Chapter III · Group relationships · Section III · Subordination agreement

Article 503 Right to give instructions

Artigo 503.º · Direito de dar instruções

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

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1. From the publication of the subordination agreement, the directing company has the right to give binding instructions to the management body of the subordinate company.

1 - A partir da publicação do contrato de subordinação, a sociedade directora tem o direito de dar à administração da sociedade subordinada instruções vinculantes.

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2. Unless the agreement provides otherwise, instructions that are disadvantageous to the subordinate company may be given if they serve the interests of the directing company or of the other companies in the same group. In no case shall instructions to perform acts that are in themselves prohibited by statutory provisions not relating to the functioning of companies be lawful.

2 - Se o contrato não dispuser o contrário, podem ser dadas instruções desvantajosas para a sociedade subordinada, se tais instruções servirem os interesses da sociedade directora ou das outras sociedades do mesmo grupo. Em caso algum serão lícitas instruções para a prática de actos que em si mesmos sejam proibidos por disposições legais não respeitantes ao funcionamento de sociedades.

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3. If instructions are given for the management body of the subordinate company to carry out a transaction which, by law or under the articles of association, depends on the opinion or consent of another body of the subordinate company, and that opinion or consent is not given, the instructions must be complied with if, following the refusal, they are repeated together with the consent or favourable opinion of the corresponding body of the directing company, if it has one.

3 - Se forem dadas instruções para a administração da sociedade subordinada efectuar um negócio que, por lei ou pelo contrato de sociedade, dependa de parecer ou consentimento de outro órgão da sociedade subordinada e este não for dado, devem as instruções ser acatadas se, verificada a recusa, elas forem repetidas, acompanhadas do consentimento ou parecer favorável do órgão correspondente da sociedade directora, caso esta o tenha.

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4. The directing company is prohibited from ordering the transfer of assets of the subordinate company to other companies of the group without fair consideration, except in the case of Article 502.

4 - É proibido à sociedade directora determinar a transferência de bens do activo da sociedade subordinada para outras sociedades do grupo sem justa contrapartida, a não ser no caso do artigo 502.º

What we checked in this article

The start of the right on publication, the permissibility of disadvantageous instructions unless the agreement provides otherwise, the bar on unlawful acts, the repeat-instruction mechanism and the ban on asset transfers without fair consideration save under Article 502 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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