Opening a company in Portugal is quicker than its reputation suggests — a standard limited company can be incorporated in a single appointment under the Empresa na Hora scheme, sometimes in under an hour. The speed is real, but so are the steps you need to get right around it: choosing the correct legal form, registering the beneficial owner, appointing a certified accountant and opening a business bank account. Here's the full step-by-step for 2026.
The load-bearing figures in this guide are pulled live from our verified company formation & corporate-law data, not retyped here:
- Minimum share capital: The share capital is freely set by the quotaholders in the articles; each quota must have a nominal value of at least €1. There is no €5,000 minimum (abolished in 2011). VERIFIED View source →
- Empresa na Hora (in person): A special immediate-incorporation regime: the whole company is created over the counter in a single in-person appointment (Loja do Cidadão / IRN desk), using a pre-approved company name from the public list. Standard fee €360. VERIFIED View source →
- Company name approval (RNPC): A custom company name must be cleared by the Registo Nacional de Pessoas Coletivas (RNPC) via a certificado de admissibilidade — €75 (or €150 urgent), valid 3 months. Empresa na Hora skips this by using a pre-approved name from the public list. VERIFIED View source →
- Certified accountant (mandatory): A Portuguese company must have organised accounting signed off by a certified accountant (contabilista certificado, registered with the OCC) from start-of-activity. A company cannot legally do its own accounts or file IES / IRC without one. VERIFIED View source →
Step 1: Choose Your Legal Form — Lda vs Unipessoal
Most small and medium businesses in Portugal use a Lda (Sociedade por Quotas), a private limited company. Your two main variants:
- Sociedade Unipessoal por Quotas — a single-shareholder limited company. One owner, limited liability, simple structure. Ideal for a solo founder or a foreign parent company owning 100%.
- Sociedade por Quotas (Lda) — two or more shareholders (sócios), each holding a quota. Standard for partnerships and multi-founder startups.
Both give limited liability — your personal assets are separated from the company's debts — and both are taxed under corporate income tax (IRC). A sole trader who wants that liability shield, or plans to raise investment, typically incorporates rather than freelancing under recibos verdes. There's also the SA (Sociedade Anónima), a public limited company with higher capital and governance requirements, used by larger ventures.
Step 2: Reserve Your Company Name
You need an approved name before you incorporate. Two routes:
- Pick a pre-approved name from the Empresa na Hora list (fastest — you incorporate the same day), or
- Request your own name via the RNPC (National Registry of Legal Persons) and obtain a Certificado de Admissibilidade (certificate of admissibility). This takes a few working days.
You'll also choose your CAE (economic activity classification) code, which describes what the company does.
Step 3: Decide on Capital and Shareholders
The legal minimum share capital for an Lda is nominal — €1 per shareholder — so a Unipessoal can technically be formed with €1. In practice, set a realistic figure (many founders use €1,000–5,000) because banks, landlords and counterparties read very low capital as a red flag, and you'll want working funds anyway. Capital can be paid in by the end of the first financial year. Decide the shareholding split and who the gerente (managing director) will be.
Step 4: Incorporate — Empresa Na Hora vs Empresa Online
Two official incorporation channels:
- Empresa na Hora ("company in an hour"). A special immediate-incorporation regime: the whole company is created over the counter in a single in-person appointment (Loja do Cidadão / IRN desk), using a pre-approved company name from the public list. Standard fee €360. VERIFIED View source → The appointment itself is fast — often under an hour, and you leave with your company NIF, registration and articles that same visit — but the appointment has to be booked in advance through the government's SIGA scheduling system, and slots at busy desks are often weeks or months out. "Na hora" describes the appointment, not the wait to secure one; see our appointment-reality guide before planning a launch date around it.
- Empresa Online. Full remote incorporation over the internet with Cartão de Cidadão / digital-certificate authentication. Fee €220 with a pre-approved model pacto, or €360 where the founders draw up their own articles. VERIFIED View source → It requires a Chave Móvel Digital or qualified digital certificate, typically completes in about one to two weeks, and — because it doesn't depend on a scarce in-person slot — is frequently faster in practice than waiting for an Empresa na Hora appointment. Ideal if you can't attend in person or need bespoke bylaws (useful for investor structures).
