Planning to establish a company in Portugal? Read this article to know all about Portugal Company Registry.

Located in Southwestern Europe, Portugal is home to world-class beaches, stunning natural landscapes, a welcoming population, and an emerging economy. Interested in setting up a company in Portugal? In this article, we will take you through Portugal Company Registry – the types of companies, completing the process online, and more.

Under Portugal’s Golden Visa Program, foreign investors can obtain residency in the country in return for a minimum investment, and there are several investment options to choose from. Note that the Portugal Golden Visa may be coming to an end. If you are interested in applying for the program, you should lodge your application now. For more information, check out our article: Golden Visa Ending: Everything We Know So Far.

Types of Companies in Portugal

There are two main types of companies incorporated in Portugal. They are:-

  • Public Companies (S.A)
  • Private Limited Companies (LDA)

Public Companies: Primary features

  • Large businesses in Portugal generally opt to become Public Companies
  • Have a minimum share capital is €50,000
  • The minimum number of shareholders required is five
  • Rigorous requirements in accounting and auditing

Private Limited Companies: Primary features

  • Small and medium-scale businesses generally opt to become a Private Limited Company
  • The minimum share capital is €1
  • The minimum number of directors for this structure is one
  • No restrictions on foreign shareholders/directors
  • Liabilities are restricted to the amount invested

If you’re setting up a business in Portugal as an individual, these are the options you can choose from:

  • Self-employed
  • Sole trader with limited liability
  • Individual limited liability companies

Setup a Company in Portugal

Establish-a-company

To register your company in Portugal online, you need to first collate all your documents, upload them, pay due fees, and proceed with the following steps:

  • Prepare your documents: The scanned copy of your passport and NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal), which is your Portuguese Tax Identification Number. Submit your application form, which will take around 5-6 minutes, and pay the setup fee
  • You will get your company status in around five business days
  • Receive your company certificate

Register a Business in Portugal

First, you need to choose your business name. For that, you can either take a name from a list of pre-approved business names or you can register a new name with a denomination approval certificate.

To register your business, you will need a Validation Certificate issued by the National Registry of Companies. The Validation Certificate is known as Certificado de Admissibilidade in Portugal and will cost you around €75.

Get a NIF Number in Portugal

You can apply for a NIF number in Portugal through the following ways:

Note that if you are a non-EU/non-EEA, non-Swiss citizen, you will need a tax representative to obtain your NIF number. 

Portugal Investor Visa

Portugal-Golden-Visa

The Portugal Golden Visa Program, also known as the Residence Permit Program, offers residency to foreign investors in return for an investment for a period of five years. After you complete a five-year residency in the country, you are eligible to apply for Portugal citizenship. With a Portugal passport, you can travel visa-free to over 174 countries in the world. In addition to this, you are also eligible to live, study and work in any European Union member country. We are sharing below the list of Portugal visa-free countries.

Portugal Visa-free Countries

Albania – visa-free/90 days

Andorra – visa-free

Angola – pre-visa on arrival

Antigua and Barbuda – visa-free/180 days

Argentina – visa-free/90 days

Armenia – visa-free/180 days

Austria – visa-free

Azerbaijan – eVisa/30 days

Bahamas – visa-free/90 days

Bahrain – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Bangladesh – visa on arrival/30 days

Barbados – visa-free/90 days

Belarus – visa-free/30 days

Belgium – visa-free

Belize – visa-free

Bolivia – visa-free/90 days

Bosnia and Herzegovina – visa-free/90 days

Botswana – visa-free/90 days

Brazil – visa-free/90 days

Brunei – visa-free/90 days

Bulgaria – visa-free

Burkina Faso – visa on arrival/90 days

Burundi – visa on arrival/30 days

Cambodia – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Cape Verde – visa-free (EASE)/30 days

Chile – visa-free/90 days

Colombia – visa-free/90 days

Comoros – visa on arrival/45 days

Congo (Dem. Rep.) – eVisa/90 days

Costa Rica – visa-free/90 days

Croatia – visa-free

Cuba – tourist card/30 days

Cyprus – visa-free

Czech Republic – visa-free

Denmark – visa-free

Djibouti – eVisa

Dominica – visa-free/180 days

Dominican Republic – visa-free

Ecuador – visa-free/90 days

Egypt -visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

El Salvador – visa-free/90 days

Estonia – visa-free

Eswatini – visa-free/30 days

Ethiopia – eVisa/90 days

Fiji – visa-free/120 days

Finland – visa-free

France – visa-free

Gabon – visa-free/30 days

Gambia – visa-free/90 days

Georgia – visa-free/360 days

Germany – visa-free

Greece – visa-free

Grenada – visa-free/90 days

Guatemala – visa-free/90 days

Guinea e – Visa/90 days

Guyana – visa-free/90 days

Haiti – visa-free/90 days

Honduras – visa-free/90 days

Hong Kong – visa-free/90 days

Hungary – visa-free

Iceland – visa-free

India – eVisa/30 days

Indonesia – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Iran – eVisa/30 days

