Portugal and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Portugal since 4 February 1969
- Issued by
- Procuradoria-Geral da República (Attorney General’s Office), also through the regional offices in Porto, Coimbra and Évora
- Language
- Portuguese, sworn translation
- Register
- Registo Comercial
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1999, in force 2000 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- EU single market and customs union
- In the Netherlands
- 50 companies controlled from Portugal in 2024, 45 in 2021 (+11.1%), about 1,000 jobs, €350 million turnover (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- EU free movement
Documents from Portugal
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Portugal.
Proof of address in Portugal, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Portuguese notário or a lawyer with certification powers.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Procuradoria-Geral da República (Attorney General’s Office), also through the regional offices in Porto, Coimbra and Évora. Documents issued digitally (certidão permanente with access code) receive an electronic apostille.
Good to know. The access code of the certidão permanente is valid for a limited period. Order it when the file is almost complete.
If a company from Portugal becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Registo Comercial. Order a certidão permanente online. You get an access code that the Dutch notary can use directly. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Portugal: business register and trade
In Portugal, registration is the responsibility of business registry offices, external services of the Institute of Registrars and Notaries (IRN) under the Ministry of Justice. The Business Register Code, adopted by Decree-Law 403/86 of 3 December 1986, governs the register.
Information on registrations with mandatory publication is free of charge on publicacoes.mj.pt. Any person may request extracts, which serve as proof of registration and remain valid for six months.
In 2026, the portal lists a subscription of €25 a year for access to electronic extracts, and requests can be made at eportugal.gov.pt. On request, register information is also available as an electronic certificate in English, with legal effects equal to the Portuguese version.
In 2024, Dutch goods exports to Portugal were worth €6.6 billion and imports from Portugal €2.5 billion.
Your next step from Portugal
Get free first advice Your own document list · How a Dutch BV is set up