Forms and formation
| Luxembourg | Portugal | |
|---|---|---|
| Small limited company | SARL: capital at least 12 000 €, 2 to 100 shareholders (one for a SARL unipersonnelle), formed before a notary, articles filed with the RCS | Lda (sociedade por quotas): capital freely fixed, each quota at least 1 €, one or more partners (unipessoal for one), formed at Empresa na Hora in a single session for 360 €, or before a notary or online |
| Simplified start-up | SARL-S: capital from 1 € to 12 000 €, natural persons only, private deed, one such company per person; must convert when capital passes 12 000 € | no separate form needed — the Lda already starts from 1 € |
| Public company | SA: capital at least 30 000 €, notarial deed | SA: capital at least 50 000 € |
| Licence to trade | a business permit (autorisation d’établissement) from the Ministry of the Economy before any regular commercial, craft or listed liberal activity | no general business permit; licences only for regulated sectors (tourism lodging, construction, food, transport) |
| Managers | one or more gérants, of any nationality, need not be shareholders | one or more gerentes, of any nationality and residence |
The Luxembourg SARL is a notarial, licensed vehicle designed for a regulated economy; the Portuguese Lda is an administrative one. A Luxembourg entrepreneur used to a week of notary and ministry can have a Portuguese company with a tax number, a social-security registration and a bank-ready certificate in a morning — and then meets the accounting regime below.
- 12 000 € vs 1 € minimum capital; notary vs Empresa na Hora (360 €)
- Business permit required in Luxembourg for most activities; none in Portugal outside regulated sectors
- Accounts filed within 7 months with the RCS; Portuguese Modelo 22 by 31 May and IES by 15 July
- 23,87 % vs 19 % corporate tax in 2026 (Luxembourg City rate; Portugal 15 % on the first 50 000 € for SMEs)
Governance and oversight
A SARL is run by its managers within the objects; shareholders decide the accounts, distributions and changes to the articles; above 60 shareholders an annual meeting and internal auditors are compulsory; a statutory audit by a réviseur d’entreprises agréé is required once two of three thresholds are exceeded for two years — balance sheet 4,4 million €, turnover 8,8 million €, 50 employees. An Lda is run by its gerentes, with the partners deciding in general meeting; a statutory auditor (revisor oficial de contas) is required only when the company exceeds two of three thresholds for two consecutive years — balance sheet 1,5 million €, sales 3 million €, 50 employees — unless it has a supervisory board (Companies Code, art. 262.º).
Accounts, tax filings, payroll
| Luxembourg | Portugal | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual accounts | filed with the RCS within 7 months of year end (6 months to approve, 1 month to file) | approved by the partners within 3 months of year end (CSC art. 65.º); IES with the accounts filed by 15 July; accounts kept under the SNC standard with no backlog beyond 90 days |
| Corporate tax return | annual return to the Administration des contributions directes | Modelo 22 by 31 May; three payments on account in July, September and December |
| VAT returns | annual below 112 000 € of turnover, quarterly to 620 000 €, monthly above | quarterly below 650 000 €, monthly above; SAF-T invoicing file every month; certified invoicing software |
| Payroll | employer and employee contributions to the CCSS | 23,75 % employer and 11 % employee to Social Security, monthly |
| Beneficial owners | RBE — Register of Beneficial Owners, since 1 March 2019 | RCBE (Lei n.º 89/2017) |
| Directors’ liability | civil liability for management faults | subsidiary liability for the company’s unpaid tax and social-security debts (LGT art. 24.º), plus civil liability |
Tax on the company and the owner
Luxembourg’s combined corporate rate — 16 % income tax, the 7 % employment-fund surcharge and the municipal business tax — is 23,87 % in Luxembourg City from 2025; Portugal’s IRC is 19 % in 2026, falling to 17 % in 2028, with 15 % on the first 50 000 € of an SME’s profit, a municipal surcharge of up to 1,5 % and a state surcharge above 1,5 million €. Dividends paid by a Portuguese company to a Luxembourg parent holding 10 % for a year are exempt from Portuguese withholding (CIRC art. 14.º n.º 3, parent-subsidiary regime); to a Luxembourg individual the treaty allows 15 %. Dividends to a Portuguese resident individual owner are taxed at 28 %. Cross-border profits follow the 1999 convention: a Luxembourg company is taxed in Portugal only on a permanent establishment here, and a Luxembourg manager who directs the company from Portugal can create one — or move the company’s tax residence — which is the first question we ask a founder who relocates.
