START A COMPANY / EUROPE

How to register a company in Portugal

Portugal's Empresa Online and Empresa na Hora services register a Lda in about a day for €220 to €360 in official fees, with quotas from €1. Sole traders open activity with the tax authority and Social Security. Founders need a NIF first.

REGISTRY: Registo Comercial and Registo Nacional de Pessoas Coletivas, run by the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN); Empresa Online / Empresa na Hora
ONLINE: Partly online
FROM: €0 (≈ £1)
STRUCTURES HERE: 3

Go to the official registry

Setting up from abroad

Foreigners can own and run a Portuguese Lda. Each founder needs a NIF tax number (non-residents can request one; non-EU residents running an independent activity need a tax representative). The online route needs a Chave Móvel Digital or eIDAS e-ID; otherwise use an Empresa na Hora counter. You need a Portuguese bank account for the capital.

PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY

Lda.: Sociedade por quotas (private limited company); Sociedade Unipessoal por Quotas if there is one partner

Most start-ups and small businesses wanting limited liability with very low capital and a fast one-day set-up.

Liability: Limited to what you put in
You need: 2 partners and 1 manager (gerente); a unipessoal Lda has 1 partner
Minimum capital: No overall minimum; each quota must be at least €1
Time: Same day for Empresa na Hora once all partners attend; online usually 1 to 5 working days; allow 1 to 3 weeks for NIFs and the bank account.

Steps

Get a Portuguese NIF for each foreign founder: non-residents can request it online or at a Finanças office; non-EU residents running an independent activity must appoint a tax representative.
Open a Portuguese bank account (needed to deposit the capital) and decide the activity (CAE code), registered office and managers.
Pick the route: Empresa na Hora (in person at a counter, €360, same day) or Empresa Online (€220 with pre-approved articles, €360 with custom ones; urgent service €440 or €720).
Select a company name (pre-approved or admissible) and the articles (pacto social); set quotas of at least €1; online partners need a Chave Móvel Digital or eIDAS e-ID.
Sign and submit: the company is registered at once and receives its NIPC company tax number, a commercial registry access code and a Social Security number.
Deposit the share capital in the company's account within 5 working days (or by the end of the first financial year for quota companies, if declared).
Within 15 days file the declaration of start of activity with the tax authority and within 30 days declare beneficial owners on the RCBE (rcbe.justica.gov.pt).

Documents

Passport, ID or residence permit for each partner
NIF for each partner (and tax representative if required)
Pre-approved company name or admissibility certificate
Articles of association (pacto social or pre-approved model)
Proof of registered office
Chave Móvel Digital or eIDAS e-ID (online route only)

Official fees

Empresa na Hora €360; Empresa Online €220 (pre-approved articles) or €360 (custom articles); urgent service €440 or €720. The start-of-activity declaration and RCBE filing follow registration.

Budget

How	About	What it covers
Do it yourself	€220≈ £190	Empresa Online with pre-approved articles (€220); the in-person Empresa na Hora is €360; capital excluded
With an accountant or agent	€800≈ £690	About €500 to €1,200: certified accountant handles registration, start of activity and a first-year package
Full service	€2,500≈ £2,100	About €1,800 to €3,500: lawyer, custom articles, NIF and tax-representative help, registered address, bank help

Every year

File the annual accounts (IES) with the tax authority, normally by 15 July for calendar-year companies
Pay corporate income tax (IRC) at 19% in 2026 (15% on the first €50,000 for SMEs) with advance payments
Submit VAT returns (monthly or quarterly) and pay monthly payroll Social Security contributions
Keep the beneficial-owner register (RCBE) up to date

Good to know. Official fees, quota minimums and deadlines from justica.gov.pt. Unverified: IES date, Social Security rates, timeline, agent and lawyer costs (market estimates). A natural person may hold only one unipessoal quota company.

SOLE TRADER

ENI: Empresário em nome individual / trabalhador independente (sole trader, self-employed worker)

Freelancers and small traders wanting a free, fast start who accept unlimited personal liability.

Liability: Unlimited: you are personally liable
You need: 1 individual with a NIF
Minimum capital: None
Time: Same day to a few days for tax registration; allow 1 to 2 weeks if you first need a NIF, tax representative and digital key.

Steps

Get a NIF (non-residents can request one online); non-EU residents who will work independently must appoint a Portuguese tax representative before starting.
Get the Chave Móvel Digital to access the Portal das Finanças, and choose your CAE activity code or codes.
Open your activity on the Portal das Finanças (declaração de início de atividade), choosing the VAT regime and the simplified or organised-accounting income-tax regime.
Register or confirm your registration on Segurança Social Direta as a self-employed worker and choose your contribution scheme.
Issue invoices with certified invoicing software or the free Portal das Finanças tool, including the ATCUD and QR code.
Check municipal licences or professional-body (Ordem) membership for regulated activities, and open a business bank account.

