Portugal – Company

Introduction to setting up a Company in Portugal

Portugal is great for company expansion as it has advanced transport connections and telecommunications. The country also has an excellent infrastructure and offers incentives to foreign investors looking to establish a subsidiary. As with branches, Portuguese subsidiaries must comply with the establishment regulations as set by the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises – Corporate Social Responsibility.

What are the main requirements for a Portuguese Company?

– The minimum share capital required for an Lda (private limited companies) is €1
– The minimum share capital required for an SA (public limited company) is €50,000
– The Memorandum & Articles of Association of the subsidiary
– The appointment of a board of directors
– Power of Attorney (POA) is required if a representative of the subsidiary is appointed

The documents shown above must be filed with the National Companies Register in order to register the subsidiary.

The requirement for apostille and translation of documents depends on the individual situation.

What are the accounting requirements of a Portuguese Company?

The Portuguese Parliament regulates the taxation and accounting requirements for companies.

Registration of the subsidiary with the Tax Office is required for VAT and taxation purposes. Monthly or trimestral VAT returns and annual tax returns must be periodically filed.

Accounts and declarations can be submitted online through the Simplified Business Information (IES) system which is accessed through the Tax Gateway.

We will handle every aspect of the Company formation for you. Using our expert knowledge we can offer a company formation package in which we take care of company registration, issue of the certificates of registration, local directors, local representative and place of business in Portugal, tax registration, VAT registration, and translation of documents (if required).

Our unique one stop solution for all European formation requirements also offers formation packages to set up multiple companies. The benefits for establishing multiple companies include further increased exposure and global presence, and we can organise everything for you.

A summary of Portugal Corporate Taxes is available here.