Steps for a Luxembourg founder
Vehicle
New Lda, Portuguese branch of the SARL, or SARL-owned Lda: liability, clients and the dividend route decide.
Numbers first
NIF for each partner (by proxy if abroad), then the NIPC at Empresa na Hora with apostilled SARL documents for a corporate partner.
Accountant and software
Certified accountant appointed at incorporation; certified invoicing and SAF-T before the first sale; Social Security registration of the gerente.
Luxembourg side kept clean
Business permit updated for a change of manager's residence; RBE and RCS filings; the SARL's own substance if it stays.
We form and run Portuguese companies for Luxembourg clients — Empresa na Hora, accounting, IVA, payroll, Modelo 22 and IES — and coordinate with your fiduciaire in Luxembourg. Ask for a formation quote.
Questions
Does my SARL need a business permit to sell to Portuguese customers?
Not a Portuguese one, and no Portuguese corporate tax, as long as it works from Luxembourg without a permanent establishment here; a Portuguese office, warehouse or agent changes that, and so does a manager who runs it from Portugal.
Is an Lda cheaper to run than a SARL?
Formation is far cheaper (360 € against notary and RCS costs). Running costs are comparable: a certified accountant is compulsory in Portugal and files monthly SAF-T and periodic VAT, whereas a small SARL files VAT annually below 112 000 €.
Can the company's accounts be in French?
The Portuguese accounts and filings are in Portuguese and in euros; supporting documents in French are accepted. The RCS accepts French, German or Luxembourgish.
Sources and official references
- Guichet.lu — SARL: capital 12 000 €, 2–100 shareholders (single-member SARL possible), notarial deed, RCS filing, audit thresholds (4,4 M € / 8,8 M € / 50), accounts filed within 7 months, VAT return periodicity (112 000 € / 620 000 €) — checked 19.9.2026
- Guichet.lu — SARL-S: capital 1 € to 12 000 €, natural persons only, private deed, one per person, conversion above 12 000 € — checked 19.9.2026
- Guichet.lu — SA: capital 30 000 €, notarial deed — checked 19.9.2026
- Guichet.lu — business permit (autorisation d'établissement) required for regular commercial, craft and listed liberal activities — checked 19.9.2026
- Guichet.lu — Register of Beneficial Owners (RBE), since 1 March 2019 — checked 19.9.2026
- Administration des contributions directes — overall corporate tax burden: IRC 16 % from 2025, 7 % employment-fund surcharge, municipal business tax; 23,87 % in Luxembourg City — checked 19.9.2026
- Código das Sociedades Comerciais — artigo 65.º n.º 5 (accounts approved within three months), 201.º and 219.º (Lda capital, 1 € quota), 262.º (statutory auditor thresholds), 276.º (SA 50 000 €) — checked 19.9.2026
- Justiça.gov.pt — Empresa na Hora: 360 € — checked 19.9.2026
- Lei n.º 89/2017 — Registo Central do Beneficiário Efetivo — checked 19.9.2026
- Código do IRC — artigo 123.º (organised accounts, 90-day backlog limit), 104.º (payments on account), 120.º–121.º (Modelo 22 by 31 May, IES by 15 July) — checked 19.9.2026
- Código do IVA, artigo 41.º — monthly above 650 000 €, quarterly below — checked 19.9.2026
- Lei n.º 110/2009 (Código Contributivo), artigo 53.º — 23,75 % / 11 % — checked 19.9.2026
- Lei Geral Tributária, artigo 24.º — subsidiary liability of managers for tax debts — checked 19.9.2026
- Lei n.º 64/2025 — IRC 19 % in 2026, 17 % from 2028, 15 % on the first 50 000 € for SMEs; Código do IRC artigo 14.º n.º 3 — dividends to an EU parent holding 10 % for a year exempt — checked 19.9.2026
- Convenção Portugal–Luxemburgo (1999) — art. 5 permanent establishment, art. 7 business profits, art. 10 dividends 15 % — checked 19.9.2026