Documents

Passport, ID or residence permit
NIF (and tax representative if required)
Proof of address
Professional qualifications for regulated activities
Chave Móvel Digital for online access

Official fees

Opening activity with the tax authority and registering with Social Security are free. Social-security contributions start after an initial exemption period for new self-employed workers (unverified).

Budget

How	About	What it covers
Do it yourself	€0≈ £1	No official fee to open activity with the tax authority or Social Security
With an accountant or agent	€250≈ £210	About €150 to €400: accountant opens activity and sets up invoicing and tax regime choices
Full service	€600≈ £510	About €400 to €900: accountant package with first-year bookkeeping, Social Security set-up and tax planning

Every year

File the annual income tax return (IRS) between April and June
File VAT returns monthly or quarterly if VAT-registered (a small exemption applies below a turnover threshold)
Submit quarterly Social Security income declarations and pay monthly contributions
Report invoices through the e-Fatura system

Good to know. NIF and tax-representative rules from the Portal das Finanças leaflet. Unverified: contribution rate and first-year exemption, quarterly declarations, VAT exemption threshold, agent costs (market estimates).

PUBLIC COMPANY

S.A.: Sociedade Anónima (public limited company)

Larger or investor-led businesses that need share capital of €50,000 or more and a formal governance structure.

Liability: Limited to what you put in
You need: 5 shareholders (or 1 if one holder owns all shares) and a board or sole administrator (sole administrator allowed up to €200,000 capital)
Minimum capital: €50,000; the online route requires at least 30% deposited within 5 days of the registry certificate becoming available
Time: About 1 to 3 weeks: NIFs, the bank account and the 30% deposit are the slow steps.

Steps

Get a NIF for each foreign shareholder and arrange the required shareholders (or a single holder of all shares) and an administrator or board.
Open a Portuguese bank account and prepare capital of at least €50,000; the online route accepts cash contributions only.
Choose the route (Empresa na Hora for €360, or Empresa Online) and select a pre-approved or admissible company name.
Sign and register: the company receives its NIPC, a commercial registry access code and a Social Security number.
Deposit at least 30% of the capital within 5 days of the permanent registry certificate becoming available, and the rest as the articles provide.
Within 15 days file the start of activity with the tax authority and within 30 days declare beneficial owners on the RCBE.

Documents

Passport, ID or residence permit for each shareholder and administrator
NIF for each shareholder (and tax representative if required)
Pre-approved company name or admissibility certificate
Articles of association
Proof of registered office
Chave Móvel Digital or eIDAS e-ID (online route only)

Official fees

Empresa na Hora €360; Empresa Online €220 to €360 depending on the articles chosen (SA-specific pricing unverified). The start-of-activity declaration and RCBE filing follow registration.

Budget

How	About	What it covers
Do it yourself	€360≈ £310	Empresa na Hora €360 (online prices for an SA may differ); capital excluded
With an accountant or agent	€1,800≈ £1,500	About €1,200 to €2,500: certified accountant or lawyer handles registration and the first filings
Full service	€4,000≈ £3,400	About €3,000 to €5,500: lawyer, bespoke articles, shareholder agreement, registered address, bank help

Every year

File the annual accounts (IES) with the tax authority, normally by 15 July for calendar-year companies
Hold the annual general meeting within 3 months of year-end and appoint the required supervisory body or auditor
Pay corporate income tax (IRC) at 19% in 2026 (15% on the first €50,000 for SMEs) and file VAT returns
Keep the beneficial-owner register (RCBE) up to date

Good to know. Minimum capital, shareholder numbers and 30% deposit rule from justica.gov.pt. Unverified: SA-specific online pricing, AGM and audit requirements, IES date, agent and lawyer costs (market estimates).

After you register

File the declaration of start of activity with the tax authority within 15 days (certified accountant or Portal das Finanças)
Declare beneficial owners on the RCBE within 30 days of registration
Appoint a certified accountant (contabilista certificado) and set up certified invoicing
Open the company bank account and deposit the capital within 5 working days (if you declared that route)
Register employees with Segurança Social before they start work
Check municipal licences and sector rules for your activity

Sources

Checked 1 Oct 2026 against:

Pound amounts use HMRC's exchange rates for 2026-10 and are a rough guide only.

Other countries in Europe

This guide is general information to help you plan, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Fees, forms and rules change: check the official registry before you file, and take professional advice for anything complex. Agent and lawyer costs are typical market prices, not quotes.

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