The questions people ask us before opening a company in Portugal

As a rule, no: you can own a Portuguese company while living abroad. What changes is the practical side, such as whether you need a tax representative and which steps require your own authentication. Where the company is actually managed from can also matter for tax. That depends on your case, and we go through it in the first meeting, which is free.

As a rule, no. Whether to bring in a partner, and where that partner lives, is a business decision with tax consequences. We explain those consequences before you decide.

The NIF is your Portuguese tax number. You need it for almost everything: holding a share in a company, signing contracts, dealing with the Portuguese Tax Authority. It is the Tax Authority that issues it, and you can apply from abroad through someone holding a power of attorney from you. Whether you also need a tax representative depends on where you live and on what you do in Portugal. We prepare the request with you.

A tax representative is a person or entity resident in Portugal that receives the Tax Authority's correspondence on your behalf. It is required, as a rule, if you live outside the European Union and the European Economic Area. Since 2022 that obligation falls away if you sign up to the Tax Authority's electronic notifications. If you live in the EU or the EEA, appointing one is optional (article 19 of the General Tax Law).

A large part of it, yes: you send and receive information online and meetings can be by video call. Some steps require your presence or an authentication that only you can do. One example: access authorisation on the Tax Authority's online portal (Portal das Finanças) can only be given to an individual, never to a company. We tell you from the start what we can do for you and what has to be done by you.

English, Spanish or Portuguese, whichever you prefer. Um Vez Dois was born inside the SMARTIDIOM Group, a language services company, so working across languages is where we come from, not an extra. We already work with clients who came from Spain.

It depends on the structure you choose, on the documents you already have and on whether you already have a NIF. We would rather not give you a number that does not fit your case. In the first meeting we look at your situation and tell you the steps and what each one depends on.

The usual choice is between a single-member limited company (Unipessoal Lda.) and a limited company with two or more partners (Lda.). Both are the same type of company: what changes is the number of partners. The right answer depends on who the partners are, where they live and what you plan to do with the profits. We explain the tax and accounting consequences of each option before you decide, not at the year-end close.

We handle the accounting and tax side: looking at the structure with the numbers in front of you, the registration of activity, the Tax Authority and Social Security. The legal steps are handled by our partner lawyer. We stay with you through the whole process.

Send it to us as soon as it arrives, because the deadline runs whether or not you understood the letter. We read it, explain in your language what it asks for and by when, and deal with anything that only calls for a clarification or for documents to be sent.

There is no official price list. The price depends on the number of documents per month, the number of employees, the VAT regime, the sector and the services included, such as payroll or management support. At Um Vez Dois you receive a written proposal, with everything that is included, after a free first conversation.

Yes. We listen to your case, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, say what we would do, and only then talk about a proposal. You do not need to have decided anything to book it.

No. We detail the services included in your package, and any additional cost is communicated beforehand and approved by you. State fees, when they exist, are paid separately, directly to the entity.

Bank transfer or MB WAY.

Yes, with prior notice, except where there is a minimum-term contract. Everything is agreed in writing before we start.

Yes, you can. We explain everything to you step by step and handle the handover for you: we contact your previous accountant and receive the documentation. There is nothing for you to worry about.

We coordinate the transition with your current accountant, in Portuguese, and handle the transfer of information. The liaison work is ours, not yours.

As a rule between 2 and 6 weeks, depending on the complexity of the business. Normally there are no additional costs and, if there are, they are discussed beforehand.

The team member who follows your company, under the responsibility of a Certified Accountant, from the first day of the transition onwards. You can talk to us in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

You can switch accountant at any time of the year, and there is no tax or regulatory fine for switching. We explain everything step by step and handle the handover: by the rules of the profession, the new Certified Accountant contacts the previous one in writing, and the previous one hands over the documentation. Any notice period depends on your contract with them, usually 30 days.

Settle the account with your current accountant first. Under article 74 of the Statute of the Portuguese Order of Certified Accountants, the new accountant must confirm in writing with the previous one that the fees have been paid, and should not take over the accounts while knowing that fees are outstanding. If the amount is in dispute, talk to us before you move.

Yes, an accountant is mandatory for a company in Portugal. Every commercial company must keep organised accounts (article 123 of the Corporate Income Tax Code), and only a Certified Accountant registered with the Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados can take responsibility for them and sign the financial statements and the tax returns based on them.

The main filings for a small Portuguese company are: invoice data sent to the Tax Authority by day 5 of the following month; the payroll return (DMR) by day 10 and the tax withheld from salaries by day 20, if you pay salaries; Social Security contributions every month; the VAT return by day 20 of the second month after the period, quarterly below EUR 650,000 of turnover and monthly from that figure, with payment by day 25; three corporate tax payments on account, in July, September and by 15 December; the corporate tax return (Modelo 22) by the last day of May; and the IES by 15 July. The Government sometimes extends a deadline: we keep the calendar for you.

