RCBE regime (annex to Law No. 89/2017) · Chapter VII · Supervision and penalties

Article 38 Criminal and civil liability

Artigo 38.º · Responsabilidade criminal e civil

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

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Anyone who makes false declarations for the purposes of registering the beneficial owner shall, in addition to incurring criminal liability under Article 348-A of the Criminal Code, be liable in civil law for the damage caused.

Quem prestar falsas declarações para efeitos de registo do beneficiário efetivo, para além da responsabilidade criminal em que incorre, nos termos do artigo 348.º-A do Código Penal, responde civilmente pelos danos a que der causa.

What we checked in this article

The reference to Article 348-A of the Criminal Code and the cumulative civil liability for damage caused are retained.

Need to file or update the RCBE declaration? Article 38 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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