How do I start a company?

IRN · Balcão do Empreendedor · Starting a business

• Empresa na Hora (One‑Stop Business Service) — you set up the company at a single counter (or online, at the Balcão do Empreendedor (Entrepreneurial Desk)), with pre‑approved company names.
• Choose the legal form (sole proprietorship, limited liability by quotas, corporation), the name — with a certificate of admissibility if you don’t use a pre‑approved name — and the partners.
• After incorporation, registration with Segurança Social (Social Security) and tax filings follow their own deadlines — the AT (Tax Authority) and SS (Social Security) are notified, but you must confirm the subsequent obligations.
• Simpler alternative: activity as a sole trader (independent worker), which you open directly on the Portal das Finanças (Tax Authority portal).

Automatically translated. Always confirm on the official Portuguese source.