Guidance

Portugal: providing services and travelling for business

Guidance for UK businesses on rules for selling services to Portugal.

• From: Department for Business and Trade, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for International Trade and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• Published: 4 March 2019
• Last updated: 11 June 2021 — See all updates

Read this page in combination with the guidance for EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The authoritative source for Portugal’s market regulations is the Portuguese government. This guidance links to official Portuguese sources wherever possible.

Trade and services regulations in Portugal

If you are a UK business providing services in Portugal, you need to follow Portuguese regulations about:

• getting authorisations or licences to provide a service
• complying with specific local business regulations
• EEA nationality requirements which could prevent you from providing services in some sectors

The Portugal e-government portal for service providers (website in Portuguese) can help you to:

• check what you need to know about providing services in Portugal
• understand local regulations
• complete the relevant administrative procedures online

Consider appointing an English-speaking lawyer in Portugal to help you comply with specific regulations.

To check if EEA nationality requirements apply to you, contact the appropriate competent authority.

Trade reservations

To sell or provide services to customers in Portugal, you must follow local laws. If in doubt, you should get professional advice.

Reservations are part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. They reserve the right of each party to keep or make new laws restricting investment, or the sale of services, in ways that would otherwise breach the rules in the agreement.

Check which reservations apply to the sale of services from the UK to Portugal. This includes an interactive tool to find reservations that are already in place.

VAT on sales of digital services

To use the UK’s VAT Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS) to declare sales of digital services to EU consumers, businesses need to register for MOSS in an EU member state.

Find out more about paying VAT on sales of digital services.

Ownership of companies registered in Portugal

If you have a UK business, you might face restrictions on your ability to own, manage or direct a registered company in Portugal.

For information about setting up and running a business in Portugal, visit the ePortugal website (in Portuguese).

See our guidance on establishing and structuring your business in the EEA and Switzerland.

Ownership of legal firms in Portugal

UK legal professionals who have investments in law firms in Portugal should contact the Portuguese Bar Association (in Portuguese) for information.

Business travel and entry requirements

UK business travellers and service providers may need a visa, work permit or other documentation.

Check our travel to Portugal for work guide for detailed information on:

• types of visa and work permit routes available
• exemptions that may apply to you or the activity you are planning to undertake

The Official Website of Portuguese Immigration has more information about:

• visas including intra-corporate transfers
• work and residence permits
• supporting documentation
• other conditions

Check which actions travellers visiting Europe need to take.

Social security payments for employees

Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Portugal.

Recognition of professional qualifications

To check what you need to do in Portugal, read our guidance on professional qualifications in the EEA and Switzerland.

If you need to secure the recognition of your professional qualification in Portugal, these sources can help you:

• Portuguese NARIC, the information centre for the recognition of professional qualifications
• Portugal’s Point of Single Contact for service providers on the ePortugal website (in Portuguese)

UK statutory auditors working in Portugal

For UK statutory auditors, the Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários Portugal (website in Portuguese) should be able to provide further information.

UK lawyers working in Portugal

If you are a UK-qualified lawyer working in Portugal, using either a Portuguese or UK professional title, you should contact the local bar association in the region where you are working or the Portuguese Bar Association (website in Portuguese) for specific advice.

Data transfer and GDPR

On 28 June 2021, the EU formally adopted ‘adequacy decisions’ for the UK, delivered through:

• Article 45 of the GDPR
• Article 36 of the Law Enforcement Directive

‘Adequacy decisions’ allow for the ongoing free flow of personal data from the EU/EEA to the UK.

Read guidance on using data in your personal business or other organisation.

Published 4 March 2019
Last updated 11 June 2021 + show all updates

1. 11 June 2021

   Added 'Trade reservations' guidance. Updated 'Recognition of professional qualifications' with new UK contact point.

2. 28 December 2020

   Updated the following sections to reflect the changes created by the UK and EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: overview, trade regulations, VAT on sales of digital services, business travel and entry requirements, social security payments for employees, recognition of professional qualifications, and data transfer and GDPR.

3. 30 November 2020

   Guidance for ‘Recognition of professional qualifications’ and ‘Social security payments for employees’ updated

4. 14 October 2019

   Change to title to include travelling for business

5. 10 October 2019

   Update to 'Business travel and entry requirements' section

6. 4 March 2019

   First published.