Portugal Company Registry: How to Search a Company and Get a Certidão Permanente

Whether you're checking a supplier, a landlord's company or a potential business partner, Portugal makes most company information public. Here's where to find it and what each source tells you.

Portugal's company register in brief

The Commercial Registry (Registo Comercial) is run by the IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado). Every Portuguese company, including every Lda., is registered there under its tax number, the NIPC.

Search a company for free

The Ministry of Justice's publications portal publishes the registered acts of Portuguese companies since 2006. You can search by:

• the company's NIPC (the most reliable option);
• its name;
• the date of publication, or the district and municipality of its head office.

Each publication shows the registered details at that moment — name, legal form, head office, business object, share capital, partners and quotas, and the managers — plus later changes such as capital increases or new managers.

The certidão permanente

The certidão permanente (permanent certificate) is the official, always up-to-date extract of a company's registry record. It replaces the paper certificate and is accepted by banks, notaries, courts and public bodies.

• Reading one is free: enter its access code on the online registry services. Companies usually share their code with banks, clients and suppliers when asked.
• Ordering a new one requires the company's NIPC. One year of access costs €25; longer validities are also available. After payment, you receive the access code by email.

When we register your company, you receive the access code to its certidão permanente as part of the incorporation.

What you can't see publicly

• Accounts: annual accounts are filed through the IES; some financial data is available through registry and commercial information services.
• Beneficial owners: the RCBE holds this, with restricted public access.
• Personal data such as partners' addresses or ID numbers.

Registering your own company

If you're looking up the registry because you want to set up your own Lda., our partner lawyers can register it for you — see how registration works and what it costs.