Guest Refuses to Share Their Passport? Legal Obligation and Solutions for Portugal Hosts

CheckinSimple Team ·

It is one of the most awkward moments for hosts: you ask for ID details and the guest replies with suspicion. Understandable, nobody wants to post a photo of their passport in a chat. Still, every foreign guest staying in Portugal must be reported.

What does the law say?

Portugal''s foreigners law (Lei n.º 23/2007) requires accommodation providers to report foreign guests to the border authority. This includes Alojamento Local, i.e. holiday rentals on Airbnb or Booking. Reports are made via SIBA to AIMA within three working days of arrival.

Why guests hesitate

  • Fear of identity theft when passport photos are sent via WhatsApp or email
  • Many countries have no such rule for holiday rentals
  • Bad experiences with scams on booking platforms

How to respond

  1. Explain the obligation factually and refer to the law, rather than making it a personal request.

  2. Offer a secure channel instead of asking for photos in a chat. An encrypted form feels much more trustworthy.

  3. Make clear that only legally required data is collected and passport photos are not stored.

Message template for Airbnb and Booking

Hello! In Portugal all accommodation providers are legally required (Lei 23/2007) to report foreign guests to the border authority AIMA. So you do not have to send passport photos by chat, we use a secure online form. It takes about one minute: [YOUR CHECK-IN LINK]. Your data is used exclusively for this legal report. Thank you and safe travels!

What if the guest still refuses?

Explain kindly that the property cannot legally be let without the report. In practice almost every guest agrees once they understand it is a government requirement and not a whim of the host.

Conclusion

Most conflicts come from how the data is requested, not from the obligation itself. With CheckinSimple guests fill in their own details via a secure link or QR code; the passport is processed only briefly for text recognition and never stored, and the AIMA report runs automatically. Try it free for two months, no credit card required.