The Portuguese government launched Empresa Online 2.0, a platform that allows you to open a company in the country in a matter of minutes, reducing bureaucracy and simplifying the entire process. Know all about it here!

What is Empresa Online 2.0

Empresa Online is a service that was launched in 2016, but in the new edition, it brings more resources and functionalities and once again allows the creation of Joint Stock Companies (S.A.) – a modality that has not been available since 2017. In addition to S.A., the Interested parties may also open sole proprietorships and limited liability companies.

Empresa Online 2.0 is available in Portuguese and English and apparently, it will soon be also available in other languages as well, enhancing its use by foreign investors.

Platform access

Empresa Online 2.0 can be accessed by lawyers, notaries and solicitors (something like paralegals), but also by foreigners with a Residence Permit.
For Portuguese citizens, the mandatory document is the Citizen Card, a physical document containing a chip.

Access for foreign citizens

For foreigners with a residence permit, it is mandatory to have the Digital Mobile Key (CMD), a means of authentication and digital signature certified by the Portuguese State. The Digital Mobile Key associates a cell phone number with a person’s identification document.
In the case of a foreign citizen, the CMD associates it with the passport, title or residence card. The Digital Mobile Key, for those who have a residence permit, is obtained in person at a public service counter, upon presentation of the NIF (Tax Identification Number).

Payment made easy

The cost to open a new company through the platform is €220, if the interested party opts for a standard social contract model, or €360, if they prefer to have a social contract that does not follow the structure of a pre-defined model.

The project wants to reinforce the competitiveness of the Portuguese economy

Empresa Online 2.0 is an initiative funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), whose main objective is to make the country’s economy more competitive. Today, two out of three new companies have already opened through the Internet.
And it’s working! In the first quarter of 2023, over 15.000 new companies started to operate in the country thanks to Empresa Online 2.0.

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