Chapter III · Shares · Section III · Own shares

Article 323 Period for which shares may be held

Artigo 323.º · Tempo de detenção das acções

Código das Sociedades Comerciais · Decree-Law No. 262/86 · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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1. Without prejudice to other time limits or measures laid down by law, the company may not hold, for more than three years, a number of shares exceeding the amount laid down in Article 317(2), even if they were lawfully acquired.

1 - Sem prejuízo de outros prazos ou providências estabelecidos na lei, a sociedade não pode deter por mais de três anos um número de acções superior ao montante estabelecido no artigo 317.º, n.º 2, ainda que tenham sido licitamente adquiridas.

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2. Shares unlawfully acquired by the company must be disposed of within the year following the acquisition, where the law does not declare the acquisition void.

2 - As acções ilicitamente adquiridas pela sociedade devem ser alienadas dentro do ano seguinte à aquisição, quando a lei não decretar a nulidade desta.

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3. If the disposals provided for in the preceding paragraphs have not been made in due time, the shares that should have been disposed of must be cancelled; in the case of shares whose acquisition was lawful, the cancellation must apply to those most recently acquired.

3 - Não tendo sido oportunamente efectuadas as alienações previstas nos números anteriores, deve proceder-se à anulação das acções que houvessem de ser alienadas; relativamente a acções cuja aquisição tenha sido lícita, a anulação deve recair sobre as mais recentemente adquiridas.

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4. The directors are liable, under the general rules, for the losses suffered by the company, its creditors or third parties as a result of the unlawful acquisition of shares, the cancellation of shares required by this article or the failure to cancel shares.

4 - Os administradores são responsáveis, nos termos gerais, pelos prejuízos sofridos pela sociedade, seus credores ou terceiros por causa da aquisição ilícita de acções, da anulação de acções prescrita neste artigo ou da falta de anulação de acções.

What we checked in this article

The three-year holding limit above the Article 317(2) threshold, the one-year disposal period for unlawfully acquired shares, cancellation of the most recently acquired shares, and the directors' liability are retained.

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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.

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