Chapter III · Registration procedure

Article 36 European public limited-liability companies

Artigo 36.º · Sociedades anónimas europeias

Código do Registo Comercial · Decree-Law No. 403/86 · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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1. Registration of the formation of a European public limited-liability company (SE) by merger or conversion, or of the formation of a holding or subsidiary European public limited-liability company, is effected on the basis of the articles of association.

1 - O registo de constituição de uma sociedade anónima europeia por fusão ou transformação ou de constituição de uma sociedade anónima europeia gestora de participações sociais ou filial é efectuado com base no contrato de sociedade.

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2. For registration of the formation of a holding European public limited-liability company, evidence must also be provided of the prior disclosure, in respect of all the promoting companies, that the conditions on which such formation depends have been fulfilled, as provided in the applicable Community legislation.

2 - Para o registo de constituição de sociedade anónima europeia gestora de participações sociais deve ainda ser comprovada a prévia publicitação, relativamente a todas as sociedades promotoras, da verificação das condições de que depende essa constituição, nos termos previstos na legislação comunitária aplicável.

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3. Registration or mention of the fulfilment of the conditions on which the formation of a holding European public limited-liability company with its registered office in Portugal depends is made on the basis of the instrument of incorporation of that company.

3 - O registo ou menção da verificação das condições de que depende a constituição de uma sociedade anónima europeia gestora de participações sociais com sede em Portugal é feito com base no acto de constituição dessa sociedade.

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4. Registration of an amendment of the statutes of a European public limited-liability company by which the transfer of its registered office to Portugal is disclosed is effected on the basis of the document formalising that amendment, in which the transfer of registered office is declared and the articles of association by which the company is henceforth to be governed are set out.

4 - O registo de alteração dos estatutos de uma sociedade anónima europeia pelo qual seja publicitada a transferência de sede daquela para Portugal é efectuado com base no documento que formalize essa alteração, no qual seja declarada a transferência da sede e exarado o contrato pelo qual a sociedade passa a reger-se.

What we checked in this article

The documentary bases for registering SE formation (articles of association), the prior disclosure of fulfilled conditions for a holding SE, registration of those conditions on the instrument of incorporation, and the documents for an inbound SE transfer of seat are retained.

Registering an act under Article 36?

We file registrations at the commercial registry for foreign-owned companies: incorporations, share transfers, manager changes, capital changes, branches, filing of accounts and closures. In English, fixed fees, with the registry fee shown separately.

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

Registry work in Portugal, done right the first time

A refused or provisional registration costs weeks. We prepare the documents the registrar expects, file them and follow the application until it is definitive.

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