Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · Portugal
Company registration in Portugal themainland or the Madeira regime
A comfortable European jurisdiction with a special regime on Madeira, where the reduced rate depends on hiring and investment. Everything starts with tax numbers for the founders.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Tax numbers for the founders
- 02Name approval and preparation of the articles
- 03Incorporation with the registry
- 04Registered address for the first year
- 05Tax registration and a Portuguese accountant
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who Portugal suits
- IT and services with European clients
- Businesses relocating a team to the country
- International trade through the Madeira regime
- Founders planning to live in Portugal
- Companies ready to hire locally
- You expect the Madeira rate with no hiring and no investment
- A fully remote company with no local accountant
- You are counting on anonymity: the registry is public
- There is no willingness to work with Portuguese-language filings
Company types
What company you can open in Portugal
The private limited company is the working form; the Madeira regime is applied on top of it.
A company with limited liability and a symbolic minimum capital.
- For whom
- Services, IT, trade, small manufacturing.
- Advantage
- Low entry cost and fast registration.
- Limit
- A Portuguese accountant is mandatory from day one.
A company with share capital and a board structure.
- For whom
- Larger businesses and structures raising capital.
- Advantage
- Higher standing and flexible share classes.
- Limit
- Higher capital requirement and heavier governance.
A company licensed to operate under the special regime with a reduced rate.
- For whom
- International trade, services and shipping.
- Advantage
- A materially lower corporate rate on qualifying income.
- Limit
- Requires job creation and, above certain levels, investment.
Founders need a Portuguese tax number before incorporation; non-residents also need a fiscal representative in some cases.
Comparison
Mainland Portugal or Madeira
The same country, two very different tax outcomes.
| Mainland | Madeira regime | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | the standard rate plus surcharges | a materially reduced rate on qualifying income |
| Conditions | none beyond ordinary rules | job creation and, above thresholds, investment |
| Type of income | any | primarily international activity |
| Substance | ordinary | genuine presence on the island |
| Set-up complexity | straightforward | licence application required |
| Upkeep cost | medium | higher, including payroll |
| Who it suits better | local operations and services | international trade with real jobs |
The Madeira rate is real, but it is paid for with jobs and investment. Without hiring, the mainland is the honest answer.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in Portugal
The regime, the hiring plan and the VAT position drive the decision.
What we check
- Whether the Madeira regime is realistic for your business
- How many people you can employ locally
- What investment can be committed if required
- Whether the income qualifies as international activity
- Whether a VAT number is needed from day one
- Who will act as manager and where they live
- Which bank is prepared to work with the profile
- Whether the founder plans to relocate
- How the source of capital is evidenced
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
The reduced rate on Madeira applies to a capped amount of income, and the cap depends on the number of jobs created. We model it before you apply.
Licensing
Activities and licences
Most business needs no licence; the Madeira regime requires its own authorisation.
No licence required.
No licence; VAT registration is standard.
Requires a licence to operate within the international business centre.
The Madeira shipping register offers dedicated arrangements.
Authorised by the securities market commission or the central bank.
Requires sector registrations.
What sets the licence
- Whether the Madeira licence is being sought
- How many jobs will be created
- Whether a VAT number is needed
- Whether the activity is regulated
- Planned turnover
- Which bank will serve the company
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios. The amount depends on the regime and the hiring plan.
from $1 600
An EU entity for contracts and invoicing
1-2 weeks
Included
- Tax numbers for the founders
- Name approval and preparation of the articles
- Incorporation with the registry
- Registered address for the first year
- Tax registration and a Portuguese accountant
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- Registry fees
Not included
- The Madeira licence
- The bank account — handled as a separate stage
from $2 500
An operating business with EU settlements
3-8 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- VAT and EU VAT registration
- Bank profile and submission to suitable banks
- Monthly accounting set-up
- Support with correspondence with the tax authority
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the bank decides
from $4 800
International trade with local jobs
from 6 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company, VAT and account package
- Licence application for the international business centre
- Hiring plan and payroll set-up
- Office on the island
- Monitoring of the regime conditions
- Annual support of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- Licence fees
- Employer contributions
- Rent
Registry fees, licence fees and employer contributions appear as separate lines in the quote.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the activity, the regime, hiring and banking. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: Madeira projects are modelled individually.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Obtained before incorporation, including for non-residents.
Where required for non-resident participants.
Application and periodic returns.
