Setting Up a Business in Portugal

An in-depth guide for foreign entrepreneurs and companies looking to enter the Portuguese market — a country that has actively courted foreign entrepreneurs and tech talent in recent years, with a genuinely improving digital administration and a clearly legislated, falling corporate tax rate.
This guide covers legal structures (Lda, SA, and ENI), business taxation — including a corporate rate on a legislated path from 19% in 2026 down to 17% by 2028, reduced rates for Madeira and the Azores, and IFICI, the successor to the closed NHR regime — company formation via Empresa na Hora, the cost of labor (14 months’ salary, 34.75% social charges), and immigration routes for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Includes a dedicated chapter on the Tech Visa — employer certification, the D3 permit combined with the 20% IFICI rate, and how it differs from the standard D3 and the Startup Visa — an operational checklist, and useful contacts.
Available in English.