Portugal Complaints Book and Consumer Rights: Americans, Britons

If something goes wrong with a purchase or a service in Portugal, write to the business first, then use the complaints book (Livro de Reclamações), on paper in the shop or online at livroreclamacoes.pt, and then a consumer arbitration center. The consumer rights themselves, such as the legal guarantee and the 14 day withdrawal right, come from Portuguese law and are explained by the Direção-Geral do Consumidor (DGC).

This guide fits with the first-year settling-in guide, because most newcomer disputes are about a phone contract, a utility bill, a parcel or a card payment. It reports what the official pages say and is not legal advice. We name no company and quote no prices, because the pages give none.

What did we read, and when is the information from?

We read the pages below on 21 October 2026. None of them shows its own update date.

• The online complaints book platform, livroreclamacoes.pt, and its frequently asked questions.
• The ASAE page on the complaints book.
• The DGC pages on consumer rights, consumer conflicts, frequently asked questions and the list of alternative dispute resolution entities.
• The DGC page on its mission, which cites Decreto-Lei n.º 152/2026 of 31 July 2026, and that decree on the Diário da República, which restructures the DGC and approves the organic law of the Direção-Geral da Defesa do Consumidor, Comércio e Serviços.

The latest change this article relies on is Decreto-Lei n.º 152/2026 of 31 July 2026, so that is the date of its information. That decree restructures the DGC; it is not the date of any rule on the complaints book, the guarantee, withdrawal or arbitration described here, and the pages we read give no date for those. We did not open the texts of Decreto-Lei n.º 156/2005 (complaints book), Decreto-Lei n.º 84/2021 (guarantee) or the distance sales law, so those rules are as the DGC and the platform state them. The DGC FAQ’s answers on the electronic book say it applies only to essential public services. That conflicts with ASAE and the platform, which say it covers all sectors from 1 July 2018, so we did not use those answers, and we do not describe the steps, the response time or what happens when the business does not answer.

What should I do first when I have a problem with a purchase?

The DGC says the best first step is direct contact with the business. It advises contacting the professional, preferably in a way that leaves proof later, for example a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt or an email with a read receipt, saying there is a problem and asking for an answer by a set date. Its tips also include keeping the invoice or receipt and checking the product when it is delivered.

If the dispute continues, the DGC names two next steps: a municipal consumer information center (Centro de Informação Autárquico ao Consumidor, CIAC), which the DGC describes as a municipal service with a protocol with the DGC that informs and supports consumers of the municipality free of charge, or going straight to an alternative dispute resolution entity (mediation, conciliation or arbitration).

How does the physical complaints book work?

The platform’s FAQ says a business must hold the paper book if it has an establishment with a fixed or permanent character and has contact with the public. The FAQ says both requirements apply together. The DGC FAQ and ASAE add the practical rules:

The shop must also display that it has the book and name the authority competent to deal with the complaints, according to the DGC and ASAE. To track a paper complaint, the DGC FAQ points to the RTIC site at rtic.consumidor.pt. We did not read how that site works. The pages we read give no price for the paper book itself; the platform says the electronic one costs the consumer nothing.

How does the electronic complaints book work?

The platform describes itself as a digital platform where consumers can complain, make suggestions or compliments about a business, ask regulators for information and check the status of complaints. ASAE says the electronic book became compulsory for the other sectors on 1 July 2018, after essential public services in 2017, and that a complaint made there has the same validity as one in the paper book. The site is in Portuguese and English, and there is a mobile app.

• Account: you do not have to register, only to hold a valid email address.
• Cost and conduct: the platform says filing costs the consumer nothing, but the complaint must be truthful and polite.
• Business not listed: the platform says to use the paper book or write directly to the competent regulator, saying the business is not registered.

The platform also says that the DGC manages it, and that the DGC supervises only advertising and the alternative dispute resolution entities, not the other sectors. ASAE offers its own electronic complaint form (denúncia eletrónica), but the page we could read gives no detail, so we do not describe it. For phone and internet companies, our guide to mobile phone and internet contracts covers the regulator’s own complaint route.

What is the legal guarantee on goods?

