What It Actually Costs to Set Up a Company in Portugal (2026)

Ask three providers what it costs to set up a company in Portugal and you will get three numbers that cannot be compared, because each one leaves something different out. The registry fee. The name certificate. The accountant you are legally required to have. The fiscal representative your non-resident shareholders need. This article puts every number on the table, the way we show them at checkout.

The mandatory costs: what the Portuguese state charges

These are the same for everyone, whoever handles your incorporation:

• Company registration fee: €360. Paid to the commercial registry when the company is incorporated.
• Name approval certificate: €75. The certificado de admissibilidade reserves your company name before incorporation.

That is €435 in government fees, full stop. Any quote that does not mention them is €435 short. If you need the company urgently, the registry offers a state fast-track for an additional urgency fee of €360, which brings registration down to as little as one week.

Professional fees: what varies between providers

This is where quotes diverge. At Portugal & Co, incorporation is €1,500: drafting of the articles of association, the full corporate documentation, registry filing, the company’s tax number (NIF) and tax registrations, and 90 days of post-incorporation support. It is attorney-led work; in Portugal, drafting corporate legal instruments is reserved to admitted lawyers and certain regulated professionals, which is precisely the part low-cost filing services cannot lawfully do for you.

Costs that depend on your situation

None of these are hidden; they simply do not apply to everyone. A serious quote asks about them upfront.

• NIF and fiscal representation for non-resident shareholders: €250 per shareholder. Every shareholder needs a Portuguese tax number. Shareholders resident outside the EU/EEA also need a fiscal representative in Portugal.
• Registered office: €600 for the first year. Every Portuguese company needs a registered address. If you have no premises in Portugal, this provides one, with mail handling.
• Accounting: €1,200 for the first year. This one surprises people: a Portuguese company is required to have a certified accountant (contabilista certificado) from day one, even before it invoices a single euro. Ongoing packages run from €150 per month afterwards.
• Corporate bank account opening: €750. We open the account at a Portuguese bank under power of attorney and prepare the full compliance pack, including source-of-funds documentation, so you do not need to travel or attend a branch. Banking is the pacing item of most setups, so preparation matters more than it looks.

One-off extras to budget for

• Power of attorney notarisation: roughly €150 to €400, charged by the notary in your country, if you incorporate remotely without travelling.
• Apostille: cost varies by country; you arrange it locally where your documents are issued.
• Share capital: not a cost, but a requirement. The legal minimum for an Lda is €1 per quota; in practice most companies incorporate with €1,000 to €10,000, and the money remains the company’s to use.

Two worked examples

Single founder, EU resident, has premises in Portugal. Incorporation €1,500 + government fees €435. Total: €1,935. Add accounting (€1,200) when activity starts.

Two non-resident shareholders, full remote setup. Incorporation €1,500 + government fees €435 + two NIFs with fiscal representation €500 + registered office €600 + first-year accounting €1,200 + corporate bank account opening €750. Total: €4,985, of which €435 goes to the state. Most configurations land between €2,200 and €4,150.

What the cheap quotes leave out

When a provider advertises incorporation for a few hundred euros, the difference is rarely efficiency. It is usually one of four things: government fees billed later, no accountant included when the law requires one, no fiscal representation for the shareholders who need it, or legal drafting done by people who are not allowed to do it. The cost does not disappear; it moves to an invoice you have not seen yet, or to a problem you will meet at the bank or the tax office.

Our approach is simpler: every module priced individually, every number shown at checkout before you pay, and a delivery guarantee: if we do not deliver your company within six weeks for reasons within our control, we refund our fee.