Interested parties no longer have to obtain, in advance, a certificate of company admissibility from the National Registry of Companies (RNPC), nor is necessary to sign a public deed.

During the incorporation procedure, the definitive legal person identification card is handed over, the Social Security number is given, and the company received immediately its memorandum, articles of association and an extract of the entry in the Commercial Register.

Through the "Empresa na Hora" (On the Spot Firm) service, Portugal has thus become one country in Europe where setting up a company is now:

fast, taking an average of 37m;

less bureaucratic, requiring the completion of a single form;

one of the cheapest (costing about 360 euros).

Given this, and in order to help you, we have created a video, prepared a set of faq's and listed all items needed for the process, so you can be prepared when it comes the time to open your Portuguese company.

Procedure for incorporating a firm

Through this "Empresa na Hora" initiative, you will be able to set up a "one-man" company, a private limited company or a PLC, on the spot, at just one desk. The process of setting up companies through this initiative is extremely simple, as you may check in our video.

If the members of the future company are private individuals, they will need to take with them:

their Tax Identification Card;

an Identification document (identity card or passport);

their Social Security Card (optional).

In the case of legal persons/corporations, you will need to show:

the Legal/corporate person tax identification or identity card;

a current extract of the entry in the Commercial Registry;

the Minutes of the General Meeting granting powers of company incorporation.

Other Information

This service costs 360.00€. This amount is payable at the time of incorporation, in cash, ATM or certified or bank cheque or postal order, in either case payable to "Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado", I.P.. Foreign cheques will not be accepted.

The memorandum and articles of association will be prepared and the registration of the company will be carried out there and then.

You will straightaway be issued with a copy of the entry in the commercial register, the legal/corporate person identification card and the social security number of the company.

As soon as the company is set up, you will be able to submit a Statement of Start-up of Activity at the help desk, for tax purposes, duly completed and signed by the Accountant. If you do not do this on the spot, it must be done within 15 days of the incorporation.

Within no more than 5 working days of incorporation, the members must deposit the sum of the share capital in any bank, in the name of the company.