What company formation in Portugal costs. All of it. Stated plainly.

The full fee structure for registering a Portuguese company through BCA — from NIF acquisition to substance support and optional add-ons. Government fees and disbursements are listed separately, not buried in the totals.
Fees & Charges in Portugal
PRE-REGISTRATION

NIF — Portuguese tax number

Required for every non-resident shareholder and director before registration can begin.


A Número de Identificação Fiscal is a prerequisite for company formation in Portugal. Every individual involved in the ownership or management structure needs one. We obtain these through a fiscal representative — no travel to Portugal required.

Standard NIF acquisition (3-7 working days)
€350
Priority NIF acquisition (2–3 working days)
€600
FORMATION PACKAGE
Company registration — full package
Everything required to bring the entity into legal existence and operational readiness.
€
1,500
Registration coordination
End-to-end management of the formation process: name availability check, Pacto Socialpreparation, coordination with the commercial registry (Conservatória do Registo Comercial), company tax number (NIPC) acquisition, and registration confirmation. We manage the process; you review and approve the documents.
Company NIF registration
Enrolment of the company with the Portuguese tax authority (Autoridade Tributária) and coordination of all related submissions.
Tax registration
Preparation and filing of the initial tax registration: determination of the tax profile, selection of activity codes (CAE), and alignment with the intended business model. This step has more downstream consequence than it appears to — we cover this in detail on the formation page.
Banking preparation and compliance profile
Preparation of the structured documentation package for bank onboarding: business description, ownership structure, source of funds narrative, and selection of appropriate banking institutions for non-resident-owned companies at the current time.
Post-registration setup
Guidance on initial operational requirements: accounting configuration, invoicing structure, tax calendar, and the compliance obligations that activate in the first weeks and months after registration.
All prices exclude VAT where applicable. Government fees, notary costs, and registry disbursements are not included in service fees unless explicitly stated — they are listed separately in each section below.
Government fees and disbursements (additional — not included in the €1,500 service fee)

Item

Indicative cost

Commercial registry fee (Registo Comercial)

€200 – €380

Name reservation via RNPC (if custom name required)

€75 – €150

Notary fees (if applicable to the specific structure)

€150 – €400


Government fees are set by Portuguese authorities and are subject to change. We confirm the exact amounts applicable to your structure before submission.
TAX SETUP. Optional — recommended for most structures
VAT, VIES, and EORI — for companies with cross-border operations.
€
1,000

Relevant for companies that will invoice clients outside Portugal — whether elsewhere in the EU or internationally. Not required for companies operating exclusively within the Portuguese domestic market, but advisable to review in either case.

VAT registration (if applicable)
Preparation and submission of the VAT registration application to the Autoridade Tributária.
VIES registration
Registration for intra-community transactions — required for companies supplying goods or services to VAT-registered businesses in other EU member states.
EORI number
Registration for the Economic Operators Registration and Identification number — required for companies involved in international trade and customs procedures.
VAT / IVA obligation assessment
Analysis of VAT obligations based on the business model: whether registration is required, at what threshold, and how intra-EU supplies and exports are treated. Portuguese VAT logic is not uniform — the treatment depends on whether the supply is B2B or B2C, and whether the client is EU or non-EU. Errors here compound across filing periods.
SUBSTANCE AND ONGOING SUPPORT
Registered address, correspondence handling, and operational presence in Portugal.
Essential
€150
per month. (€1,800 / year)

For companies that need a compliant registered address and basic correspondence handling.


Included:

  1. Registered address in Lisbon (sede social — official company address for corporate and tax purposes)
  2. Official correspondence handling — receipt and forwarding
  3. .pt domain registration and initial digital presence setup
  4. Local communication setup — Portuguese SIM card and basic operational readiness

Support level: Standard — no dedicated adviser; individual queries handled separately.

Minimum commitment: Annual contract.

Select
Operational
€350
per month. (€4,200 / year)

For companies that need active administrative presence and ongoing correspondence management.


Included:

  1. Everything in Essential, plus:
  2. Priority handling of time-sensitive correspondence
  3. Full correspondence management — scanning, forwarding, systematic filing
  4. Analysis and explanation of incoming official communications (tax authority, registry, banks)
  5. .pt domain registration and basic landing page development
  6. Ongoing coordination with Portuguese administrative authorities
  7. Dedicated support for individual administrative queries

Support level: Extended — includes dedicated support and management of individual administrative matters.

  • Minimum commitment: Annual contract.
Select
Optional Services
Power of Attorney
€300
Preparation of the POA document and coordination with a Portuguese notary, including guidance on format and use within the registration procedure. Required for remote signatories in certain steps.
Certified translation
€45
Translation of one page (approximately 1,800 characters), certified by a translator recognised for official use in Portugal. Rate is per page; multi-page documents quoted on request.
Bank account opening support
€1,500
Accompaniment through the corporate account opening process: document preparation, bank selection guidance, and coordination during the application review. Account opening is subject to bank approval — we do not guarantee the outcome, and no one should.
Bank refusal response and resubmission
€1,000
Analysis of the refusal, preparation of an enhanced compliance dossier (activity description, ownership structure, source of funds narrative), and support in identifying and approaching alternative institutions.
Tax residency and permanent establishment assessment
€1,500
Analysis of tax residency risk and permanent establishment exposure based on the business model, management structure, and actual presence — with recommendations on how to structure operations in Portugal correctly.
Local director
€600
Provision of a local director for structural and compliance purposes, without involvement in operational decision-making. Relevant for structures that require a Portuguese-resident director for banking or regulatory reasons.
FULL COST SUMMARY
What a standard formation typically costs, end to end.
For a straightforward Lda. with one to two shareholders, no complex structure, and a requirement for registered address support.
Bank account opening support (€1,500) is additional if required. Power of attorney (€300) is required for fully remote formations where the shareholder cannot sign in person or via Portuguese notary.

For context: The figures above represent the legal and advisory cost of formation. They do not include the pilot campaign or market entry budget — those are covered separately on the Cost of EU Market Entry page. The formation cost is the same whether you intend to test the market first or launch immediately.

→ See: Cost of EU Market Entry
HOW TO PROCEED
Ready to start, or need to talk through the structure first?

Essential:
Company formation package — €1,500 + VAT
Proceed with the Engagement