Iraq – visa on arrival/60 days

Ireland – visa-free

Israel – visa-free/90 days

Italy – visa-free

Jamaica – visa-free/30 days

Japan – visa-free/90 days

Jordan – visa on arrival

Kazakhstan – visa-free/30 days

Kenya – eVisa/90 days

Kiribati – visa-free/120 days

Kosovo – visa-free/90 days

Kuwait – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days

Kyrgyzstan – visa-free/60 days

Laos – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Latvia – visa-free

Lebanon – visa on arrival/30 days

Lesotho – visa-free/14 days

Liechtenstein – visa-free

Lithuania – visa-free

Luxembourg – visa-free

Macao – visa-free/90 days

Madagascar – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days

Malawi – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Malaysia – visa-free/90 days

Maldives – visa on arrival/30 days

Malta – visa-free

Marshall Islands – visa-free/90 days

Mauritania – visa on arrival

Mauritius – visa-free/90 days

Mexico – visa-free/180 days

Micronesia – visa-free/90 days

Moldova – visa-free/90 days

Monaco – visa-free

Mongolia – visa-free/30 days

Montenegro – visa-free/90 days

Morocco – visa-free/90 days

Mozambique – visa-free/30 days

Namibia – visa-free/90 days

Nepal – visa on arrival/150 days

Netherlands – visa-free

Nicaragua – visa-free/90 days

Nigeria – pre-visa on arrival

North Macedonia – visa-free/90 days

Norway – visa-free

Oman – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Palau – visa-free/90 days

Palestinian Territories – visa-free

Panama – visa-free/90 days

Papua New Guinea – eVisa/60 days

Paraguay – visa-free/90 days

Peru – visa-free/90 days

Philippines – visa-free/30 days

Poland – visa-free

Qatar – free visa on arrival/90 days

Romania – visa-free

Rwanda – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days

Saint Kitts and Nevis – visa-free/90 days

Saint Lucia – visa-free/90 days

Samoa – visa-free/90 days

San Marino – visa-free

Sao Tome and Principe – visa-free/15 days

Saudi Arabia – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days

Senegal – visa-free/90 days

Serbia – visa-free/90 days

Seychelles – tourist registration/90 days

Sierra Leone – visa on arrival/30 days

Singapore – visa-free/90 days

Slovakia – visa-free

Slovenia – visa-free

Solomon Islands – visa-free/90 days

Somalia – visa on arrival/30 days

South Africa – visa-free/90 days

South Sudan – eVisa

Spain – visa-free

St. Vincent and the Grenadines – visa-free/90 days

Suriname – visa-free/90 days

Sweden – visa-free

Switzerland – visa-free

Taiwan – visa-free/90 days

Tajikistan – visa-free/30 days

Tanzania – visa on arrival / eVisa

Thailand – visa-free/30 days

Timor-Leste – visa-free/90 days

Togo – visa on arrival/15 days

Tonga – visa-free/90 days

Trinidad and Tobago – visa-free/90 days

Tunisia – visa-free/90 days

Tuvalu – visa-free/90 days

Türkiye – visa-free/90 days

Uganda – eVisa

Ukraine – visa-free/90 days

United Arab Emirates – visa-free/90 days

United Kingdom – visa-free/180 days

Uruguay – visa-free/90 days

Uzbekistan – visa-free/30 days

Vanuatu – visa-free/90 days

Vatican City – visa-free

Venezuela – visa-free/90 days

Viet Nam – eVisa/30 days

Zambia – visa-free/90 days

Zimbabwe – visa on arrival/90 days

Requirements for the Portuguese Investment Visa

Foreign investors must comply with the following requirements to obtain a Portuguese Investment Visa.

  • Make and maintain a minimum investment of €200,000 in Portugal. This investment can be made through a number of different routes, including real estate, which is the most popular among them and which requires a minimum investment of €280,000 (real estate rehabilitation project in a low-denisty area). More than 90 percent of all investments are made through the real estate route.
  • Fulfill the minimum stay requirement of seven days in the first year, followed by no less than 14 days for each subsequent two-year period.

Minimum investment option: Portugal’s Cultural Production Golden Visa.

Portugal Golden Visa – Documents Required

To apply for the Portuguese Investment Visa – also called the Golden Visa –  you need to provide the following information.

  • The application form for the Portugal Golden Visa
  • Copy of a valid passport and travel documents
  • Deed or contract of the purchased property or signed Promissory Contract with proof of the deposit payment
  • Declaration from your bank in Portugal confirming the transfer of funds
  • Proof of health insurance in Portugal (only required if the investor resides in Portugal)
  • Certified copy of police clearance letter from your country of origin
  • A completed form authorizing SEF to get an extract of your Portuguese criminal records
  • Declaration from you confirming compliance with the investment requirements
  • Documents showing a good standing with the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority and Social Security system. These can be issued 45 days before your online application.
  • A receipt showing that you have already paid the application processing fee

 

Advantages of Portugal Citizenship

  • Visa-free travel to 174 nations around the world
  • Need to be a legal resident for only five years to apply for a Portugal citizen’s card
  • The choice to become a non-habitual resident and pay little to no tax for ten years
  • Short stay requirement
  • You can include your dependent parents and children in your application form
  • Stable and safe country – the sixth safest country in the world, according to the 2022 Global Peace Index
  • Attractive business and job opportunities

For more details, you can read the following articles: