Company formation · Portugal and Spain
Company formation in Portugal and Spain
Iberia is served as one market from Lisbon, because a group that needs a Portuguese company almost always needs a Spanish one within the year. We structure once, incorporate in either jurisdiction, and complete the registrations that make the entity able to trade.
Our office
Lisbon
Covers
Portugal · Spain
Route
EU single market
Also serves
Lusophone groups entering Europe
What is included
What we carry for you in Portugal and Spain
Structure before incorporation
Shareholding, capital, corporate object and management decided against how the group will actually invoice and employ across both jurisdictions.
Name and incorporation
The RNPC name certificate and Portuguese incorporation, including the Empresa na Hora route where it suits, or the Registro Mercantil Central certificate and notarial deed in Spain.
Tax registration
NIF or NIPC in Portugal and NIF/CIF in Spain, with the activity declaration lodged with the tax authority.
Shareholder identification
NIF for Portuguese shareholders and NIE for foreign shareholders in Spain — the step that most often delays a Spanish incorporation.
Social security and employer set-up
Registration with Segurança Social or the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social before the first employee is engaged.
Banking and ongoing filings
Account opening support, accounting, and the corporate income tax and reporting calendar in each jurisdiction.
How it works
How a mandate runs
Step 01
Structure
Ownership, capital and object decided for both jurisdictions at once, so the second entity does not force a rebuild of the first.
Step 02
Incorporate
Name certificate, deed where required, and registration with the commercial registry.
Step 03
Register
Tax identification, activity declaration, social security and any sector licences.
Step 04
Operate
Accounting, filings and corporate secretarial work, with a named contact in Lisbon.
Local context
Portugal and Spain: two routes, one decision
Portugal offers an expedited incorporation route, Empresa na Hora, alongside the conventional path through a name certificate from the Registo Nacional de Pessoas Colectivas. Either way the company receives a NIPC, declares its activity to the Autoridade Tributária, and registers with Segurança Social before employing anyone.
Spain follows a notarial model: a negative name certificate from the Registro Mercantil Central, a public deed executed before a notary, and registration at the provincial Registro Mercantil. Foreign shareholders and directors require an NIE before the deed can be signed, and obtaining it is usually the longest step in the sequence.
Why Iberia is decided as one market
Groups arriving from Angola, Mozambique or Brazil generally need Portugal for language, relationships and lusophone continuity, and Spain for market size. Structuring for both at the outset costs almost nothing; retrofitting the second entity onto a structure designed for the first is where cost appears.
- One desk in Lisbon for both jurisdictions.
- EU single-market access decided at the structuring stage, not afterwards.
- Employment, procurement and freight available on the same agreement.
Capital requirements, timelines and registry practice differ between Portugal and Spain and are revised periodically. We confirm the current position in both before you commit.
The Iberia desk
- Lisbon covers Portugal and Spain as one market
- Portuguese-language filings without translation loss
- The European end of the lusophone corridor
- Company formation in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa on the same agreement
Why Horizon
Iberia is the European door for a lusophone group
Portugal and Spain are served as one market from Lisbon, which is how a group with African or Brazilian operations reaches the European Union. We carry Portugal and Spain through establishment and market entry under one agreement.
One desk for two jurisdictions
Portuguese and Spanish entry is handled together, because groups that need one almost always need the other within a year.
The lusophone bridge, used properly
Language, corporate practice and relationships connect Lisbon to Luanda, Maputo and Brazil. That is a commercial asset, not a coincidence.
EU access with the paperwork done once
Structuring for the single market is decided before incorporation, so the entity does not have to be rebuilt when the second country is added.
Common questions
Company formation in Portugal and Spain
Do you cover Spain as well as Portugal?
Yes. Iberia is served as one market from our Lisbon office. Groups that need one jurisdiction generally need the other within a year, so both are considered at the structuring stage.
What is Empresa na Hora?
The Portuguese expedited incorporation route, which allows a company to be constituted in a single appointment using a pre-approved name and standard articles. It suits many cases and not all: where the articles need to be bespoke, the conventional route through an RNPC name certificate is the right one.
Why does a Spanish incorporation take longer?
Because it is notarial. A negative name certificate is obtained, a public deed is executed before a notary and the company is registered at the provincial Registro Mercantil. Foreign shareholders need an NIE before the deed can be signed, and that is usually the step that sets the timeline.
How much capital is required?
The statutory minimums differ between the two jurisdictions and have been revised in recent years. We confirm the current position for your structure before you commit, rather than publishing a figure that may have changed.
Can you employ staff once the company exists?
Yes. Employment, payroll and the social security registrations are handled from the same office, and the Employer of Record route is available where you need people working before the entity is complete.
Is this how a lusophone group reaches the European Union?
It is the route most of our clients take. Lisbon connects Luanda, Maputo and Brazil to the single market, in language and in corporate practice, which is why the Iberia desk sits where it does.
Begin with the objective. We will map the route.
Tell us which of the two jurisdictions comes first and what the group behind it looks like. We return the structure, the sequence and the European position it creates.