Company structures and same-day registration through Empresa na Hora
Portugal offers two main company structures relevant to an Indian entrepreneur: the Lda (Sociedade
por Quotas), which requires only minimal practical capital, and the S.A. (Sociedade Anonima), whose
statutory minimum share capital is reportedly EUR 50,000 -- a figure this platform found only in
secondary practitioner sources and could not independently re-verify against the Codigo das Sociedades
Comerciais, and flags accordingly. Company registration runs through Empresa na Hora, a same-day
company-formation service operated via the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN), at a cost of
roughly EUR 360-560. No director-residency requirement was confirmed -- 100% foreign ownership is
generally permitted -- though a non-resident company owner is generally understood to need a fiscal
representative in Portugal for tax correspondence, again sourced from practitioner commentary rather
than the Codigo das Sociedades Comerciais itself.
The Golden Visa program after the October 2023 reform
Portugal's real-estate-acquisition Golden Visa route was eliminated on 7 October 2023 under Lei
56/2023, the “Mais Habitacao” housing package, and the previously available unrestricted EUR
1.5 million capital-transfer option was removed at the same time. The routes that remain are: job
creation (10 or more jobs), a EUR 500,000-plus research investment, a EUR 250,000-plus cultural donation,
a EUR 500,000-plus qualifying investment fund (at least 60% Portugal-allocated, with a five-year minimum
holding period), and EUR 500,000-plus company capitalization creating five jobs. This platform could not
find India-specific Golden Visa uptake statistics from a primary source.
The D2 Entrepreneur Visa, and deepening India-Portugal bilateral ties
Most new Indian entrepreneurs instead use the D2 Entrepreneur Visa, which has no fixed minimum
investment but requires a viable business plan plus proof of subsistence funds (approximately EUR 11,040
for the main applicant, plus 50% per adult dependent and 30% per child), runs a four-to-six month
processing timeline, and converts into a two-year residence permit (renewable for a further three years),
with permanent-residency eligibility after five years. Bilateral ties have deepened in step: in September
2021, Portugal became the first EU country to sign a dedicated bilateral labor-mobility agreement with
India, covering IT, engineering, and hospitality recruitment; and on 23 January 2025, the 6th
India-Portugal Joint Economic Committee meeting was held in New Delhi, with bilateral trade at
approximately USD 1.36 billion in FY2023-24 and Indian FDI-linked investment at approximately USD
400-475 million, with TCS, Wipro, and HCL among the Indian firms present in Portugal.
Common mistakes NRIs and Indian businesses make when entering Portugal:
- Assuming the real-estate-acquisition Golden Visa route still exists, when it was eliminated on 7
October 2023.
- Relying on an unverified S.A. minimum-capital figure without confirming current requirements with
the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado or a Portuguese lawyer.
- Assuming a fiscal representative is optional for a non-resident company owner, rather than
confirming this requirement directly.
