The state fee is small and fixed. What actually shapes your budget is the certified accountant you are legally required to have, the registered address, and the paperwork a non-resident founder needs before any of it can start. Below is the full breakdown, with the official figures separated from the ones that vary.
These are the costs of bringing the company into being. The official fees are fixed by the state and identical for everyone; the rest depends on your situation.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company registration (Empresa na Hora) | €360 | Fixed state fee. In person at a Loja do Cidadão or IRN office, using a pre-approved name. Company exists the same day. |
| Company registration (online) | €220 | Cheaper route via the online registry. Requires a Portuguese digital certificate or authorised representative. |
| Company name certificate | €0 – 150 | Free if you take a pre-approved name from the official list. €75 for your own name, €150 for urgent processing. |
| Share capital | from €1 | Legally €1 per quota-holder. It is your money, not a fee — but banks and counterparties read it as a signal, so most founders set more. |
| NIF for each founder | €0 – 250 | Free at a tax office in person. Non-residents outside the EU normally need a fiscal representative, which carries an annual fee. |
| Beneficial owner register (RCBE) | €0 | Free when filed together with incorporation. A separate later filing carries a small fee. |
| Certified translations & apostille | variable | Only if founders are foreign entities or documents are not in Portuguese. Usually a few hundred euro. |
| Notary route | higher | Only needed for complex structures, contributions in kind or bespoke articles. Most straightforward Ldas never see a notary. |
Which route you take is the first decision that moves the number.
In-person registration using a name from the pre-approved list. The company is incorporated and receives its number the same day.
Filed through the online commercial registry. Lower fee, but you need a Portuguese digital certificate or someone authorised to file for you.
Traditional incorporation before a notary. Necessary when articles are bespoke, capital is contributed in kind, or corporate shareholders are involved.
This is the part founders underestimate. A Portuguese company has obligations from day one, even with zero revenue.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certified accountant (Contabilista Certificado) | €60–250 / mo | Legally required. A Portuguese company cannot file IES or IRC without one, even dormant. Around €60–100 for a dormant entity; €150–250+ for an active company with VAT and payroll. |
| Registered address | €30–100 / mo | A compliant Portuguese seat. Cheaper than an office, and enough if your team is remote. |
| VAT (IVA) returns | included | Monthly or quarterly depending on turnover. Normally inside the accountant's retainer. |
| Payroll per employee | €15–30 / mo | Only if you hire. The employee's own cost is separate — and higher than the salary. |
| Annual filings (IES, Modelo 22) | included / €150+ | Sometimes inside the retainer, sometimes billed once a year. Worth confirming before you sign. |
| Corporate tax (IRC) | on profit | Only payable when you make a profit, plus municipal and state surtaxes. See our guide to Portuguese corporate tax. |
None of these are hidden by anyone in particular. They are simply left out of the headline number, and they are what turns a €360 registration into a real first-year budget.
Incorporation itself is fast. The steps around it are what set the real timeline for a non-resident founder.
Registration costs the same everywhere in Portugal. Everything after that does not. A desk in central Lisbon and a desk in Ponta Delgada are different businesses, and the islands have their own VAT and corporate rates.
Madeira's licensed business centre offers a 5% corporate rate to companies that meet real substance conditions. The Azores have the lowest VAT in the country at 16%.
It is entirely possible to register a Portuguese company for €220 and spend the next twelve months paying for that decision — wrong legal form, an accountant who does not answer, a structure that fails at the bank.
The setup fee is the one number that barely matters. We would rather quote you the whole thing honestly.
The questions founders send us before committing to a number.
Online registration at €220 with a pre-approved name, which costs nothing. That is the floor for official fees. But cheapest at registration is not cheapest overall — you still need a certified accountant every month, and the online route requires a Portuguese digital certificate or an authorised representative to file for you.
Yes. Portuguese law sets the minimum at €1 per quota-holder for an Lda. Practically, banks, landlords and counterparties read share capital as a signal of substance, and a company capitalised at €1 invites questions during account opening. Most founders set a figure that keeps incorporation cheap without looking like a weekend project.
Yes, and this surprises people. A Portuguese company must have a certified accountant (Contabilista Certificado) to file its IES and annual IRC return, regardless of whether it traded. A dormant entity is cheaper — roughly €60–100 a month rather than €150–250 — but the obligation does not disappear.
The registration fee is identical. What is added is the paperwork around it: a NIF for each founder, usually a fiscal representative if you are outside the EU, and sometimes certified translations or an apostille if a corporate shareholder is involved. Realistically this puts a non-resident first year in the €2,500–4,500 range once accounting and address are included.
Registration costs the same. Operating can be cheaper, and the Madeira International Business Centre offers a 5% corporate rate — but only to licensed companies that create qualifying jobs or make a defined investment on the island. That substance costs money. For a business that can genuinely be based there it is a real advantage; as a nameplate it is an expensive mistake.
Because the official fee is a small part of it. The difference is scope: whether NIFs, fiscal representation, bank introduction, VAT registration and the first months of accounting are included, or billed later. A low headline number usually means a short list. Ask what the twelve-month total looks like, not the setup price.
Tell us who the founders are, where they are resident and what the company will do. We will come back with a fixed scope covering setup, the first year of compliance and an explicit contingency.