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Company Formation in Portugal

Company formation services in Portugal give a company or group its Portuguese entity, from the chosen name to commercial registration and tax opening. We prepare the Empresa na Hora or Empresa Online formation with standard articles and quote our fees in writing.

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Praça do Comércio seen from above with its arcades, the Rua Augusta arch and the equestrian statue

Who Needs Company Formation in Portugal

  • Your company needs a Portuguese entity for its business activity, team or investment plans.
  • Your group wants a Portuguese subsidiary or a company with a corporate shareholder.
  • You are forming a single-member company and need the NIF, name and registration work handled together.
  • Your company needs one scope for the commercial registration, tax opening and first post-formation filings.

Your company needs only the VAT, accounting, payroll or company-secretarial work if it already exists; each of those is its own engagement.

What's Included in Company Formation

You receive a quote in writing for the formation work your company needs before any filing starts.

  • Formation routes. The Empresa na Hora and Empresa Online routes are set out for a sociedade por quotas or a single-member sociedade por quotas, with standard articles of association.
  • Founder and ownership details. A record is kept of which shareholders and directors need Portuguese NIFs, and the ownership information needed for the formation is collected.
  • Company-name work. A specialist handles the RNPC name-admissibility certificate when your company needs a chosen name.
  • Standard articles and commercial registration. A specialist prepares the formation with standard articles of association for the agreed route and completes the registration work with IRN and the Registo Comercial.
  • Tax opening. A certified accountant files the company's start-of-activity declaration with the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.
  • First post-formation filings. A specialist files the initial beneficial-owner declaration. Accounting, VAT, payroll and company-secretarial work are each their own engagement.
Flow showing company form, fee, activity filing and the 30-day beneficial-owner declaration.
Company formation creates a timed record trail after incorporation.
Diagram text version

Choose the form. Pay EUR 360. File activity within 15 days. Declare the beneficial owner within 30 days.

What Your Company Needs to Provide

Founder and director details
Identification and Portuguese NIF details for the people who will be shareholders or directors in the company.
Ownership plan
The proposed shareholders, quota or share allocation, directors and beneficial owners.
Company structure
Your preferred company form: a sociedade por quotas or a single-member sociedade por quotas with standard articles of association.
Company name
Your preferred name when the formation uses an RNPC name-admissibility certificate.
Planned activity
A clear description of what the company will do, for the object clause in the standard articles of association and the tax opening.
Formation route access
You need an eligible Citizen Card or Chave Móvel Digital signature for Empresa Online. You and the other future shareholders must be present with identification and NIFs for Empresa na Hora.

How Company Formation in Portugal Works

A specialist prepares the filings with RNPC, IRN and the Registo Comercial, and a certified accountant files the opening declaration with the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.

  1. NIFs for foreign shareholders and directors

    Your company provides the identification, Portuguese NIF and ownership details required for its shareholders and directors.

  2. Name certificate at the RNPC

    A specialist handles an RNPC name-admissibility certificate when the company will not use a pre-approved name.

  3. Empresa na Hora or Empresa Online

    A specialist confirms the ownership details and the formation route with your company and prepares the standard-articles formation.

  4. Commercial registry filing

    The company documents with standard articles of association are prepared for the chosen formation route, and the commercial registration is submitted.

  5. Start-of-activity declaration

    A certified accountant submits the start-of-activity declaration to the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.

  6. Beneficial-owner declaration

    A specialist files the initial beneficial-owner declaration. VAT, accounting, payroll and company-secretarial work are each their own engagement.

Timing and Possible Delays

Set case by case

You cannot rely on one official end-to-end period for every formation. You follow a sequence based on the selected route, NIF work, company name and founder documentation.

What delays it

Your company may face a delayed filing if a NIF is pending, a company name is unresolved, an electronic signature is unavailable or ownership information is incomplete. Your company faces each bank's own due diligence, account decision and timing.

What to prepare now

Your company prepares the founder, director, NIF, ownership, activity and preferred-name information before the work begins.

