters are an easy way to achieve this.
• The homes should provide basic security and privacy. Providing lockable doors is a way to meet this need.
• There should be a reasonable ratio for bathrooms provided. The minimum number of bathrooms in a house should be one for every three bedrooms.

Hygiene Requirements

Basic hygienic standards need to be observed within the premises. This means that the property will need to be maintained and cleaned frequently. Cleaning of the vicinity and laundry should be done at least weekly. Of course, whenever there is a change of guests, the property needs to be cleaned.

Safety Requirements

There are general safety regulations that an Alojamento Local establishment must observe. For any lodging facilities with less than fifty beds, the following should be made available:

• There should be sufficient fire extinguishers that can serve the size of the property. This should also have a user manual.
• There should be enough fire blankets within the vicinity, matching its size and capacity. This should also have a user manual.
• The electrical appliances within the property should have instruction manuals.
• Indication of the emergency number 112
• There must always be a first aid kit. The kit should contain:
  1. A single dose antiseptic solution
  2. Adhesive rolls
  3. Band-Aids
  4. Compresses
  5. Content inventory
  6. Disposable gloves (latex)
  7. Non-elastic bandages
  8. Saline (unidose)
  9. Scissors with blunt point
  10. Single-dose 70% ethyl alcohol
  11. Tweezers

A lodging facility that has fifty or more beds must provide the following;

• A fire alarm system. This must comply with the safety standards of Portugal.
• The property should have proper signage with photo-luminescent warning signs.
• The property should have a telephone.
• Capacity
  • Several things determine the capacity of a property. In most cases, capacity is determined by the number of permanent beds and their type. There may be temporary beds as well. However, their number shouldn’t exceed that of the permanent beds.
• Complaints book
  • All Alojamento Local establishments must provide a “Livro de reclamações” which means, complaints book. This is used for logging any complaints.