For foreign companies
Setting up an operation in Portugal, step by step
What it actually takes to get people working in Portugal, with or without incorporating, and where Corpshore fits. Operational guidance, always alongside your own advisers.
Do I actually need to incorporate?
Often not, and almost never at the start. Hiring through Corpshore lets you have a team working in Portugal with no Portuguese company, no registration as an employer with social security and none of the associated filing obligations. To test the market, for a first team, or for an operation of stable and moderate size, it is the fastest route and the easiest to reverse.
Setting up your own entity starts to make sense when the operation is large, permanent and central, when you need to employ directly to retain highly contested profiles, or when there are tax or corporate reasons on your side. Those reasons belong to your advisers rather than to us, and that is how they should be decided.
What does getting the operation running involve?
In practice, five fronts in parallel: recruitment, space and equipment, access and systems, the data framework, and management. Recruitment is almost always the critical path, particularly for technical profiles in Lisbon, where competition is strong and notice periods stretch the start date.
Porto and the mid-sized cities have less competition for talent and lower cost per seat, which usually means a faster start and better retention. For many operations that do not need to be in the capital, it is the decision that saves the most time.
On employment contracts, probation periods, notice and tax obligations, we refer you to your own legal and accounting advisers in Portugal. We describe what the operation requires; we do not opine on what the law requires of you.
How long does it take?
Through Corpshore, six to ten weeks to a working team, counted from a signed proposal. Very specific engineering profiles can take longer, and we say so in the proposal rather than discovering it afterwards.
With your own entity, add the incorporation, registration and banking timelines, which depend on your case and your advisers. Many companies start with us and incorporate later, once they know the operation works.
Frequently asked questions
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It is operational information about what building a team involves. Any corporate, tax or employment decision should be taken with your own advisers in Portugal.
Can I have a team without a Portuguese company?
You can. The people are Corpshore employees and the contract is with the group's Canadian entity.
Who is the employer?
Corpshore. The employer obligations in Portugal are ours, not yours.
Can we choose the city?
Yes. Lisbon has the deepest language pool, Porto has lower cost and less technical competition, and mid-sized cities improve retention.
Do you help recruit if we have our own entity?
Yes, through Corpshore Talent, including recruiting onto your payroll rather than ours.
What if we want to move people onto our payroll?
There is a clause setting out the terms of that transition. We settle it upfront rather than leaving it to a dispute.
What does it cost per person?
It depends on role, seniority and city. The calculator on the pricing page gives a euro estimate with the breakdown visible.
Do we need an office?
Not necessarily. We provide space and equipment, and many operations run hybrid or remote.
What is the first step?
A twenty-minute call where we map the roles, the city, the timeline and whether your own entity is needed in your case.
Set up your Lisbon hub
Multilingual teams in Lisbon and Porto, under European Union jurisdiction and a single contract. With no Portuguese entity to incorporate.
We reply within 6 hours on working days. If you would rather write: info@corpshore.solutions