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Portugal offers international entrepreneurs an attractive entry point: CIT cut to 19% (2026), Madeira IBC 5% to 2033. The Portuguese Lda (sociedade por quotas) is the dominant corporate form for SMEs, holdings, and trading entities, and we hold a stock of pre-formed, never-traded Ldas ready for immediate ownership transfer through the Conservatória do Registo Comercial (CRC).
ShelfCompanies24 has been arranging company formation and the transfer of pre-registered Portuguese entities since 1995. We work with a network of Portuguese corporate-service providers, accountants, and banks to deliver a consolidated, start-to-finish service, whether you need your Portugal company ready in 48 hours or a brand-new one built from scratch in 5 days.
Ready-Made Shelf Companies in Portugal, buy a pre-registered Portuguese Lda with clean history and CRC entry. Transfer in 48 hours.
Company Formation in Portugal, register a new Portuguese Lda, SA or other Portuguese corporate vehicle. End-to-end service: CRC filing, tax registration, banking. 5 days timeline.
Bank Accounts for Portuguese Companies, corporate account introduction with banks active in Portugal. Multi-currency and online banking included.
| Legal form | Typical use | Liability |
|---|---|---|
| Lda | SME, default | Limited to share capital |
| SA | Listed/large | Limited to share capital |
Most Portugal clients choose the Lda (sociedade por quotas) for the combination of limited liability, ownership flexibility, and predictable CRC treatment.
The 2026 headline corporate tax position in Portugal is 19% / 15% SME first €50k / 5% Madeira IBC.
19% standard (cut from 20% in 2026); SMEs 15% on first €50k; Madeira regional 13.3%; Madeira IBC 5% to 31 Dec 2033. Path: 18% (2027) then 17% (2028).
VAT, withholding-tax, and treaty-network specifics are jurisdiction-dependent and best discussed in a free first call, your consultant will map your operational profile to the correct Portuguese tax treatment before you commit to a structure.
A Portuguese corporate bank account is critical to operating the company, and one of the practical bottlenecks foreign owners hit when they apply directly. Our consultant introduces you to the right banking partner for your profile (high-volume international transfers, EUR/USD/GBP multi-currency, e-commerce processing, custodial, or simple operating-account-only).
A pre-formed Portuguese Lda with clean CRC entry typically passes bank KYC more smoothly than a newly formed entity, which is why operators in a hurry to begin trading specifically request a shelf company.
Operators looking at Portugal often also evaluate similar jurisdictions:
Registering a company in Portugal is a sequence of filings rather than a single act. You settle the legal form, an Lda for most owners and an SA where the structure has to raise capital, clear the company name, agree the sede and the business purpose, obtain a Portuguese NIF for every foreign sócio and gerente, sign the pacto social and deposit the share capital. The file then goes to the Conservatória do Registo Comercial, which registers the company and issues the NIPC, and the beneficial owners are filed in the RCBE. On this route a new Lda is ready in 5 days. Where the deadline is tighter, a pre-formed Lda from our stock is transferred in 48 hours and can sign contracts from day one.
Shareholders and gerentes may be of any nationality and resident anywhere, so a Portuguese Lda can be wholly foreign owned and foreign managed. Two practical conditions do apply. Every shareholder, every gerente and the company itself needs a Portuguese tax number, and a shareholder or director whose tax address sits outside the EU and EEA must appoint a fiscal representative in Portugal before that number is issued.
With a pre-formed Portuguese Lda the share transfer is documented and the CRC update filed within 48 hours; the register amendment completes in 5 to 10 working days; you can sign contracts in the company’s name from day one. A newly formed Lda takes 5 days end-to-end because the Conservatória do Registo Comercial and the tax authority each add their own processing time.
Both are Portuguese corporate vehicles registered with the CRC. The Lda is the standard SME limited-liability form chosen by most operators. The SA is typically used for larger, capital-raising or listed structures. Most foreign owners arriving in Portugal pick the Lda unless they have a specific reason, listing plans, multiple investor classes, or a partner-structure preference, to choose otherwise.
You open a Portuguese company either by registering a new one or by taking over a pre-formed one. A new Lda needs a Portuguese NIF for each foreign owner and gerente, an approved name, a sede in Portugal, a stated business purpose, the share capital and a pacto social filed with the Conservatória do Registo Comercial, which registers the company and issues its NIPC. A pre-formed Lda already has all of that, so the work is the share transfer, the change of gerente and the registry update.
The 2026 headline rate in Portugal is 19% / 15% SME first €50k / 5% Madeira IBC. 19% standard (cut from 20% in 2026); SMEs 15% on first €50k; Madeira regional 13.3%; Madeira IBC 5% to 31 Dec 2033. Path: 18% (2027) then 17% (2028). VAT/sales-tax, withholding-tax on dividends, and treaty-network impact depend on your operating profile, a free first call with our consultant maps your business model to the correct Portuguese tax treatment.
Yes. An Lda can be owned and run entirely by non-residents: there is no Portuguese or EU residency, citizenship or work permit requirement for a sócio or a gerente, and a single foreign owner can hold the whole company through the Unipessoal Lda variant. Each foreign principal needs a Portuguese NIF before signing, which we apply for on your behalf. Everything else is signed remotely, by qualified electronic signature or at a Portuguese consulate.
No. Holding shares in a Portuguese Lda, or acting as its gerente, carries no visa or residence permit requirement, and the Conservatória do Registo Comercial does not ask about your immigration status. A visa matters only if you intend to live in Portugal yourself, which is a separate application to the Portuguese immigration authorities and has no bearing on the company registration. The company can be formed and traded from abroad in the meantime.
All ShelfCompanies24 shelf entities in Portugal were incorporated solely to be held in reserve. They have never traded, never opened a customer-facing bank account, never invoiced a third party, and never accumulated tax losses, so the CRC record shows pure dormancy. This avoids the loss-utilisation and beneficial-owner-disclosure complications that a real ex-trading company would carry.
Choose a shelf Lda when you need to be trading immediately, when banking onboarding speed matters, or when a counterparty insists on dealing with an established legal entity. Choose new formation when you want to design the constitution, share classes, or registered name from scratch and you can wait 5 days for the CRC entry. Both options come with the same service, banking introduction, and post-formation support.
Portuguese company records are public. Every entity registered with the Conservatória do Registo Comercial carries a NIPC and its registration is published at publicacoes.mj.pt, while the certidão permanente shows the current name, sede, objeto social, capital, sócios and gerentes. Beneficial owners above the 25% control threshold sit in the RCBE, which is not open to general public search the way the commercial register is. Before any transfer we hand you a fresh Conservatória extract.
Ready to discuss your Portugal corporate setup? Contact our Portuguese desk, we reply within one working day with a service tailored to your needs. Specify whether you want a pre-formed Lda ready in 48 hours or a fresh formation taking 1 to 3 weeks.