RCBE regime (annex to Law No. 89/2017) · Chapter I · General provisions

Article 1 Central Register of Beneficial Owners

Artigo 1.º · Registo Central de Beneficiário Efetivo

Lei n.º 89/2017 and the annexed Regime Jurídico do RCBE · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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The Central Register of Beneficial Owners (RCBE) consists of a database containing adequate, accurate and current information on the natural person or persons who, even if indirectly or through a third party, hold ownership or effective control of the entities subject to it.

O Registo Central de Beneficiário Efetivo (RCBE) é constituído por uma base de dados, com informação suficiente, exata e atual sobre a pessoa ou as pessoas singulares que, ainda que de forma indireta ou através de terceiro, detêm a propriedade ou o controlo efetivo das entidades a ele sujeitas.

What we checked in this article

The register's content (adequate, accurate and current information on natural persons holding ownership or effective control, including indirectly or through a third party) is retained.

Need to file or update the RCBE declaration? Article 1 is where it starts.

We file initial RCBE declarations, updates and annual confirmations for Portuguese companies with foreign owners, and map the ownership chain so the beneficial owner is identified correctly. Fixed fee, done in English.

Unofficial English translation prepared by BCA Portugal for reference. Only the Portuguese text published in the Diário da República has legal force. Editorial notes are ours and are not part of the statute.

Applying the law

The RCBE declaration, filed correctly the first time

A missing or wrong declaration blocks dividend payments, public contracts and bank onboarding. Send us the ownership chart; we identify the beneficial owners, file the declaration and keep it current.

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