What the cost of a company in Portugal is made of
In Portugal the official fee for a private limited company (Lda, or Unipessoal Lda with one partner) depends on the route. At an Empresa na Hora counter the standard request costs EUR 360, and all partners attend in person with a passport or residence permit. Online, through Empresa Online, the fee is EUR 220 with pre-approved articles and EUR 360 with articles drafted by the partners, but every partner needs a Portuguese tax number (NIF) and a digital signature, such as the Digital Mobile Key linked to a passport.
The minimum capital is EUR 2 with two partners and EUR 1 for a single-member company, according to AICEP, deposited in the company’s bank account within five working days. A founder who lives outside the EU and the EEA needs a tax representative resident in Portugal for the NIF, unless they join the tax authority’s electronic notifications (General Tax Law, art. 19).
Every company appoints a certified accountant and keeps organised accounts, so accounting is a cost from the first year. Each year the company files the IES declaration by 15 July, and the registration of the annual accounts costs EUR 80. The beneficial owner declaration (RCBE) is free; it is filed within 30 days of incorporation and confirmed every year.
Eight firms on Accountanty publish a yearly price for accounting, so the calculator shows their range; for formation, six firms publish a starting price. The official fees above are separate from what a firm charges for its services, which depend on your partners, activity and turnover: ask each firm to show the two apart in its quote.