✓ Remote company registration in Portugal and Madeira
✓ Opening corporate and personal bank accounts
✓ Company and employee relocation
✓ Setting up a physical company office (Substance)
✓ Tax optimization and changing tax jurisdictions
✓ Obtaining residency in Portugal for the whole family
✓ Verification of the source of funds
In recent years, registering a business in Portugal has become highly popular among entrepreneurs. The government of Portugal is keen on attracting capital and fostering a competitive, sustainable, and business-friendly environment for large, medium, and small companies alike.
✓ Top Tax Residency: Portugal is listed among the “Best Tax Residencies in Europe” and ranks in the top 5 European countries for ease of doing business.
✓ Access to the EU Market: A Portuguese company allows you to conduct business throughout the European Union, ensuring international reach.
✓ Tax Optimization: Benefit from a favorable tax system and the possibility of obtaining non-domicile tax residency status to optimize taxation.
✓ Economic Zones: Utilize free economic zones like the Madeira International Business Center, which offer tax incentives.
✓ Multilingual Jurisdiction: English is widely spoken and used as a business language alongside Portuguese.
✓ Residency Benefits: Obtain Portuguese residency for the whole family through business immigration, with the potential for future citizenship and a Portuguese passport.
✓ Remote Registration: You can register a company in Portugal remotely.
✓ Ideal Living Conditions: Portugal boasts an excellent geographical location, advanced infrastructure, high European living standards, social security, quality healthcare, a mild climate, and natural beauty.
In Portugal, there are three types of companies with different criteria and distinctions, including taxation:
⇒ Mainland Portugal Registered Companies: Companies registered on the mainland of Portugal.
⇒ General Registered Companies on Madeira: Companies registered under the general scheme on the island of Madeira.
⇒ IBC Scheme Companies on Madeira: Companies registered on the island of Madeira under the conditions of the Madeira International Business Center (IBC).
Please note that if you want to start your business in Portugal, there is no need to visit the country personally. Feod Group specialists offer services for remote company registration in Portugal and Madeira!
The Madeira archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal located in the Atlantic Ocean, just a 3-hour flight from major European capitals.
Madeira is a special economic zone offering numerous tax incentives aimed at attracting foreign investors and entrepreneurs.
The Madeira International Business Centre (MIBC) has been approved by the European Union and fully complies with EU legislation. The special tax regime has been extended by the EU until 2027.
All EU directives apply to Madeira, ensuring a stable legal system that fully protects the rights and interests of investors.
✓ Madeira is not considered a “tax haven” and is therefore not included in any international blacklists. Companies in Madeira are not classified as offshore entities.
✓ The region offers a unique system of tax benefits, including the lowest corporate tax rate in the EU at 5%.
✓ Companies registered in Madeira are Portuguese entities and are automatically assigned a VAT number, providing direct access to the EU market.
✓ Companies registered in Madeira are exempt from notary and registration fees.
✓ Operating costs in Madeira are lower compared to other EU regions.
To establish a business in Portugal, foreign entrepreneurs must first choose the type of company they want to register.
⇒ Private Limited Liability Company (Sociedade por Quotas, “LDA”)
LDA is the most common type of business in Portugal, similar to a limited liability company. It can be registered with a single shareholder. LDA is recommended for those looking to establish a small enterprise in Portugal with minimal initial capital investments and expenses.
⇒ Public Limited Company (Sociedade Anónima — SA)
A public limited company is more suitable for medium to large enterprises with significant investment capital and a more complex administrative structure. An SA requires a minimum share capital of €50,000 and at least five shareholders. Upon registration, 30% of the share capital must be paid, with the remaining 70% payable within five years. This type of company is primarily used by large enterprises.
⇒ Holding Company (Sociedade Gestora de Participações Sociais — SGPS)
SGPS companies must take the legal form of either an SA or LDA, with the sole purpose of managing shares of other companies.
⇒ Branch of a Foreign Company
A branch is registered in Portugal when a foreign parent company decides to expand. Having a branch in Portugal allows for obtaining work and residence permits for key employees from the parent company through the Intra Company Transfers (ICT) program. ICT offers a simplified process for obtaining residence permits in Portugal for both management and key staff. Branches of foreign companies in Portugal have no minimum capital requirements.
These are the primary steps, but other requirements and procedures may apply depending on the type of company, the number of founders, shareholders, etc.
Tax rates and fees differ between mainland Portugal and the free economic zone of Madeira.
| Taxable Income | Mainland Portugal | Madeira | Madeira International Business Centre (MIBC) |
| First €50,000 | 17% | 11.9% | 5% |
| Above €50,000 | 21% | 14.7% | 5% |
1.MIBC License:
To benefit from the preferential tax regime in Madeira, a company must obtain an MIBC license.
2. Eligibility Criteria:
Licensed companies must meet one of the following requirements:
3. Source of Profits:
The company’s profits should not originate in Portugal, except when business relations are established with another Portuguese company that holds an MIBC license. If profits are derived from activities with Portuguese resident companies, the company will be taxed at the general corporate tax rate in Madeira—11.9% or 14.7%.
⇒ Taxes in Portugal for individuals and the special Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) tax status
Portuguese lawyers and Feod Group specialists will support all client actions related to the purchase or registration of a business in Portugal. They also provide comprehensive services for obtaining residency permits for the client’s entire family.
If you are interested in registering a business in Portugal, we highly recommend seeking an individual legal consultation with our specialists first.
Yes, both an EU resident and any other foreigner can register a company in Portugal and Madeira.
To start your business in Portugal or on the island of Madeira, you need to go through several key steps: choose the type of company, register the company name in the national registry, notarize the articles of association, open a Portuguese corporate bank account and deposit the share capital, obtain the special MIBC license (only for companies in Madeira), register the company with the national registry and tax authorities.
To avoid mistakes when registering your company, please contact Feod Group specialists. The company engages a Portuguese accredited advocate, Vasco Cardoso.
Yes, personal presence for company registration is not mandatory. We provide services for remote company registration in Portugal and Madeira through power of attorney to a Portuguese accredited lawyer.
To open a bank account in Portugal, you need to gather a set of documents, translate and authenticate them, fill out the bank forms, undergo a bank verification process, and potentially attend an interview with a bank representative if required.
Once you have registered your company, opened a bank account, and engaged in genuine business activities, family members of the company’s founder or manager can obtain residency in Portugal through business immigration programs. Learn more about business immigration options in Portugal
Entrepreneurs can also obtain a residency permit through the Golden Visa program by investing in Portuguese business amounting to at least €500,000.
One advantage of the Golden Visa is that the applicant does not need to reside continuously in Portugal to maintain and renew their residency permit.
Main requirements for companies on the mainland Portugal and Madeira (Substance requirements):
Since 1992, Feod Group has been providing a wide range of legal, business and immigration services in Europe, the USA and other countries of the world.
The company has accredited western lawyers, experts in various fields of law and jurisdictions of the world.
Having offices in Europe and the USA, Feod Group provides rapid paperwork and maximum customer comfort.
We provide our clients with related services, such as relocation and adaptation abroad, organizing family relocation abroad, enrollment of children in schools and many other services.
