Corporate secretarial in Portugal

Corporate secretarial work keeps a company’s legal housekeeping in order after incorporation. In Portugal that means shareholder and management decisions recorded in the right form, changes to the registry, updates when directors or owners change and filings that identify the real owners. One example: the beneficial owner declaration is due within 30 days of creation and must be kept current afterwards. A foreign owner who is rarely in Portugal can easily miss such deadlines.

Check whether a profile lists the entity types you plan to use, such as Lda, Unipessoal Lda, branch or SA, and whether the firm acts as a registered contact for the company. Ask who prepares the minutes and resolutions, how documents are signed when owners are abroad, and how the firm tells you about upcoming filings.

Accountanty lists 38 firms in Portugal that offer corporate secretarial services: 22 accounting firms, 9 corporate services providers and 7 law firms. Of these, 21 are small, 12 medium and 5 large networks. Most work in English (32) or Portuguese (24). See the company formation page for firms that set companies up, or the Portugal guide.