A Portuguese accountant, monthly filings and annual accounts.
Employer registration and monthly administration.
Application and monitoring of the conditions.
Selection of a bank or a payment institution.
Proper closure of the company.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
Portuguese banks are approachable but paperwork-heavy, and they want tax numbers in place.
The activity, the customers, expected turnover, the local presence and the source of funds.
The corporate set, tax numbers, manager identification and a description of the business.
With Portuguese banks, and with European payment institutions for cross-border flows.
We prepare the file, arrange the appointment and run the submission through to the result.
Everything in Portugal moves through the tax number. Without it neither the company nor the account can proceed, so we start there.
Tax
Taxes in Portugal
The mainland rate carries surcharges; Madeira offers a reduced rate with conditions.
The standard rate applies to taxable profit, with a reduced rate on the first band for small companies.
Charged by the municipality on top of the corporate rate.
Applies to higher levels of profit in progressive bands.
A materially reduced rate on qualifying international income, capped by reference to jobs created.
The standard rate applies on the mainland, with lower rates in the autonomous regions.
Owning a foreign company creates obligations in the beneficiary country of residence.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: eligibility for the Madeira regime is assessed case by case.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected remotely; documents are translated into Portuguese.
- 01Passport with a certified copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Portuguese tax number
- 04Description of the planned activity
- 05Evidence of the source of funds
Tax numbers for all founders come first; without them the registry will not accept the incorporation.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
Upkeep is moderate; the Madeira regime adds payroll and monitoring.
Renewed annually.
A mandatory appointment throughout the year.
Filed monthly or quarterly depending on turnover.
Prepared and submitted after the year end.
Filed together with the annual reporting.
Filed and paid monthly where staff are employed.
Job numbers and investment monitored against the regime requirements.
Periodic requests from the bank.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Registered address
- Certified accountant
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts and the simplified business information filing
- Corporate tax return
- Payroll and contributions
- Madeira conditions
- Bank compliance
- Registered address
- Certified accountant
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts and the simplified business information filing
- Corporate tax return
- Payroll and contributions
- Madeira conditions
- Bank compliance
- Registered address
- Certified accountant
- VAT returns
- Annual accounts and the simplified business information filing
- Corporate tax return
- Payroll and contributions
- Madeira conditions
- Bank compliance
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Activity, regime, hiring, VAT, banking.
One meetingObtaining numbers for the founders and, where needed, a fiscal representative.
3-10 daysWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
1-2 daysFiling with the registry and issue of the documents.
3-7 daysRegistration and, where sought, the regime application.
2-8 weeksBank file, the appointment and account opening.
The bank sets the timingThe outcome is an EU company on the right regime: tax numbers, full documents, a VAT number, an account and a Portuguese accountant in place.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessThe customers are EU companies; an EU counterparty and VAT are required.
DirectionAn operating company in the EU with a VAT number and reporting.
BankingAn EU bank looks at contracts, turnover and presence.
BusinessDevelopment, consulting and digital work for European clients.
DirectionA company with the relevant activity and local accounting.
BankingCustomer contracts and payment providers are required.
BusinessSupplies of goods between EU countries.
DirectionA company with VAT and VIES registration.
BankingThe bank checks the supply chain and the counterparties.
BusinessHolding shares in EU companies and distributing profit.
DirectionA holding structure set up with the directives and tax treaties in mind.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
The reduced rate is earned with jobs and investment. Without them it does not apply.
Nothing moves in Portugal without them, so we obtain them first.
Municipal and state surcharges change the effective rate materially.
A certified accountant is mandatory from day one, not optional.
Address, accounting, VAT, payroll — three years ahead.
Accounts, returns and changes stay with us.
FAQ
Questions and answers
The standard rate applies on the mainland, plus municipal and state surcharges. A reduced rate applies to the first band of profit for small companies.
A licensed regime within the international business centre offering a materially reduced rate on qualifying international income.
Job creation, and above certain levels an investment in fixed assets. The benefit is capped by reference to the jobs created.
Yes, all founders need one before incorporation.
One to two weeks once the tax numbers are in place.
Yes, a certified accountant must be appointed from the start.
Realistic, though the process is document-heavy and usually requires an appointment.
Yes, normally within a few weeks of incorporation.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us what the company will do and whether you can hire locally. We will decide between the mainland and Madeira, obtain the tax numbers and prepare the launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.