Cost of Opening a Company (Lda.) in Portugal

Opening a company in Portugal is cheap by European standards, but the total depends on the route you take and on how much of the process you want handled for you. Here is every cost, one-off and recurring.

One-off government fees

Item	Cost
Online registration (Empresa Online), pre-approved articles	€220
Online registration (Empresa Online), custom articles	€360
Empresa na Hora (same-day appointment, pre-approved name and articles)	€360
Name approval certificate (certificado de admissibilidade)	€75
Urgent name approval certificate	€150

If you pick a name from the government's pre-approved list you don't need the name certificate. Registering a trademark at the same time costs extra.

The legal minimum is €1 per quota, so a single-member company can technically be formed with €1. In practice banks, landlords and suppliers look at share capital as a sign of seriousness, so many founders choose €5,000 or more. The capital isn't a fee: it belongs to the company and can be used for business expenses. Partners can defer paying it in until the end of the company's first financial year.

Professional fees

The registration is filed by a lawyer, who also handles the surrounding paperwork. Professional fees cover:

preparing and filing the registration;
drafting custom articles of association or a shareholder agreement;
obtaining NIF numbers and acting as, or arranging, a fiscal representative;
reviewing foreign corporate documents.

At GetLDA.pt our packages are €1,000 (Standard, pre-approved articles) and €1,250 (Premium, custom articles and full support), plus government fees. Prices exclude VAT where applicable.

Costs for foreign partners

If a partner is a foreign company, or individuals present foreign documents, budget for:

Apostilles or consular legalisation in the country of origin;
Certified translations into Portuguese;
Power of attorney for the person signing on the partner's behalf.

These costs vary widely by country.

Recurring costs after incorporation

Item	Typical cost
Certified accountant (mandatory)	Often €100–€300 per month for a small company, depending on volume
Registered office / virtual office (if needed)	Around €50 per month
Business bank account	Varies by bank; usually a monthly maintenance fee
Social Security for paid managers	A percentage of the salary paid — see our tax guide

Your accountant also files the annual IRC return and IES, so check what is included in their monthly fee.

Estimate your total

Use our company setup cost calculator to add up the one-off costs for your situation.

Ways to reduce the cost

Use a pre-approved name to skip the €75 certificate.
Use pre-approved articles if you don't need special rules between partners — the registry fee drops from €360 to €220.
Have every partner's NIF and documents ready before you start, to avoid paying for urgent services later.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change — figures were last checked on 28 September 2026. GetLDA.pt is not a law firm; our partner lawyers advise on your specific situation.