Tourist Tax in Mafra: What Local Accommodation Hosts Need to Know in 2026
If you operate a hotel, local accommodation property, campsite or nature-based accommodation in the Municipality of Mafra, you may need to collect and report the Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax. The Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax portal is found here .
The tax applies to overnight stays in Mafra, including popular areas such as Ericeira, and is charged per eligible guest, per night, up to a maximum of seven nights per stay.
From 1 January 2026, Mafra applies two different tourist tax rates depending on the season: a higher rate during the main tourism months and a lower rate during the rest of the year.
For hosts and accommodation operators, the most important thing to understand is that the tourist tax is not just something added to the guest’s stay. It must also be declared and paid through Mafra’s online tourist tax platform.
Quick Summary
From 1 January 2026, the Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax applies to overnight stays in hotels, tourist developments, local accommodation properties, campsites and nature-based accommodation in the municipality.
The tax is charged per guest, per night, for guests aged 13 or older, up to a maximum of seven nights per person, per stay.
Mafra has two seasonal rates:
High season: €2.50 per guest, per night, from 1 May to 31 October.
Low season: €1.20 per guest, per night, from 1 November to 30 April.
Guests with a disability of 60% or more are exempt, provided they present supporting documentation.
Accommodation operators are responsible for collecting the tax from guests, registering on the Mafra tourist tax platform, registering their establishments and submitting monthly declarations, even when there are no overnight stays.
The Law Behind the Mafra Tourist Tax
The Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax was introduced to help finance public services and investments connected to tourism in the municipality. The tax was established in 2018 and later amended in 2023.
The purpose of the tax is to support areas affected by tourism, including:
Tourist information and support services.
Safety and security for people and property.
Urban, territorial, heritage and environmental maintenance.
Improvements to public spaces.
Cultural, artistic and leisure infrastructure in the Municipality of Mafra.
In practical terms, accommodation operators are responsible for collecting the tax from guests, declaring the amounts collected and paying them to the municipality through the official platform.
Which Establishments Must Charge the Tourist Tax?
The Mafra tourist tax applies to guests staying in the following types of accommodation:
Hotels and tourist resorts.
Aparthotels, holiday villages and tourist complexes.
Local accommodation establishments, including apartments, houses, guesthouses, hostels, rooms and bed and breakfast style accommodation.
Camping parks.
Nature-based accommodation, including the Tapada Nacional de Mafra.
For Alojamento Local operators, this means that if your registered AL property is located in the Municipality of Mafra, you should check whether your stays fall under the tourist tax rules and ensure that your property is registered on the Mafra tourist tax platform.
Who Pays the Tourist Tax?
The tax is paid by guests aged 13 or older, meaning guests over the age of 12.
The tax is charged:
Per eligible guest.
Per night.
Up to a maximum of seven nights per person, per stay.
Children aged 12 or younger are not subject to the tax.
Who Is Exempt?
Guests with a disability of 60% or more are exempt from paying the Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax, provided they present supporting documentation proving the disability.
Hosts should keep a clear internal record when an exemption is applied, so that the declared amount matches the actual taxable stays.
Tourist Tax Rates in Mafra from 2026
From 1 January 2026, the Mafra tourist tax has two seasonal rates:
High season: €2.50 per eligible guest, per night.
Low season: €1.20 per eligible guest, per night.
The tax is capped at seven nights per person, per stay.
Which Months Are High Season and Low Season?
Mafra defines the tourist tax seasons as follows:
High season: 1 May to 31 October.
Low season: 1 November to 30 April.
This means that the rate depends on the date of the overnight stay, not necessarily the date the booking was made or the date the guest pays.
How to Calculate the Mafra Tourist Tax
To calculate the tourist tax, use this formula:
Number of taxable guests × number of taxable nights × applicable seasonal rate
Remember:
Only guests aged 13 or older are counted.
The tax is capped at seven nights per guest.
The rate depends on whether the stay falls in high season or low season.
Example 1: High Season Stay
A booking in July has 2 adults staying for 5 nights.
2 guests × 5 nights × €2.50 = €25.00 tourist tax
Example 2: Low Season Stay
A booking in February has 3 adults staying for 4 nights.
3 guests × 4 nights × €1.20 = €14.40 tourist tax
Example 3: Stay Longer Than Seven Nights
A booking in August has 2 adults staying for 10 nights.
Only 7 nights are taxable.
2 guests × 7 nights × €2.50 = €35.00 tourist tax
Example 4: Children Under 13
A booking in June has 2 adults and 2 children aged 10 and 12 staying for 3 nights.
