Expériences incluant la consommation de nourriture à Lisbonne

These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.

Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.

Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*

What are some of the basic principles?

Your Guests’ health and safety should always come first. For example, here is what Host Alissa recommends: “I always make sure that my kitchen is spic and span, that I only use fresh ingredients and that I tell my Guests about the ingredients I use. I also ask my Guests in advance about any food allergies they may have and religious or philosophical codes that I need to keep in mind when I prepare a meal to share with them."

My experience will involve serving food to Guests outside of a licensed restaurant, café or food business. What are some best practices I can follow?

Your Guest’s health and safety should always come first when handling, storing, serving, or distributing food or drink. Information on good practices for health and safety from the Portuguese restaurant association can be found here. You can also find information about health and safety laws on the website of the Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASEA).

Your main responsibilities under these good practices are:

1. Food safety and hygiene: Ensure that you do not include anything in food, remove anything from food, or treat food in any way that would damage the health of people eating it, which includes ensuring that foods are kept at appropriate temperatures. You should also ensure that the food you serve or sell is of the nature, substance, or quality which consumers would expect.
2. Information presentation: Ensure that food is labelled, advertised, and presented in a way that is not false or misleading.
3. Traceability: Ensure that records are kept of food supplied to you or your business, for example documenting the names and addresses of the supplier in each case, as well as the nature of the product and date of delivery.
4. Safety procedures: Ensure that food safety management procedures are put in place, based on the principles of HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. More information can be found on the website of the Economic and Food Safety Authority.
5. Allergens: Hosts should always ask whether any of their Guests have allergies. There are potentially serious consequences if allergens are not controlled.

Here are some examples of situations where the above best practices may apply:

• I cook and serve meals to my paying Guests at my home.
• I hold an event at a temporary space where I will have a food truck serving classic Portuguese snacks.
• I take people on a cool visit of Lisbon and provide them with a packed lunch which I prepare at home.

Are there any special licenses I can apply for when hosting only the occasional food and drink Experiences?

For Hosts looking to serve food on the occasional or sporadic basis outside of a regularly licensed food establishment, a license may be deemed as necessary. The authorities may grant a free registration and license for a temporary event in special circumstances for what is known as ‘moving or temporary food and drink establishment’. This license allows for the serving food outside of a traditional restaurant, cafe, or food business so long as the Hosts comply with the requirements of the relevant legal framework, the Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE) and the Entrepreneur's Desk website. The rules and regulations for a moving or temporary food and drink establishment can be found here; and the guide to application can be found here.

Is there anything else I should think about?

If your Experience involves the serving or providing of alcohol, we recommend that you take a look at our information about Experiences Involving Alcohol in Lisbon. If your Experience involves combining food with another activity (for example, a guided tour of the city), please take a look at our Guiding Tours in Lisbon for information on other rules or licenses that might apply. Lastly, we recommend you also read our other information pages on Business licenses. If you find yourself in doubt about any of these subjects, we recommend you get in touch with your accountant or legal advisor to find out more.

*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).