If you miss a tax deadline in Portugal, two things can follow: a fine for the late return or the late payment, and interest on any tax paid late, counted day by day until you pay. In some cases no fine is applied, for example where the State lost no revenue and the fault has already been corrected. Tell us as soon as you notice, so that we can check what can still be put right.

The corporate tax (IRC) rate in Portugal is 19% for tax periods starting in 2026. If your company qualifies as a small or medium-sized enterprise, the first EUR 50,000 of taxable profit is taxed at 15% and the rest at 19% (article 87 of the Corporate Income Tax Code and Law no. 64/2025). The law already sets the general rate at 18% for 2027 and 17% from 2028. A municipal surcharge may be added.

VAT in Portugal is charged on sales of goods and services at 23% on the mainland, with reduced rates of 13% and 6% for what the law lists. Your company registers for VAT before it starts trading, in the declaration of start of activity. Businesses based in Portugal with an annual turnover of up to EUR 15,000 may be exempt, but then they cannot deduct the VAT they pay (article 53 of the VAT Code).

You can be paid by your Portuguese company with a salary, with dividends, or with both. A director's salary is employment income: the company withholds income tax every month and Social Security is due. Dividends are paid out of profit that has already borne corporate tax, with 28% withheld at source (article 71 of the Personal Income Tax Code). If you live abroad, the tax treaty between Portugal and your country may limit that rate.

The minimum share capital for a Portuguese Lda. is set by the partners: the law lets you fix it freely, provided each partner's share is worth at least EUR 1 (article 219 of the Companies Code). In practice that means EUR 1 for a single-member limited company (Unipessoal Lda.) and EUR 2 for a limited company with two partners. The legal steps are handled by our partner lawyer.

A company director in Portugal is covered by Social Security by default, partner or not. An unpaid director is excluded only in specific cases: another activity that pays them more than the social support index (IAS) already places them in a compulsory scheme, Portuguese or a foreign one that coordinates with Portugal, or they are an old-age or invalidity pensioner (article 64 of the Contributions Code). Otherwise, contributions are due on at least the IAS.

Opening a Portuguese business bank account from abroad is possible in principle, because Portuguese rules allow accounts to be opened remotely as well as in person. Whether it happens in your case is decided by each bank, which must identify the company and the people who represent it and may ask for further documents. We cannot promise an outcome: ask the bank before you plan around it.

Yes, your company needs a registered address (sede). The law requires the registered office to be a specific, identified place, and it counts as the company's address for the Tax Authority, the courts and the commercial registry. Someone must reliably receive what arrives there, because deadlines run from delivery. The legal steps are handled by our partner lawyer.

The difference between a Unipessoal Lda. and being self-employed is who answers for the business. The company is a separate legal person: only its assets answer for its debts, it pays corporate tax and it needs a Certified Accountant. Self-employed, you and the business are the same person: you pay personal income tax, under a simplified regime up to EUR 200,000 a year, and your own Social Security.

The Chave Móvel Digital is the Portuguese State's digital key: it links your mobile phone number to your identity document so that you can log in to public and private websites and sign documents digitally. A foreigner can get one with a passport or a Portuguese residence permit or residence card. It is activated in person at a public service desk, including Portuguese consulates. The official site is autenticacao.gov.pt.

Yes, there is an English-speaking accountant in Leiria: Um Vez Dois, an accounting firm with offices in Leiria and Pombal, works in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Leiria: Avenida Dom João III, Edifício 2002, Entrada A, 3.º andar, 2400-164 Leiria. Pombal: Rua Dr. Luís Torres n.º 1, 1.º E, 3100-464 Pombal. The offices are open on working days from 9 am to 6 pm. Call +351 244 832 015 or write to geral@umvezdois.pt: we reply within 24 hours on working days, and the first meeting is free.

Yes, we can work with your accountant or tax adviser in your home country. With your written authorisation, we share the Portuguese figures and documents with them, in English or Spanish, and agree who does what: we answer for the Portuguese accounts and returns, and they answer for what you report at home.

Through the form on the Careers page: you attach your CV and the application reaches us straight away. We weigh up the technical side, but also adaptability, willingness to learn and empathy.

Yes, the My First Dream Job programme, lasting between 3 and 6 months and with an assigned mentor. We also take interns in other areas, such as Human Resources or Marketing.

Write to geral@umvezdois.pt or leave your number. We reply in your language, in words you can understand.