Company Registration in Portugal

In order for a business to be legally registered in Portugal, the law requires a specific incorporation procedure to be completed with the local Trade Register, known as the Commercial Registry. While the company registration is the most important function of the Portuguese Trade Register, this authority has various roles. In this article, you can find out information about the main aspects of the Trade Register, mentioning that our lawyers in Portugal can represent you in business registration.

Quick Facts
Trade Register in Portugal is known as	Commercial Registry/Registo Comercial
Types of entities that can be registered in Portugal	– limited liability company (LDA), – joint stock company, – sole proprietorship, – holding company, etc.
Applicable legislation	Commercial Companies Code (Código das Sociedades Comerciais)
Main role	Company incorporation
Other responsibilities	– records & maintains company information, – updates business data, – offers access to business data, – issues different types of documents, etc.
Required documents for company formation in Portugal	– proof of registered business address, – shareholders’ IDs/passports, – Articles of Association, – shareholders’ declaration on the capital contribution (the deposit may be made by the end of the first financial year).
Application forms	Provided by the Portuguese Trade Register
Name verification & reservation	The first step in company formation in Portugal. This procedure is done with the Commercial Registry.
Issuing the incorporation certificate	Once the enterprise is incorporated and ready to function.
Provides access to company data	Mostly free of charge. However, some services might be provided after paying a fee.
Business precautions in Portugal	Businessmen must obtain the Portuguese Tax Identification Number (NIF) before starting a company in Portugal.
Archiving company data	YES
Company changes that must be recorded	– changing business name/address, – modifying management and/or capital, etc.
Representative agent for company formation in Portugal	Recommended. This can be our Portuguese agent who can represent entrepreneurs in business formation with the Commercial Registry.
Working with our Portuguese lawyers	for complete & tailored services in opening a company in Portugal. Affordable prices for company formation services in Portugal.

Formalities to register a company in Portugal

Below are some of the main requirements for business registration in Portugal:

the process begins with the verification and reservation of the business name with the Portuguese Trade Register.
preparing the necessary documents for company registration in Portugal is another important step.
paying the incorporation fee is mandatory.
a standard form provided by the Commercial Registry in Portugal is also completed, which includes information about the company, activities, shareholders, etc.

With all these steps in place, officers from the Trade Register in Portugal will review the documents and issue a Certificate of Incorporation. If any additional documents or formalities are required, the authority will notify the applicant. In any case, our Portuguese lawyers can represent you with a power of attorney. You may also explore this infographic with details on this topic:

What documents are required for registering a business in Portugal?

Here are some of the documents required for registering a company in Portugal:

Articles and Memorandum of Association,
proof of registered business address in Portugal,
copies of shareholders’ ID and /or passports,
shareholders’ declaration on the share capital contribution and proof of payment of the incorporation fee.

The main functions of the Trade Register in Portugal

In addition to the company registration process & formalities, the Portuguese Commercial Registry has other functions:

records and archives all data of companies registered in Portugal.
provides public access to business information.
updates business changes once the company owners send notifications in this sense.
the Trade Register in Portugal serves as the official contact point for business owners.

Altering company data in Portugal

Company owners are required to notify the Portuguese Trade Register of any changes to their company. Here are the updates that must be registered with this authority:

when changing the business structure (ex., from a limited liability company to a joint stock company)
if the management structure has been modified.
if there are new shareholders or if they have been replaced.
if there are amendments to the share capital, etc.

These business updates can be registered with the Portuguese Commercial Registry using standard forms. Remember that our attorneys in Portugal can help you with this and can even be appointed as legal company representative agents. Please also check this video presentation:

https://youtu.be/ECEtPAkVVTI

Statistics on companies in Portugal

Below are some interesting data about the number of companies in Portugal:

there were around 539,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Portugal in 2024.
in the same year, approximately 4,719 startups were active in Portugal.

Ready to register a company in Portugal? You are invited to contact our law firm in Portugal and ask for legal representation with the Portuguese Commercial Registry. We guide you in all the formalities related to business registration in Portugal.