In short
- It applies from 20 May 2026 in every EU country.
- Where a country or city requires registration, every listing must show its registration number.
- Platforms must check those numbers and remove listings without a valid one when the authorities ask.
- Platforms share the nights booked and the number of guests per unit with the authorities, monthly for the large ones.
What the regulation is — and is not
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 of 11 April 2024 is about data: how short-term rentals are registered and what information platforms pass on to public authorities. It does not ban short-term rentals, cap nights or set taxes — those decisions stay with each country and city.
Its aim is that authorities finally know which units are rented, by whom and how much, using the same rules everywhere in the EU.
What it asks of hosts
- Register the unit where the country, region or city has a registration procedure, and obtain its registration number.
- Give the platform that number together with a self-declaration that the information is correct.
- Make sure the number appears on every listing of that unit, on every platform.
- Keep the information up to date when something changes.
What it asks of platforms
- Let hosts enter the registration number and display it on the listing.
- Check the self-declarations and run random checks against the registries.
- Remove or disable listings without a valid number when an authority asks.
- Share activity data — the number of nights booked and of guests per unit, with its registration number and listing address — through a national single digital entry point: monthly, or quarterly for small platforms.
What it means in Portugal
Portugal already has a registration: every Alojamento Local has an AL registration number, which listings must show. What the regulation adds is on the platforms’ side — systematic checks of that number and regular reporting of the activity of each unit.
In practice, the authorities will see the nights and guests that the platforms report for each registration number. The figures you declare elsewhere — INE statistics, guest registrations, taxes — should tell the same story.
What to check now
- Every unit you rent has a valid registration number, and the right one on each listing.
- One number per unit: a building with several apartments usually means several numbers.
- The address and owner details registered match the listing.
- Your own records of nights and guests per unit match what the platforms see.
How GuestAgent helps
- Reservations, nights and guests for every property in one place, whichever channel they came from.
- Guest data collected at online check-in and submitted to SIBA every night.
- The monthly INE statistics built from the same reservations — so the figures you report agree with each other.
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and individual situations differ — confirm with the competent authority or a lawyer before acting.