Compliance Watch · Lisbon

12.9% of Lisbon Airbnb listings are missing or have malformed RNAL registration numbers.

Last updated:

25277 listings analysed from the 25 December 2025 Inside Airbnb snapshot. 1171 carry no registration number at all; 2084 display a value that doesn't match the RNAL format. Under Decreto-Lei 128/2014 (and the Mais Habitação revisions) this is the operator's exposure, not the platform's.

25277
Listings analysed
17130
Format-valid
67.8%
2084
Malformed
8.2%
1171
Missing entirely
4.6%

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What is the RNAL number?

Lisbon short-term rentals must carry a valid RNAL registration number in the format NNNNN/AL under Decreto-Lei 128/2014. Since 20 May 2026, Airbnb and Booking are required to verify this number against the EU central register under Regulation 2024/1028 before publishing the listing.

The RNAL (Registo Nacional de Alojamento Local) is Portugal's national short-term rental register, run by Turismo de Portugal. Every Lisbon listing rented to non-residents must carry a valid RNAL number — the format is NNNNN/AL (five digits, slash, AL).

Listings without a number, or with a malformed number, are exposed under Decreto-Lei 128/2014 and the 2023 Mais Habitação amendments. Lisbon Câmara Municipal has its own moratorium overlay on top of the national rules — properties in saturated parishes (Santa Maria Maior, Misericórdia, São Vicente) can have their RNAL refused or revoked outright.

EU Regulation 2024/1028 OTA verification is now active (since 20 May 2026): Airbnb and Booking are obliged to verify the RNAL number against the central register before publishing a listing — non-compliant listings are being pulled. The EU data-exchange backbone connecting platforms to national authorities comes into full effect from mid-2027.

Common questions

What's the difference between RNAL and the EU NRUA?

RNAL is the existing Portuguese national register, format NNNNN/AL. The EU NRUA (Numero de Registro Único de Alojamiento) is the central EU register that came online on 20 May 2026 under Regulation 2024/1028. Portugal's RNAL feeds into the EU NRUA — operators with a valid RNAL don't need to re-register, but the platforms (Airbnb, Booking) are now verifying numbers against the central register before allowing the listing to publish.

What happens if I don't have a registration number?

Since 20 May 2026, platforms are required to verify registration numbers before publishing. Listings without a valid RNAL may now be pulled by Airbnb or Booking. You also remain personally liable for fines under Decreto-Lei 128/2014 — typically €2,500 to €40,000 for unregistered rentals. Both exposures apply simultaneously.

I'm not sure if my listing has the right number.

Paste your URL into the form above. We'll match it against our most recent dataset (a Q4 2025 snapshot). If it's in there, you'll see what registration value is currently stamped on it — sometimes hosts have a number on file that they haven't actually published. If it's not in our snapshot, we'll run a fresh audit.

Where does this data come from?

From quarterly Inside Airbnb snapshots, an open dataset covering most large European cities. We re-import on the 1st of each month and re-evaluate registration numbers against the official register format and (where reachable) the live RNAL site at rnt.turismodeportugal.pt. The data is anonymised at the host level — we report aggregate statistics, not individual host names.

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