Tomar Brings In a 2 Euro Tourist Tax From 1 November, Charged for Up to Five Nights per Guest
Guests aged 13 and over will pay 2 euros a night in Tomar from 1 November, for at most five nights per stay, in hotels, Alojamento Local and campsites alike. Who is exempt, what hosts must do, and how it compares with Lisbon and Porto.
Visitors who spend the night in Tomar will pay a tourist tax of 2 euros per person per night from 1 November. The Câmara Municipal de Tomar (Tomar Town Council) published the Regulamento da Taxa Turística do Município de Tomar (Tomar Tourist Tax Regulation) in the Diário da República (Portugal's official gazette) on 26 October, and the tax applies all year round. The Assembleia Municipal (Municipal Assembly) approved it on 28 September, after a public consultation.
Who pays and how much
Every guest aged 13 or over pays 2 euros a night, for at most five consecutive nights per person and per stay, so the most one guest pays for a single stay is 10 euros. A "day use" booking of more than three hours counts as a night.
The tax covers paid nights in every type of tourist accommodation in the municipality: hotels and pousadas, tourist apartments and resorts, rural tourism, Alojamento Local (short-term rentals, including hostels and bed and breakfasts) and campsites.
Who is exempt
- children under 13;
- people with a disability rating of 60 percent or more, plus up to two companions;
- former combatants and their surviving spouses;
- people staying for medical treatment in the municipality or nearby, plus up to two companions, with proof of the appointment;
- pilgrims, including those on their way to the Fátima sanctuary, for the first night of each route, with proof;
- students at higher or vocational education establishments in the municipality, when the stay is for classes or exams;
- people evicted, displaced or housed by public bodies, and asylum seekers and refugees.
Where the money goes
The regulation ring-fences the revenue for tourism-related spending, from promoting Tomar to conserving heritage and cleaning busy areas. The council's own costing puts the municipal cost of each tourist night at 2.96 euros, based on 173,777 overnight stays in 2025 against 36,413 residents, and sets the rate below that figure. It must publish a yearly report on how the money was spent, and expects to raise about 300,000 euros a year, according to Notícias ao Minuto. The regulation credits the Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the four-yearly Festa dos Tabuleiros with drawing growing numbers of visitors.
Tomar's 2 euros is at the lower end. According to figures in Funchal's draft regulation, which we reported on in October, Lisbon and Cascais charge 4 euros a night, Porto 3 euros and Sintra 2 euros. Porto has started the process to raise its rate.
What it means for you
- Staying in Tomar: the regulation has no exemption for residents of Portugal, so you pay it too unless one of the exemptions above applies. It appears separately on the invoice, without VAT.
- Running a hotel or Alojamento Local in Tomar: you collect the tax and must register each property on the council's online platform within 30 days of 1 November. A monthly return is due by the 15th of the following month, even when nothing was collected, and the money must be paid within 10 working days of receiving the payment reference. You keep a 2.5 percent collection fee.
- Fines: failing to register can cost an individual 500 to 10,000 euros, and a company 1,000 to 40,000 euros. Fines do not apply for the first 90 days, but the money collected must still be handed over.
