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πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή SIBA: Automate Guest Reporting with ChargeAutomation

Automatically collect guest information during online check-in and submit it to Portugal’s SIBA authority reporting system.

Written by Osmara R.

If you manage accommodation properties in Portugal, you may be required to collect and submit guest information to SIBA (Sistema de InformaΓ§Γ£o de Boletins de Alojamento).

ChargeAutomation helps simplify this process by collecting guest information through the online check-in experience and automatically submitting the required data to SIBA.

⚠️ Important: ChargeAutomation provides tools to help automate your reporting workflow. You are responsible for understanding your legal obligations, maintaining an active SIBA account, configuring your properties correctly, and ensuring that the information submitted is accurate and complete.


✨ What You Can Do with SIBA + ChargeAutomation

With the SIBA integration, you can:

πŸ‘€ Collect guest information through online check-in
πŸ‘₯ Collect information from all required guests
πŸ”„ Automatically submit guest data to SIBA
πŸ“Š Monitor submission status from your bookings
πŸ” Manually submit or resubmit information when needed
🏠 Manage SIBA reporting for multiple properties
πŸ“‹ Copy SIBA credentials to other properties when applicable

This helps reduce manual data entry and makes it easier to monitor your reporting workflow.


🧭 How the SIBA Integration Works

The process is designed to be simple:

πŸ“… Booking received
↓
β€‹πŸ‘€ Guest receives online check-in
↓
β€‹πŸ“ Guest provides required information
↓
β€‹πŸ” ChargeAutomation collects the guest data
↓
β€‹πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή Data is submitted to SIBA
↓
β€‹πŸ“Š Submission status is recorded
↓
β€‹πŸ” Submit manually if needed

Once the property is connected to SIBA, ChargeAutomation can automatically submit the available guest information as part of the reporting workflow.


βš™οΈ Before You Start

Make sure you have:

βœ… An active SIBA account

You will need the credentials provided by SIBA for your establishment.

βœ… Your SIBA credentials

You will need:

πŸ”‘ Hotel Unit NIPC / Unit ID
πŸ” Access Key
🏒 Establishment Number

These credentials are entered in ChargeAutomation under Authority Reporting.

βœ… Guest information configured

Your Guest Journey should be configured to collect the information required for your reporting workflow.


🏠 Step 1: Open Authority Reporting

  1. πŸ” Log in to your ChargeAutomation account.

  2. βš™οΈ Go to Settings β†’ Properties.

  3. 🏠 Find the property you want to configure.

  4. ✏️ Click the Edit icon.

  5. πŸ“‹ Select Authority Reporting.

You can configure SIBA separately for each property.


πŸ” Step 2: Enter Your SIBA Credentials

Under Authority Reporting, enter the credentials provided by SIBA.

Enter:

🏨 Hotel Unit NIPC
Your Unit ID from SIBA.

πŸ”‘ Access Key
The Access Key provided by SIBA.

🏒 Establishment Number
Your SIBA Establishment Number.

Make sure each value is entered exactly as provided by SIBA.


πŸ”Œ Step 3: Connect to SIBA

Once your credentials have been entered:

  1. πŸ” Review the information.

  2. πŸ”Œ Click Connect to SIBA.

  3. ⏳ ChargeAutomation will verify the credentials.

  4. 🟒 A Connected to SIBA confirmation will appear when the connection is successful.

🟒 Connected

Your SIBA connection is active and the property is ready for automated reporting.

πŸ”΄ Connection Error

If the connection fails:

  • Check your credentials.

  • Confirm your SIBA account is active.

  • Make sure there are no spaces or typing errors.

  • Re-enter the credentials and try again.

ChargeAutomation will display an error if the credentials cannot be verified.


πŸ‘₯ Step 4: Configure Guest Information Collection

For SIBA reporting, make sure your Guest Journey is configured to collect the required information from all applicable guests.

Go to: Settings β†’ Guest Journey Editor β†’ Collect Basic Information From Guest(s)

Select:

πŸ‘₯ Who is required to complete the above details?

βœ… All Guests (Adults, Children and Babies)

Then select:

πŸ“ When is online check-in considered completed?

βœ… When all required guests complete it

This configuration ensures that online check-in is not considered complete until the required guests have submitted their information.


πŸͺͺ What Information Is Collected?

Guests provide their required information through the pre-check-in / online check-in portal.

Depending on the applicable reporting requirements, this can include information such as:

πŸ‘€ Guest name
πŸͺͺ Document/identification number
🌍 Country or nationality
πŸ“… Document expiration date
πŸ“‹ Other required guest details

The information available for submission depends on the data collected during your Guest Journey.

πŸ’‘ Best Practice: Review your Guest Journey regularly to make sure you are collecting all information required for your specific reporting obligations.


πŸ€– Step 5: Automatic SIBA Submission

Once:

βœ… The property is connected to SIBA
βœ… The booking is synchronized
βœ… The guest provides the required information

ChargeAutomation can submit the available guest information to SIBA automatically.

The workflow:

πŸ‘€ Guest completes check-in
β†’
β€‹πŸ“‹ Information is collected
β†’
β€‹πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή Information is submitted to SIBA
β†’
β€‹πŸ“Š Submission status is recorded

ChargeAutomation introduced automated reporting to Portugal’s SIBA as part of its authority-reporting capabilities.


πŸ“Š Step 6: Check the Legal Authority Status

You can monitor the SIBA submission status from the booking.

