Filing a Consumer Complaint in Portugal (Livro de Reclamações)
How the official complaints book works, and how to use it when a business lets you down.
Last verified: September 2026.
Who this is for
- Anyone, resident or visitor, unhappy with a shop, restaurant, landlord's agent, bank, or service provider in Portugal.
- Customers of telecoms, energy, water, or postal companies with an unresolved billing or service problem.
Not for you if: your flight was delayed or cancelled and you want compensation. Read Air Passenger Rights When Flying to or from Portugal first.
The complaints book (livro de reclamações) is an official complaint form every business serving the public must offer. It comes in two versions: a paper book in the shop, and an online version at livroreclamacoes.pt. Your complaint goes to the business and to the public body that supervises it. Using it is free, takes about 15 minutes, and the business must usually reply within 15 working days. It creates an official record and can lead to an inspection, but it does not by itself get your money back.
Who must have the book
The rule covers almost every business with customer-facing premises or a website. That includes shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels, petrol stations, gyms, private clinics, dentists, pharmacies, estate agents, driving schools, banks, insurers, telecoms shops, and energy and water suppliers. Non-profit associations doing the same work are also covered.
Every business must have:
- The paper book at each establishment, not just at head office.
- A visible sign saying the establishment has the book, with the name and address of the body that handles complaints.
- A link to the online book on its website, or an email address for online complaints if it has no website.
Offering the online book does not excuse a shop from handing over the paper one.
Public offices such as Finanças, AIMA, and the Loja do Cidadão are not covered. They use their own system, explained below.
How to complain in person
- Ask for the book. In Portuguese: "Pode dar-me o livro de reclamações, por favor?"
- Staff must give it to you straight away and free of charge. They can ask you to wait your turn in a queue, but nothing more.
- Fill in the complaint sheet. Write your name, address, and contact details, the name and address of the business, a clear account of what happened, and the date.
- Ask staff for the business's details if you need them. They must help you fill in those fields correctly.
- Take your copy. Each sheet has three parts: the original goes to the supervising body, the duplicate is yours, and the third stays in the book.
What staff cannot do:
- Demand to see your identity card before giving you the book.
- Insist that you use their own complaint form first.
- Tell you to go to another branch or to complain online instead.
- Charge you for it.
If you cannot write the complaint yourself, for example because of a disability, staff must write it down for you as you dictate it.
Write clearly, preferably in capital letters. If your Portuguese is limited, write short, factual sentences in simple English, and put dates, amounts, and invoice numbers in figures.
If they refuse to give you the book
You can call the police (PSP or GNR) to the premises. The officers can make the business hand over the book, or record the refusal and report it to the supervising body. Refusing the book is an offence, and refusing it until the police arrive is treated as a very serious one. See Emergency Numbers in Portugal and When to Call Them for which number to use. For a non-urgent matter, call the local police station rather than 112.
How to complain online
The online complaints book has the same legal value as the paper one. It is often easier:
- Go to livroreclamacoes.pt, or follow the link on the business's website.
- Choose "Reclamar" and search for the sector and then the business.
- Fill in your details, including an email address for the reply.
- Describe the problem. Give dates, amounts, and what you were promised versus what you got.
- Attach evidence such as receipts, contracts, photos, and emails.
- Submit. The complaint goes to the business and to the supervising body at the same time.
You do not need to visit the premises. You can also use the platform to ask the supervising body a question without making a complaint.
What happens next
The business must reply. For online complaints, the business must answer by email within 15 working days. Providers of essential services (water, electricity, gas, telecoms, and post) must reply within 15 working days to any complaint, paper or online.
The paper sheet is sent on. The business must send the original sheet to the supervising body within 15 working days. If you are worried it will not, send your duplicate to the supervising body yourself. The address is printed on the sheet and on the sign.
The supervising body reviews it. It can ask the business for an explanation, inspect the premises, or open fine proceedings if the law was broken. It may write to tell you what it has done. Where there is a dispute the business has not solved, it must tell you about out-of-court options.
Comments or praise that are not complaints are simply filed.
