Moving to Portugal to Start a Business: A Practical First-Month Checklist

So I put together the checklist I would hand a friend landing in Lisbon, Porto or anywhere in between with a laptop, a business idea and very little patience for bureaucracy. It is organised week by week, because trying to do everything on day one is the fastest way to burn out before your first client.

A quick but important note before we begin: this is a practical guide, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, and your situation (EU citizen or not, resident or not, freelancer or company) makes a real difference. When in doubt, confirm with the official sources linked below or with a certified accountant.

The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number, and you will need it for almost everything: signing a lease, opening a bank account, getting a phone contract, invoicing clients and even buying a coffee with a receipt in your name.

You can request it in person at a tax office (Serviço de Finanças) or a Loja do Cidadão, with an appointment booked in advance, or online through a representative. The Portal das Finanças guide to applying for a NIF lists the documents you will need, including your passport or ID and proof of your address abroad. Depending on where you come from and whether you are already resident, you may also need a fiscal representative, so check that before you go.

The NISS is your Social Security number. You need it to pay contributions as a self-employed worker or employer, and to access the Portuguese social security system. The ePortugal page on NIF and NISS for foreign citizens explains how to request both, and both applications are free.

With your NIF in hand, opening a Portuguese bank account becomes much easier. Many clients, suppliers and public services expect a Portuguese IBAN, and having one avoids international transfer fees and awkward conversations. Bring your passport, your NIF, proof of address and, ideally, proof of income or of the activity you plan to run.

While you are at it:

Most people start in one of two ways:

Companies in Portugal must work with a certified accountant (contabilista certificado), and even as a freelancer it is worth having one, at least in the first year. A good accountant will tell you which VAT regime applies to you, how and when to declare your income, what you can deduct and which deadlines you absolutely cannot miss. It is one of the best investments you will make in your first month.

Ask for recommendations in expat and founder communities, and look for someone who speaks your language or is comfortable working in English.

Working from your kitchen table gets lonely fast. Coworking spaces are everywhere in the bigger cities and increasingly in smaller towns too, and they are one of the best places to meet potential clients, partners and people who already went through the same bureaucratic maze. Local business associations and meetups are worth a try as well.

This is the step most newcomers leave for "later", and it is often the one that decides whether the first clients arrive at all. Portuguese clients, especially other businesses, will look you up before they reply to your email. What they find (or do not find) matters.

If you would rather hand this part to people who know both the Portuguese market and international clients, working with a Portuguese branding agency that already deals with foreign founders can save you weeks of trial and error, and a few awkward translations along the way.

Portugal rewards patience. Appointments can take longer than you expect, some documents will need a second visit, and at some point someone will tell you that you need a paper nobody mentioned before. It happens to all of us, Portuguese included. Keep copies of everything, write down every reference number, and celebrate each small win. The first month is the hardest. After that, it really starts to feel like home.