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Start your company in Portugal

Formation, registered office and bookkeeping — ready to operate from day one.

I'm in 4 min · no card required
Live in 12-14 days
  1. 1
    NIF and Name Reservation Day 1-3
    • Obtain NIF tax numbers for shareholders and directors
    • Reserve name through RNPC certificate of admissibility
    • Prepare articles for Empresa na Hora or online filing
  2. 2
    Incorporation Filing Day 4-6
    • Sign incorporation deed at Empresa na Hora desk
    • File ultimate beneficial owner with RCBE register
    • Receive NIPC and Commercial Registry entry
  3. 3
    Tax, Social Security and Banking Day 7-10
    • Submit start-of-activity declaration to Autoridade Tributária
    • Register employer with Segurança Social
    • Open corporate account with Banco de Portugal supervised bank
Starts from
€2,358 first year, all-in
≈ $2,775
What's included
  • Company formation €1,100
  • Registered office €550 /year
  • Bookkeeping €59 /month
    See pricing tiers by revenue
    • ≤ €50K revenue €59 /month
    • €50K–200K €99 /month
    • €200K–500K €165 /month
    • €500K–1M €330 /month
Still comparing? See alternatives →

Why Portugal?

Tech founders relocating to Lisbon or Porto

The IFICI (Portuguese IP regime) regime (the 2024 successor to NHR (Portuguese non habitual resident) for tech, science and R&D workers) caps qualifying personal income at 20% for 10 years. Combined with the Tech Visa fast track for skilled hires, Portugal supports hands on founder relocation.

IFICI 20%Tech Visa10-year window

Bootstrapped SaaS or e commerce founders

The SME CIT rate of 17% applies on the first EUR 50K of profits, and incorporation runs EUR 1K-3.5K with EUR 1 minimum capital. Stripe and Wise are supported and accounts open in 21 days.

SME CIT 17%EUR 1 capitalSetup in 7 days

Founders building a Brazil Portugal corridor

Portugal's 79-DTA network includes a strong CPLP partnership with Brazil and shared language, with a participation exemption on qualifying dividends. Lisbon offers an EU base with fluent Portuguese commercial and legal infrastructure.

Brazil DTA79 DTAsParticipation exemption

Considerations

If you assumed NHR (Portuguese non habitual resident) was still available

The classic NHR (Portuguese non habitual resident) regime closed to new applicants in January 2024. The IFICI (Portuguese IP regime) replacement is narrower and limited to scientific, R&D and innovation roles. If your founders do not fit IFICI (Portuguese IP regime):

NHR closed Jan 2024IFICI narrow scope
→ Andorra 10% personal tax, EU adjacent→ Cyprus Non dom 17 years, 60-day rule→ Malta Non dom remittance basis

If withholding tax leakage is a concern

Portuguese domestic WHT on dividends, interest and royalties is 25% before treaty relief, higher than most EU peers. For low friction outbound flows:

25% domestic WHTAbove EU peers
→ Cyprus 0% WHT on dividends, interest, royalties→ Ireland 0% WHT on EU/treaty payments→ Luxembourg 0% WHT on interest and royalties
Available services

Everything you need to run a company in Portugal

Filing, compliance, accounting, handled by certified local partners

Ready to incorporate

Start your company in Portugal

From formation to compliance, we handle every filing in Portugal.

Start setup in Portugal Talk to a specialist