Only the 2 adults are taxable.
2 guests × 3 nights × €2.50 = €15.00 tourist tax
How to Register for the Mafra Tourist Tax Platform
Mafra uses an online platform for the tourist tax. The platform is available at:
https://taxaturistica.cm-mafra.pt
Before starting the registration, you should have the following information ready:
Your tax identification number, matching the information registered with the Portuguese Tax Authority.
The legal name or business name of the entity.
The entity’s fiscal address.
Access to the email address that will be used for confirmation and future notifications.
Step 1: Access the Platform
Go to the Mafra tourist tax platform and click “Registar”.
Step 2: Register the Entity
You will be asked to enter the entity details, including:
Entity name.
Type of entity.
NIF.
For the entity type, the platform distinguishes between:
Pessoa Singular, generally for individual taxpayers.
Pessoa Coletiva, generally for companies or legal entities.
After completing the first screen, click “Avançar”.
Step 3: Complete Contact and Address Details
The platform will ask for the entity’s contact and address information, including:
Country.
Street type.
Fiscal address.
Door number, floor and side, where applicable.
Postal code and locality.
Email address.
Telephone or mobile number.
Contact person.
The email address is important because it will be used for registration confirmation, alerts and future notices related to the tourist tax.
After completing the form, accept the platform’s general conditions, complete the security characters and submit the registration.
Step 4: Confirm the Registration by Email
After submitting the registration, you should receive an email from noreply@cm-mafra.pt with a confirmation link.
Open the email, check that the details are correct and click the confirmation link.
You will then be asked to create a password. Once this is complete, the platform will confirm your registration and provide the username to use when logging in.
How to Register Your Establishment
After the entity is registered, you must register each accommodation establishment.
Log in to the platform using your username and password.
Go to “Cadastrar Estabelecimentos”.
Click “Novo Registo”.
Complete the establishment registration form.
For each establishment, you will need to provide details such as:
Name of the establishment.
Type of establishment.
Specific type of accommodation.
RNAL number, for Alojamento Local properties.
Licence number, where applicable for tourist enterprises.
Start date of activity, where relevant.
Address of the establishment.
Email and contact details.
Capacity of the establishment, including beds and rooms.
For Alojamento Local, the platform includes options such as:
Moradia.
Apartamento.
Estabelecimento de hospedagem/hostel.
Quartos.
For nature-based accommodation, the platform includes options such as camping parks and Tapada Nacional de Mafra.
If the establishment details are the same as the entity details, the platform allows you to import the entity information into the establishment form.
After completing the fields, submit the registration.
How to Access the Portal After Registration
Once registered, access the Mafra tourist tax portal at:
https://taxaturistica.cm-mafra.pt
Enter your username and password.
From the portal, you can:
Register establishments.
Search and edit establishment details.
Submit tourist tax declarations.
Issue receipt guides, where applicable.
Change your entity details.
Change or recover your password.
The platform manual also indicates that declarations are submitted through the “Declaração de Cobrança” section.
Monthly Declaration and Payment
The Mafra platform requires accommodation operators to submit a monthly declaration of the tourist tax collected.
The monthly declaration is required even when there were no overnight stays during the relevant period.
This is important because a month with no bookings may still need a zero declaration.
According to the platform instructions, the declaration should be submitted by the 15th day of the month following the month in which the tax was collected. The payment of declared amounts is then due by the end of the following month.
For example, tourist tax collected in June should be declared in July, following the platform’s monthly reporting rules.
Practical Checklist for Mafra Hosts
Before accepting stays in 2026, Mafra hosts should check the following:
The accommodation is registered correctly on the Mafra tourist tax platform.
The RNAL or licensing information is correct.
The correct high season or low season rate is being applied.
Only guests aged 13 or older are being charged.
The seven-night cap is applied per guest, per stay.
Exempt guests are recorded correctly.
Monthly declarations are submitted, even when there are no stays.
The declared amount matches the tourist tax collected from guests.
Final Thoughts
The Mafra Municipal Tourist Tax is an important compliance obligation for accommodation operators in the municipality. From 2026, hosts must apply the correct seasonal rate, collect the tax from eligible guests, respect the seven-night cap and submit monthly declarations through the Mafra tourist tax platform.
For Alojamento Local owners, the safest approach is to register the entity and each establishment before receiving guests, keep clear records of each stay and review the monthly declaration before submission.
Correct setup at the beginning can help avoid mistakes later, especially during high season when guest turnover is higher and tourist tax amounts can quickly become harder to track manually.
