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
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:
- You can attend an appointment at the local tax office (Finanças), Citizen Shop, or at a counter that provides the Citizen Card,
- You can appoint a lawyer or an accountant to apply on your behalf.
- You can also apply through a third-party provider that will take care of your NIF number application, such as GetNifPortugal.
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
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:
- How to invest in Portugal and get citizenship – The Ultimate Guide
- The Tax System in Portugal: A Guide for Expats
