SIBA Portugal: How to Automate Guest Registration for Holiday Rentals

If you own or manage a holiday rental in Portugal, guest registration with SIBA is a legal obligation with a tight deadline: 3 hours after check-in. This guide explains what SIBA is, who must register, what data is required and — most importantly — how to automate the entire process so you never miss the deadline.

What is SIBA?

SIBA (Sistema de Informação de Bancos de Alojamento) is the platform managed by SSI (Serviço de Segurança Interna), Portugal's internal security service, accessible at siba.ssi.gov.pt. All alojamento local (holiday rental) owners are required to submit guest data through this system.

SIBA replaced the former SEF system and covers all security reporting obligations for tourist accommodation. It is separate from the RNAL (Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local), which is your property's registration with Turismo de Portugal — SIBA is for reporting individual guest stays.

Who must register guests with SIBA?

All owners of alojamento local in Portugal, including:

• Tourist apartments and studios
• Holiday villas and houses
• Bed & breakfast establishments
• Hotels and other hospitality businesses
• Camping and caravan parks

The obligation applies to all guests — Portuguese and foreign nationals, adults and minors (specific rules apply for unaccompanied minors).

What data must be submitted to SIBA?

• Full name
• Document type and number (ID card, passport, residence permit)
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Country of residence
• Arrival date and length of stay
• RNAL number of the property

How SIBA works manually

1. Guest arrives. You have 3 hours to register.
2. Log into siba.ssi.gov.pt with your credentials.
3. Manually type each guest's details (name, document, date of birth, nationality…).
4. Submit the registration and save the confirmation.

This is manageable for a single property with moderate occupancy. But with late-night arrivals, multiple apartments, or a full weekend of check-ins, manual SIBA reporting becomes a serious compliance bottleneck.

How to automate SIBA guest registration

SIBA provides an official Web Service API that allows software to submit guest reports programmatically, without accessing the web portal. Gotocheck uses this API to automate the entire process.

The workflow with Gotocheck:

1. Guest receives a check-in link via WhatsApp or email, before arrival.
2. On their phone, they scan their ID or passport using OCR. Data is extracted automatically — no typing.
3. Guest signs the rental contract digitally and receives the smart lock access code.
4. Gotocheck automatically submits the SIBA report via Web Service API. No manual action required.
5. You receive confirmation in your dashboard and, optionally, on Telegram.

Benefits of automating SIBA

• Never miss the 3-hour deadline — reports are sent immediately when the guest completes check-in, regardless of the time.
• No transcription errors — OCR reads directly from the document, eliminating manual data entry risk.
• No repetitive admin — no more logging into SIBA for every guest.
• RNAL number included automatically — configured once, sent with every report.
• Full audit trail — Gotocheck keeps a record of every SIBA submission with timestamp and status.
• Works for multiple properties — one dashboard for all your rentals.

Channel Manager and PMS integration

If you use a channel manager or PMS (Lodgify, Smoobu, Hostaway, Beds24, Guesty, etc.), Gotocheck can sync bookings automatically. When a reservation enters the system, the check-in link is sent to the guest automatically — no manual booking entry required.

If you take direct bookings without a channel manager, you can create reservations manually in the Gotocheck dashboard in seconds.

Summary

SIBA registration is a recurring legal compliance obligation that, done manually, consumes time and creates late-night compliance risk. With Gotocheck, the process becomes fully automatic: your guest checks in online, data is sent to SIBA, and you receive confirmation — without touching anything.