If you don't live in Portugal but want a Portuguese company — for an EU foothold, a Golden Visa qualifying business, or simply because your clients are here — the good news is you don't need residency to do it. The paperwork, though, has a few genuine traps for non-residents that don't affect locals, mostly around the NIF, fiscal representation and getting documents apostilled correctly.
This guide walks through what actually happens, not the marketing version.
Can a non-resident own a Portuguese company?
Yes. There's no requirement to live in Portugal, hold a residence permit, or even visit in person — you can incorporate remotely with a power of attorney. What you do need before anything else is a NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal), Portugal's tax number, issued by the Autoridade Tributária. Non-resident non-EU/EEA applicants typically need a fiscal representative to obtain one, though this requirement can often be avoided later by opting into electronic notifications with Finanças — worth discussing with whoever handles your registration, since fiscal representation carries an ongoing liability and shouldn't be taken on lightly if it's not genuinely needed.
Beyond the NIF, you'll need a Portuguese bank account for share capital (some banks will open one remotely for company purposes, others insist on an in-person visit), and if you're not an EU/EEA national, your identification documents usually need apostille certification.
Choosing a legal structure
Most foreign founders end up with one of two structures.
| Structure | Best for | Minimum capital | Liability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lda / Unipessoal Lda (private limited company) | Almost everyone — freelancers scaling up, small teams, holding companies | Symbolic — quotas from €1 per shareholder | Limited to company assets |
| Sucursal (branch of a foreign company) | An existing overseas company wanting a Portuguese presence without a new legal entity | No separate capital requirement | Parent company remains liable |
| S.A. (public limited company) | Larger operations, investors expecting share structures, regulatory reasons | €50,000 | Limited, but requires a statutory auditor |
The Unipessoal Lda (single-shareholder Lda) is the default for solo founders — same protections as a full Lda, one owner, straightforward. An S.A. brings a mandatory Revisor Oficial de Contas (statutory auditor), which adds real recurring cost and isn't worth it unless you specifically need the share structure or the capital requirement is a strategic asset for you.
The actual registration process
1. Get your NIF. Everything else waits on this.
2. Choose or reserve a company name. Pick a pre-approved name from ePortugal's list for free, or request a custom "Certificado de Admissibilidade" from IRN — this typically costs in the region of €75 (standard) to €150 (urgent), valid for three months.
3. Register the company itself. There are two main routes:
- Empresa na Hora ("company on the spot") — an in-person appointment at a Loja do Cidadão or IRN desk, using standard pre-approved articles of association. Same-day registration is common, and the government fee sits around €360 (or lower — roughly €220 — with pre-approved bylaws).
- Empresa Online — done remotely through the Business Portal, typically taking a few days to a couple of weeks rather than same-day. A lawyer with power of attorney can also handle in-person registration on your behalf without you travelling.
Heads up for 2026: staffing shortages and industrial action at the registry (IRN) have created a real backlog this year, so build in several extra weeks — sometimes seven to ten — especially if you want a custom company name rather than a pre-approved one. This is a known, current bottleneck rather than a paperwork problem on your end.
4. Register for social security and, once trading, for VAT (IVA) if applicable.
5. Appoint an accountant. This isn't optional — every Lda in Portugal needs a certified accountant (contabilista certificado) to handle statutory bookkeeping and tax filings, and monthly fees generally run from roughly €150 upward depending on complexity.
Corporate tax (IRC) — what you'll actually pay
Portugal's standard corporate income tax rate for 2026 is 19%, part of a scheduled year-by-year reduction — down from 20% in 2025, with further drops planned to 18% in 2027 and 17% in 2028. The number that matters more for a small company, though, is the SME rate: Small and medium-sized enterprises benefit from a reduced rate of 15% on the first €50,000 of taxable income, with the standard 19% rate applying to profits above that threshold. To lock in the SME rate you generally need IAPMEI certification confirming SME status — it isn't automatic.
On top of IRC, larger or higher-profit companies may face a municipal surcharge (derrama, up to 1.5%) and a state surcharge on profits above €1.5 million — mostly irrelevant for a newly formed non-resident SME, but worth knowing exists. Madeira's International Business Centre offers materially lower rates for companies genuinely based and operating there, a separate and more specialised route.
Ongoing obligations
Once formed, a Portuguese company isn't a one-and-done filing — it comes with a recurring compliance calendar: monthly/quarterly VAT and social security filings, annual accounts, and the yearly IRC return. This is where the mandatory certified accountant earns their fee, and where non-resident owners most often get caught out — missing a deadline because notifications went to an old address, or because nobody told them the first VAT return was due. Our company setup service handles the registration itself and helps line up accounting support so nothing falls through the cracks after day one.
Common mistakes non-residents make
- Starting the NIF process too late. Nothing else can happen without it, and fiscal representative arrangements take time to set up properly.
- Assuming residency and company ownership are linked. They're not — but a company alone doesn't grant you a visa or residence permit. If your goal is to move to Portugal, that's a separate process through AIMA.
- Choosing an S.A. by default when an Lda would do the job for a fraction of the ongoing cost.
- Not budgeting for the accountant. It's mandatory, not optional, and it's a recurring monthly cost from month one.
- Underestimating registry delays in 2026. Plan the custom-name route only if you have time to spare right now.
Frequently asked questions
No. Non-residents can incorporate a Portuguese company remotely via power of attorney, though you'll need a NIF first and, in many non-EU cases, a fiscal representative to obtain it.
Not automatically. It can support certain routes — such as the company-creation-with-jobs option under the Golden Visa framework, or as evidence of ties for other permits — but it doesn't itself grant residency, and outcomes always depend on AIMA's assessment. Speak to an immigration professional if the goal is residency, not just a company.
There's no meaningful minimum — quotas can be as low as €1 per shareholder for an Lda or Unipessoal Lda. An S.A., by contrast, requires €50,000 in share capital plus a mandatory auditor.
In normal conditions, Empresa na Hora can register a company the same day and Empresa Online within days. Right now, registry backlogs mean several weeks is more realistic, particularly for custom company names — budget accordingly rather than assuming the old timelines.
Yes. A certified accountant is a legal requirement for every Lda regardless of turnover, and dormant companies still have filing obligations even with zero revenue.
For the broader tax picture once your company is trading, see our tax and NIF guide; if company formation is one step in a bigger relocation plan, start with our relocation pillar and our visas overview. If you'll also be invoicing personally alongside the company, our notes on living in Portugal cover the everyday admin side, and our banking guide walks through opening the business account itself.
Always verify current rates and deadlines directly with the Autoridade Tributária and, for registration specifics, ePortugal before filing anything — this guide is informational, not a substitute for professional advice on your specific structure.
Ready to set up your Portuguese company without the guesswork? Get in touch and let's talk through the right structure for your situation.