• Resolução Alternativa de Litígios de Consumos (RAL) covers mediation, conciliation and arbitration. RAL entities are the entities authorised to carry out mediation, conciliation and arbitration of consumer disputes in Portugal which must be registered on the list of RAL entities provided for by Law 144/2015.Published on 8 September p.p., Law 144/2015 approved the new legal framework for alternative (out-of-court) resolution mechanisms for consumer disputes, creating in Portugal the Consumer Arbitration Network and establishing a duty to inform, for companies supplying goods or providing services of the existence of existing Alternative Dispute Resolution Centres applicable to the sector in which the companies fall.

    The consumer should always first contact the supplier of the good or service provider to try to solve the problem.

    In the event of a dispute, the consumer can appeal to an Alternative Dispute Resolution Body:

  • Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo da Região de Coimbra – CACRC;
  • Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo de Lisboa – CACCL;
  • Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Ave, Tâmega e Sousa – TRIAVE;
  • Centro de Informação de Consumo e Arbitragem do Porto (Tribunal Arbitral de Consumo) – CICAP;
  • Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Algarve – CIMAAL;
  • Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Consumo (Tribunal Arbitral de Consumo) – CIAB;
  • Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo – CNIACC.