Ongoing Company Obligations

Beneficial-owner and tax-opening deadlines

The company must declare its beneficial owner within 30 days after incorporation. A certified accountant must submit the start-of-activity declaration within 15 days after presentation for registration and before activity starts.

Organised accounts and Segurança Social

Commercial companies must keep organised accounts, and a certified accountant files the opening declaration. Empresa na Hora supplies the company’s Segurança Social number. The rules for directors and managers need a separate review of their role and circumstances.

Corporate tax in 2026

The 2026 headline IRC rate is 19% under Article 87 of the CIRC as amended by Lei n.º 64/2025. Qualifying SMEs and small mid-caps pay 15% on the first EUR 50,000. The Madeira IBC uses a 5% IRC rate until 31 December 2033 for qualifying entities licensed through 31 December 2026, subject to the employment and investment conditions in Article 36-A of the Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais.

Published by Advisors in Portugal Published: Last reviewed:

Set out your company plan

Describe who will own and direct the company, what it will do and which formation route you are considering.

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Common questions

Which company forms can a founder use in Portugal?
You can form a sociedade por quotas, commonly called an Lda, a single-member sociedade por quotas or a sociedade anonima, commonly called an SA. The form depends on the ownership plan, capital and governance needs of your company.
What is the minimum capital for an Lda or SA?
An Lda quota may be EUR 1. An SA has minimum capital of EUR 50,000, and each share must have a nominal value of at least EUR 0.01, under the Código das Sociedades Comerciais.
Can a non-resident form a company in Portugal?
You may create a company as a person or legal entity through Empresa na Hora, and you must provide the future partners' identification and NIFs. The chosen route and the documents for your company's founders still need checking before filing.
Do foreign shareholders and directors need Portuguese NIFs?
You need NIFs for individual partners using Empresa na Hora. A third-country resident who establishes a tax relationship in Portugal must, within 15 days, appoint a fiscal representative or join an electronic-notification channel, according to the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.
What do Empresa na Hora and Empresa Online cost?
You pay an official fee of EUR 360 for Empresa na Hora. You pay EUR 220 for Empresa Online with standard articles or EUR 360 with custom articles. You pay these government service fees separately from the professional fees. You get a quote in writing before any work starts, and fees are set case by case.
How much does an RNPC name certificate cost?
You pay the official fee of EUR 75 and an additional EUR 75 for urgent consideration. You can use the certificate for three months.
How long does company formation in Portugal take?
You cannot rely on one official end-to-end period for every company.
Does a Portuguese company need a certified accountant?
Yes. Commercial companies must keep organised accounts. A certified accountant submits the start-of-activity declaration to the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.
Which filings follow incorporation?
The company must declare its beneficial owner within 30 days after incorporation. A certified accountant must submit the start-of-activity declaration within 15 days after presentation for registration and before activity begins.
Does company formation include a corporate bank account?
Business bank account support is its own engagement. Your company faces each bank's own due diligence and account decision.
How is the formation handled?
A specialist handles the formation steps with standard articles of association. One contact stays with the case, and a certified accountant files the start-of-activity declaration.

What to Expect From the Service

  • One team for the whole case.

    A specialist prepares the formation work, and a certified accountant works alongside on the tax and Social Security registrations and the accounting that follows, so your case moves as one file.

  • English or Portuguese.

    English or Portuguese, whichever you are most comfortable in.

  • A written quote before work starts.

    You get a quote in writing before any work starts. The reply says so plainly if the case is not something the service covers.

Contact us

Your request is in

Every request is read in house. The requirements are assessed, and a reply by email sets out the appropriate next steps.

Every enquiry is read in house, and the aim is a reply within one business day.

Your company formation plans

Every case starts with the form below. Describe your company's founders, ownership and plans, and the reply comes in English or Portuguese.

Describe the founders, ownership and planned activity. Each enquiry receives a reply within one business day, and the first conversation is free.

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The information on this page is checked against official sources and reviewed regularly. It is corrected when the law or official guidance changes, as the Editorial Standards describe.