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Empresa na Hora or Empresa Online: which to choose?

There are two official routes from the Portuguese registry (IRN) to set up a company in Portugal: the in-person Empresa na Hora counter and the Empresa Online service, also known as Empresa 2.0. Both can be used to create a single-member private limited company (sociedade unipessoal por quotas), a private limited company or a public limited company.

This article explains in plain language what sets them apart and what to prepare beforehand. Rules and fees can change, so always check the official pages listed at the end.

The difference in short

At Empresa na Hora the process happens at a counter, in a single visit, and all partners must be present. It can be any Empresa na Hora counter, wherever the future company's registered office will be.

Empresa Online is done over the internet. Each partner authenticates with the Cartão de Cidadão or the Chave Móvel Digital and signs digitally, so no trip to a counter is needed.

How Empresa na Hora works

According to the IRN, at the Empresa na Hora counter you need to settle four things:

Name and articles of association

You can pick a company name from a pre-approved list, or present an admissibility certificate already approved by the national register of legal entities. The articles of association (pacto social, the company's contract) are chosen from pre-approved models.

Certified accountant and share capital

You name a certified accountant (contabilista certificado), who can be picked from a list made available, or you file the tax activity-start declaration at a tax office up to 15 days after the company is created.

For the share capital, partners either deposit it beforehand, or declare that it will be deposited or handed to the company. Partners who are individuals bring an ID document and a tax number (NIF); for partners that are companies or other entities, the required documents are different.

How Empresa Online (Empresa 2.0) works

After authenticating, you fill in a form with the company type, partners and managers or directors, the economic activity code (CAE), share capital, registered office address and company name, and attach the required documents. The articles of association are generated automatically from that data and every partner must sign them digitally.

The request is paid by MB Way, Multibanco or card, and the IRN states a 48-hour window from submission to pay. If you pick the name from the register's firm-name pool, it is reserved for 24 hours until you reach the payment step.

The service has limits. The IRN states that you cannot create a company online, among other cases, if a partner is under 18, if a partner has no Portuguese NIF, if the company results from a merger or demerger, or if you want to contribute share capital in kind, for example real estate or movable goods.

How to choose

As a rule, the online route suits cases where every partner has an active Cartão de Cidadão or Chave Móvel Digital and prefers to do everything remotely. The counter suits people who prefer to settle everything in person, in one visit, with all partners present.

If a partner falls under one of the online service's exceptions, or you are unsure about the company type, the capital or the articles of association, first understand your specific case before choosing. Each situation is different, so it is worth asking for guidance before submitting the request.

How much it costs

Fees depend on the service and type of request, for example whether the articles are pre-approved or bespoke and whether the request is normal or urgent. To avoid quoting figures that may be out of date, we point to the official pages of both services, which show the fee table in force.

After creating the company

In both cases there are next steps. You have 5 working days to deposit the share capital in the company's bank account, unless it was already deposited or the partners declared that it will be handed to the company by the end of the first financial year.

You must also file the beneficial owner declaration (RCBE) within 30 days, if it was not done during the process. Once registration is final, the administrator and manager automatically receive, at no cost, the business attributes on SCAP, which let them sign certain electronic documents with the Cartão de Cidadão or the Chave Móvel Digital.

Key takeaways

  • Empresa na Hora is in person, at a counter, with all partners present; Empresa Online is done over the internet, with digital authentication and signature.
  • The online service has exceptions (for example, capital in kind or partners under 18).
  • After creating the company, remember the capital deposit and the beneficial owner declaration.
  • Fees and rules can change: always check the IRN's official pages.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

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