πŸ’‘ Tip: Regularly check bookings with a failed or pending authority status so you can resolve issues promptly.


πŸ”„ Step 7: Submit Information Manually

If automatic submission does not occur or you need to send updated information, you can manually submit the guest data.

To submit manually:

  1. πŸ“‹ Open the relevant Booking.

  2. πŸ“ Go to Online Check-in.

  3. πŸ‘€ Review or edit the guest information.

  4. πŸ’Ύ Save the updated information.

  5. πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή Click Manual Submission to Authority.

This allows you to send the information to SIBA without waiting for the automatic workflow.


🏠 Copy SIBA Credentials to Another Property

If multiple properties use the same SIBA credentials, you can copy the configuration to another property using Copy Credentials.

To copy credentials:

  1. βš™οΈ Open the property's Authority Reporting settings.

  2. πŸ“‹ Select Copy Settings.

  3. 🏠 Choose the property or properties that should use the same credentials.

  4. πŸ’Ύ Save the configuration.

⚠️ Important: Only copy credentials to properties that are legitimately associated with the same SIBA account/establishment.

ChargeAutomation currently provides a Copy Credentials option for SIBA configuration.


πŸ§ͺ Test Your SIBA Setup

Before relying on the automated workflow, we recommend testing the complete guest journey.

βœ… Test Checklist

☐ πŸ“… Create or use a test booking
☐ πŸ‘€ Send the guest the online check-in link
☐ πŸͺͺ Complete the required guest information
☐ πŸ‘₯ Confirm all required guests can provide their details
☐ πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή Confirm the property is connected to SIBA
☐ πŸ“€ Verify the information is submitted
☐ πŸ“Š Check the Legal Authority status
☐ πŸ” Test manual submission if needed

A test booking helps you identify missing fields or configuration issues before they affect real reservations.


πŸ”Ž Troubleshooting

πŸ”΄ I can't connect to SIBA

Check:

  • πŸ”‘ Hotel Unit NIPC / Unit ID

  • πŸ” Access Key

  • 🏒 Establishment Number

  • πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή SIBA account status

Make sure the credentials were copied exactly as provided by SIBA.

If the issue continues, contact ChargeAutomation Support with the error message and property information.

πŸ”΄ Guest information isn't being submitted

Check:

  1. 🏠 Is the property connected to SIBA?

  2. πŸ‘€ Has the guest completed online check-in?

  3. πŸͺͺ Is all required guest information available?

  4. πŸ“Š What does the Legal Authority status show?

  5. πŸ” Can you submit the information manually?

🟑 The booking is still pending

First confirm that:

πŸ‘€ The guest has completed the required check-in steps.

Then check:

πŸ“‹ Guest information
πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή SIBA connection
πŸ“Š Legal Authority status

If everything is complete, try the manual submission option where appropriate.

πŸ”΄ The submission failed

Review the guest information and check for:

❌ Missing information
❌ Incorrect identification details
❌ Incorrect property/SIBA credentials
❌ Connection issues

Correct the information and use Manual Submission to Authority if needed.

If the submission continues to fail, contact ChargeAutomation Support and provide:

πŸ“Œ Booking ID
πŸ“Œ Property name
πŸ“Œ Error message/status


⚠️ Important: ChargeAutomation Does Not Replace Your Legal Obligations

ChargeAutomation helps automate the collection and submission workflow, but your business remains responsible for:

πŸ“‹ Understanding the applicable SIBA requirements
πŸ‘€ Collecting accurate guest information
πŸ” Maintaining valid SIBA credentials
🏠 Configuring each property correctly
πŸ“€ Ensuring required information is submitted
πŸ—‚οΈ Maintaining any records required by applicable law

The official SIBA system is administered by Portugal's competent authorities, and its official documentation identifies the applicable legal framework and accommodation-reporting requirements.


πŸ’° Pricing

Authority Reporting is priced based on the number of rentals connected to SIBA:

🏠 Connected Rentals

πŸ’΅ Price per Rental

1–50

$3.00 USD

51–250

$2.75 USD

250+

$2.50 USD


❓ Frequently Asked Questions

πŸ”‘ What happens if my SIBA credentials are incorrect?

ChargeAutomation will display an error when the credentials cannot be verified. Check the information provided by SIBA and try again.

🏠 Can I use the same SIBA credentials for multiple properties?

If the properties are legitimately associated with the same SIBA account/establishment, you can use Copy Settings to replicate the configuration.

πŸ“Š How do I know if my guest data was submitted?

Check the Legal Authority status in the booking details.

πŸ‘€ How is guest information collected?

Guests provide their required information through the ChargeAutomation pre-check-in / online check-in experience.

πŸ”„ Can I submit information manually?

Yes. Open the booking, go to Online Check-in, update the guest information if necessary, and select Manual Submission to Authority.

πŸ‘₯ Do all guests need to complete online check-in?

Configure your Guest Journey according to your applicable requirements.

ChargeAutomation's recommended configuration for this workflow is All Guests (Adults, Children and Babies) and completion when all required guests have submitted their details.


πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή Official SIBA Resources

For the latest legal requirements, technical information, and official guidance, always refer to the Portuguese authorities.

πŸ”— SIBA β€” Sistema de InformaΓ§Γ£o de Boletins de Alojamento

πŸ”— SIBA Legislation & Protocols

The official SIBA website provides information about the legal framework governing the system, including Portaria n.ΒΊ 321/2023, Portaria n.ΒΊ 415/2008, and Portaria n.ΒΊ 287/2007.

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