Non-residents can incorporate, but each shareholder and director needs a NIF first (see our NIF guide). A founder resident outside the EU/EEA needs a Portugal-resident fiscal representative to obtain and hold their Portuguese NIF while non-resident. The requirement ceases once they become a Portuguese tax resident, when the representation is replaced by adherence to electronic notifications (Portal das Finanças / ViaCTT). Residents of the EU/EEA (plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) are exempt from the outset. VERIFIED View source → Our guide to remotely incorporating your startup shows it is very doable with the right digital credentials or a power of attorney. If you also need a residence visa to live here and run the company, the D2 business plan guide covers the entrepreneur route.
Step 5: Register the Beneficial Owner (RCBE)
After incorporation you must file the RCBE (Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo) — the central register of beneficial ownership — declaring the real individuals who ultimately own or control the company. It's mandatory, filed online through the justiça portal, and required before you can operate fully (banks ask for it). Newly incorporated companies must submit it promptly; miss it and you face penalties and blocked processes. It also isn't a one-off filing: After the initial declaration, the RCBE must be updated within 30 days of any change to the declared data, and confirmed annually (by 31 December) even where nothing changed. VERIFIED View source →
Step 6: Appoint a Certified Accountant (TOC/contabilista Certificado)
Unlike a freelancer on the simplified regime, a company must have a contabilista certificado (certified accountant) from day one. They register the company's start of activity with Finanças, handle IRC and IVA filings, run payroll, and keep the organised accounts the law requires. This isn't optional bureaucracy — it's a legal requirement and genuinely necessary, since corporate accounting is more involved than personal tax. Budget for a monthly fee.
Step 7: Register the Start of Activity and Sort Tax
Your accountant files the company's declaração de início de atividade with the Autoridade Tributária, confirming your CAE, VAT position and corporate tax regime. Companies charge IVA (standard mainland rate Standard 23% · intermediate 13% · reduced 6% VERIFIED View source →) and file periodic VAT returns — our IVA in Portugal guide breaks down the rates, registration and return cycle; profits are subject to IRC (corporate income tax): Company profits are taxed under IRC: a 19% general rate (mainland, 2026), or a reduced 15% on the first €50,000 of taxable income for qualifying SMEs / Small Mid Caps, with the excess at the general rate. Municipal derrama (up to 1.5%) and state derrama may apply. VERIFIED View source →
Step 8: Open a Business Bank Account
You'll need a corporate bank account to deposit capital, receive payments and pay suppliers and salaries. Banks typically ask for the company registration, articles of association, company NIF, the RCBE, and ID plus NIF for shareholders and directors. As a non-resident, expect more scrutiny and, sometimes, an in-person visit. Our banking pillar and our guide to business banking for startups in Portugal cover the options, and timing this alongside incorporation keeps everything moving.
Common Mistakes
- Setting €1 capital and then struggling with bank and counterparty credibility.
- Forgetting the RCBE filing after incorporation — it blocks later steps.
- Assuming you can skip the accountant — companies legally can't.
- Not getting NIFs for every shareholder and director first — nothing proceeds without them.
- Choosing Empresa na Hora when you actually need custom articles for an investor structure — use Empresa Online instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Empresa na Hora appointment itself is same-day, but it must be booked via SIGA and slots at busy desks can be weeks or months out — see our appointment-reality guide. Empresa Online typically takes about one to two weeks and doesn't depend on a scarce slot. Banking and RCBE add a little more.
Yes — a Unipessoal Lda or an SA can be wholly foreign-owned; each owner needs a NIF.
No, but non-residents usually need a fiscal setup and may face extra bank checks. Remote incorporation is possible.
Unipessoal for a single owner; standard Lda for two or more shareholders. Both offer limited liability.
Fees, tax rates and procedures change, so treat this as orientation and confirm current details with the registry, Finanças or your accountant.
Want your company incorporated, RCBE filed, accountant appointed and bank account opened without the guesswork? Explore our services or contact us — GrowIN Portugal sets up your Portuguese company end to end. If you have co-founders, add a shareholders agreement, and if you are unsure of the legal form, start with a company structure assessment before you incorporate.