The DGC FAQ says the current rules come from Decreto-Lei n.º 84/2021 of 18 October and apply to contracts made from 1 January 2022. They apply only to consumers, defined as individuals acting outside their business or profession; for mixed use they apply unless the commercial purpose predominates.

• Proof: in the first 2 years for new goods you do not have to prove the defect existed at delivery; in the third year you do. For used goods the 2 years become 1 if shortened to 18 months.
• Telling the seller: you must report the defect, by letter, email or any way that can be proved.
• What you can ask: repair or replacement first, free of charge. Price reduction or ending the contract comes next, or at once if repair is impossible or disproportionate, or the defect is serious. If the defect appears within 30 days of delivery you can ask at once for replacement or to end the contract.
• Timing: repair or replacement should not exceed 30 days, unless the goods or the defect justify longer. The guarantee is suspended while it is repaired.
• Refund: if the contract ends, the refund goes back by the same payment method within 14 days of the seller being told.
• Time limit: your rights lapse two years after you told the seller of the defect.

A commercial guarantee, free or paid, is an extra promise by the seller, producer or an intermediary, on top of the legal guarantee. The DGC also says a shop need only exchange a defective item, so exchanging a gift is a courtesy, not an obligation.

Can I return something I bought online or away from the shop?

The DGC FAQ says that in distance contracts and contracts made outside the establishment you can withdraw within 14 consecutive days, without charge and without giving a reason. If you were not told beforehand about the right and how to use it, the period is 12 months. It also says a contract is treated as off-premises if you were first approached in the street, even if you signed in the shop. A parcel from outside the EU is a separate matter, covered in our guide to mail, parcels and customs. We did not read the exceptions, the return costs or the refund rules for this right, so check them on the DGC site before you rely on it. For payments that go wrong, see cards, MB Way and everyday payments.

Where do I go if the business does not solve it?

The DGC lists the consumer dispute resolution entities that were notified to the European Commission:

• Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (CNIACC), national.
• Centers for Coimbra (CACRC), Lisbon (CACCL), Porto (CICAP), Ave, Tâmega and Sousa (TRIAVE), Madeira (CACC RAM), the Azores (CIMARA), the Algarve (CIMAAL), and others, namely CAUAL and CIAB.
• Two specific ones: CIMPAS for insurance and the travel agencies’ ombudsman (Provedor da APAVT).

The platform says these are private entities authorized by the Ministry of Justice and the DGC with power to mediate and arbitrate. The DGC FAQ adds:

• They handle only consumer disputes between an individual and a professional, not purchases between individuals, labor or criminal matters.
• They are free or low cost, and a case is handled within 90 days at most.
• No lawyer is needed, an award is equated to a first instance court decision, and complaints can be filed online.
• For electronic communications, postal services, electricity, gas, and water and waste, arbitration is compulsory for the business if you choose it. In other disputes it is voluntary unless the business has joined a center or agrees to take that case there.

The DGC also offers an online simulator to find the right entity. For utilities see our guide to electricity, gas and water.

What are the roles of the DGC and ASAE?

The DGC page on its mission lists, among its tasks, informing consumers of their rights, giving legal information on consumer law, forwarding consumer complaints to the competent entities and managing the complaints book platform. It also lists promoting the consumer defense system, which includes arbitration centers and municipal information centers. ASAE publishes the complaints book regime on its site, and says that businesses can send the scanned sheets of the paper book electronically to the regulator or inspection entity within 15 working days, and that it is the authority that applies fines in some veterinary cases. We did not read ASAE’s own description of its mission, as that page would not load, so we do not summarize it.

Is anything different for Americans and Britons?

The pages we read set no rule by nationality. The rights belong to a consumer, so the same rules apply whether you hold a US or UK passport, and the online platform works in English. Whether a card issuer or bank in the US or UK gives separate rights is outside the pages we read.

We read the livroreclamacoes.pt home page and FAQ, the ASAE complaints book page, the DGC pages on consumer rights, consumer conflicts, frequently asked questions, the alternative dispute resolution list and mission, and Decreto-Lei n.º 152/2026 on the Diário da República, all on 21 October 2026.