Registration Of Companies And Enterprises In Portugal. How To Open A Business In Portugal
The First Legal Portugal company provides a service on the registration of companies throughout the territory of Portugal, including Madeira. One of the most widespread organizational and legal forms of companies for small and medium-sized businesses is Sociedade Limitada, Lda / Sociedade por Quotas, Lda.
The main stages of registration of Sociedade Limitada, Lda / Sociedade por Quotas, Lda:
- Decide on a business idea;
- Obtain a Registration Number (NIF) - if the founder is a non-resident;
- Open a bank account and deposit the minimum authorized capital;
- Come up with a unique name for the future company and get firm certificate;
- Register the company in the commercial register (egisto comercial da sociedade);
- Register the company with the tax service by submitting a declaration (declaration of beginning of activity);
- Register with the social insurance service;
- Register the deed of incorporation with a notary.
There are 3 options for company registration:
- Special mode of registration of companies “empresa na hora”;
- Online registration via the portal -https://eportugal.gov.pt/espaco-empresa/empresa-online
- The usual (traditional) method of Lda registration.
Registering and conducting business in Portugal is considered one of the most promising areas for foreign investors.
The main reasons why the Republic of Portugal is attractive for doing business are:
- Low level of tax burden on business;
- Availability of the free economic zone of Madeira;
- Free access to the EU market;
- Available conditions for obtaining a residence permit for the whole family for business immigration;
- A company can be created by 1 person, as a founder/director;
- Loyal attitude to foreign investors;
- Rapid development of advanced technologies;
- Fast company registration (up to 10 working days);
- Affordable prices for renting office space;
- Convenient conditions for doing business in general.
First Legal Portugal also provides a number of services for businesses in Portugal, namely:
- Obtaining a tax number for founders of individuals;
- Opening a bank account in any bank in Portugal;
- Accounting services for business in Portugal;
- Trademark (TM) registration.
Before opening your own company in Portugal or Madeira, you need to understand which organizational legal form is suitable for your business. At the moment, the following main types can be distinguished:
- Individual entrepreneur (empresário em nome individual, ENI) - unlimited liability for debts, lack of minimum authorized capital. This is a company where 1 founder may also be a director;
- Individual Limited Liability Company (Estabelecimento Individual de Responsabilidade Limitada, EIRL) –1 founder, who is liable to creditors within the limits of the value of assets;
- Sole shareholder (Sociedade Unipessoal por Quotas) – only 1 founder, who is responsible only for the value of the signed quota and also the word must be written in the name"Sociedade Unipessoal" or "Unipessoal" before the word limited or "Lda"
- Company under common name or partnership (Sociedade em Nome Colectivo);
- Partnership by shares or closed joint stock company (Sociedade por Quotas, Lda /Sociedade Limitada, Lda) – the amount of the authorized capital is 1 EUR or 5,000 EUR, the minimum number of founders is 2 people. The word must be in the title "Limitada" or "Lda.";
- Joint-stock company or open joint-stock company (Sociedade Anónima) the amount of the statutory fund is not less than 50,000 euros, the minimum number of founders is 5 people. The founders bear responsibility in proportion to the amount of their contribution to the company;
- Limited partnership or limited partnership (Sociedade em Comandita);
- Cooperative (Cooperativa) – non-profit association. The income is distributed according to the investments performed.