Chapter III · Articles of association · Section III · The company before registration. Invalidity of the articles

Article 42 Nullity of registered articles of association of a private limited company, a public limited company or a partnership limited by shares

Artigo 42.º · Nulidade do contrato de sociedade por quotas, anónima ou em comandita por acções registado

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

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1. After definitive registration of the articles of association of a private limited company, a public limited company or a partnership limited by shares, the articles may be declared void only on one of the following grounds:

1 - Depois de efectuado o registo definitivo do contrato de sociedade por quotas, anónima ou em comandita por acções, o contrato só pode ser declarado nulo por algum dos seguintes vícios:

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a) Absence of the minimum of two founding members, except where the law permits incorporation by a single person;

a) Falta do mínimo de dois sócios fundadores, salvo quando a lei permita a constituição da sociedade por uma só pessoa;

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b) Failure to state the company's business name, registered office, object or capital, or the value of a member's contribution or payments made on account of it;

b) Falta de menção da firma, da sede, do objecto ou do capital da sociedade, bem como do valor da entrada de algum sócio ou de prestações realizadas por conta desta;

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c) Specification of an object which is unlawful or contrary to public policy;

c) Menção de um objecto ilícito ou contrário à ordem pública;

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d) Failure to comply with the statutory requirements for the minimum paid-up share capital;

d) Falta de cumprimento dos preceitos legais que exigem a liberação mínima do capital social;

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e) Failure to observe the form legally required for the articles of association.

e) Não ter sido observada a forma legalmente exigida para o contrato de sociedade.

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2. Defects arising from the omission or nullity of the company's business name and registered office, or of the value of a member's contribution and payments made on account of it, may be cured by a resolution of the members adopted in accordance with the rules governing resolutions amending the articles.

2 - São sanáveis por deliberação dos sócios, tomada nos termos estabelecidos para as deliberações sobre alteração do contrato, os vícios decorrentes de falta ou nulidade da firma e da sede da sociedade, bem como do valor da entrada de algum sócio e das prestações realizadas por conta desta.

What we checked in this article

The exhaustive registered-company grounds and the narrower list of curable defects remain distinct.

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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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