What is the minimum share capital for an Lda company in Portugal?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Portugal has no fixed minimum share capital for a private limited company (sociedade por quotas, Lda). The partners set the capital freely in the articles; it is the sum of their quotas, and no quota can be worth less than €1. Partners may commit to paying in their contributions by the end of the first financial year.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Minimum share capital	None fixed: the capital is set freely in the articles and equals the sum of the quotas	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, art. 201
Minimum per quota	€1; quotas can have different values	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, art. 219(3)
Exception	Companies regulated by special legislation	gov.pt, Sociedade por quotas – constituição
When to pay in	At incorporation, or by the end of the first financial year if the partners commit to it in the deed	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, art. 202(4)
Work as a contribution	Not allowed	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, art. 202(1)
One-person company	Sociedade unipessoal por quotas: one partner holds all the capital; Lda rules apply	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, arts. 270-A(1), 270-G
One-person companies per individual	One	Código das Sociedades Comerciais, art. 270-C(1)

Capital is “free”

Article 201 of the Commercial Companies Code is titled “Capital social livre”: the amount of share capital is freely fixed in the company contract and corresponds to the sum of the quotas the partners subscribe. The only floor is per quota: article 219(3) says no quota can have a nominal value below €1. The government’s service page for setting up an Lda, run by the Institute of Registries and Notary (IRN), says the same and adds that companies regulated by special legislation are an exception.

The articles must state the amount of each quota and its holder, and the contributions paid at incorporation or to be paid by the end of the first financial year, which cannot be less than the legal minimum nominal value of the quota (art. 199).

Paying the capital in

Under article 202(4), unless the articles defer cash contributions, the partners declare in the incorporation deed, on their own responsibility, either that they have already paid their contributions or that they will pay them into the company by the end of the first financial year. Contributions in the form of work or services are not allowed (art. 202(1)).

Single-member Lda

A sociedade unipessoal por quotas has a single partner, an individual or a company, who holds all the capital (art. 270-A(1)). Its name must include “sociedade unipessoal” or “unipessoal” before “Limitada” or “Lda.” (art. 270-B). The rules for Lda companies apply to it, except those that assume more than one partner (art. 270-G). An individual can be the sole partner of only one such company (art. 270-C(1)).

An ordinary Lda has two or more partners, individuals or companies, and the partners’ liability is limited to the share capital except where the law says otherwise (gov.pt, Sociedade por quotas – constituição).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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