Who reviews your complaint
The law assigns each sector to a supervising body. The main ones you will meet:
| Sector | Body |
|---|---|
| Shops, restaurants, cafés, most other businesses, and anything not listed | ASAE (Food and Economic Safety Authority) |
| Telecoms, internet, and post | ANACOM |
| Electricity and gas | ERSE (Energy Services Regulator) |
| Water, sewage, and waste | ERSAR (Water and Waste Services Regulator) |
| Banks, credit, and payment services | Banco de Portugal |
| Insurance and pension funds | ASF (Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisor) |
| Investments | CMVM (Securities Market Commission) |
| Private health providers | ERS (Health Regulator) |
| Pharmacies | INFARMED |
| Transport, rail, and bus operators | AMT (Mobility and Transport Authority) |
| Airlines and airports | ANAC (Civil Aviation Authority) |
| Estate agents, building firms, and condominium managers | IMPIC (Public Procurement, Real Estate and Construction Institute) |
| Private schools and universities | IGEC (Education Inspectorate) |
| Care homes and social support services | Instituto da Segurança Social |
The sign in the shop always names the right body.
When you want your money back
The complaints book records the problem and can lead to a fine. It does not order the business to refund or repair. If you want a remedy:
- Consumer arbitration. Regional consumer arbitration centres offer mediation and, if needed, a binding decision. They are free or cheap. For disputes worth up to €5,000, the business must accept arbitration if you choose it. For essential services such as energy and telecoms, the same applies whatever the value.
- Peace courts. For disputes up to €15,000, see Resolving a Dispute through the Peace Courts (Julgados de Paz).
- The courts. For larger claims, you will usually need a lawyer.
For faulty goods, you also have a legal right to repair, replacement, or a refund. See Claiming under the Legal Guarantee on Goods in Portugal. For telecoms contracts, see Cancelling a Telecom Contract in Portugal.
Complaining about a public service
For public offices, such as a tax office, an AIMA office, or a Loja do Cidadão, use the Yellow Book (Livro Amarelo). It exists on paper at the counter and online through the gov.pt portal ("Reclamar, sugerir ou elogiar sobre um serviço público"). You can also use it to make a suggestion or give praise. Your complaint goes to the service and its supervising ministry.
Tips that make a complaint work
- Complain on the day. Ask for the book while the facts are fresh and you are on the premises.
- Stick to facts. Dates, times, amounts, names of staff if you have them, and what outcome you want.
- Keep evidence. Receipts, contracts, screenshots, and photos. Attach them online, or keep copies for a paper complaint.
- Keep your copy. You will need the duplicate, or the online reference number, for any later arbitration or court claim.
- Follow up. If the business does not reply within 15 working days, write to the supervising body and quote your complaint.
Sources
This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.
- Livro de Reclamações online platform: https://www.livroreclamacoes.pt (online complaints and information requests)
- ANACOM consumer portal, complaints book FAQ: https://www.anacom-consumidor.pt/livro-reclamacoes (what staff can and cannot do, copies, police, 15 working day reply)
- ASAE, complaints book: https://www.asae.gov.pt/reclamacoes-e-denuncias/livro-de-reclamacoes.aspx (15 working day forwarding, electronic submission by businesses)
- Mosaico (Public Administration digital platforms), Livro Amarelo Eletrónico: https://mosaico.gov.pt/plataformas-comuns/livro-amarelo-eletronico (public service complaints platform)
- gov.pt, complain about a public service: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/reclamar-sugerir-ou-elogiar-sobre-um-servico-publico (online Yellow Book access)
- Secretaria-Geral da Economia, Lei n.º 63/2019: https://www.sgeconomia.gov.pt/destaques/lei-n-632019-de-16-de-agosto-sujeita-os-conflitos-de-consumo-de-reduzido-valor-economico-por-opcao-do-consumidor-a-arbitragem-necessaria-ou-mediacao-e-obriga-a-notificacao-da-possibilidade-de-representacao-por-advogado-ou-solicitador.aspx (arbitration at the consumer's option for disputes up to €5,000)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 156/2005, of 15 September (complaints book law, as amended, most recently by Decreto-Lei n.º 102/2026): https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/156-2005-143320 (coverage, business duties, 15 working day deadlines, supervising bodies, offences)
- Decreto-Lei n.º 156/2005, consolidated text (Procuradoria-Geral Regional de Lisboa): https://www.pgdlisboa.pt/leis/lei_mostra_articulado.php?nid=737&tabela=leis (current wording of articles 2 to 11)
- Lei n.º 23/96 (essential public services law), consolidated: https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/1996-34491275 (arbitration at the consumer's option for essential services)
Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.
