Portugal Your business

Start your business in Portugal: Recruitment agency

You help businesses find and select employees in Portugal. Explain whether you sell candidate searches, advisory work or the supply of temporary staff: these models need separate assessment.

Let’s discuss your project

A few details to understand your business and the next step.

Bertrand Jayol receives your enquiry for an initial assessment. Referral to the partner is considered with your agreement. Privacy

Your circumstances come first Understand the steps ahead No online purchase required

01 / Your business

How you earn shapes the questions to ask

  • Defining vacancies and searching for candidates.
  • Interviewing, shortlisting and presenting applicants.
  • Recruitment follow-up and onboarding support.

Separate placement from temporary staffing

IEFP requires prior communication for private placement agencies; temporary employment businesses require a separate licence. Identify the model before preparing the file. A service called HR consulting can contain different activities that need an accurate description.

Prepare a search mandate setting out stages, payment and any replacement arrangement. Plan who accesses applications, how they reach clients and when unnecessary records are removed, with the applicable rules reviewed. Cost searches that do not lead to a hire rather than treating every vacancy as guaranteed commission. Describe whether clients require an exclusive search or compete with other recruitment channels.

02 / Next steps for your project

Questions to prepare your application

  1. Who becomes the successful candidate's employer?
  2. Are fees due at instruction or when someone is hired?
  3. Are the positions in Portugal or another country?
Tell us about your project

Portugal

Before you incorporate

Registering as self-employed and incorporating a company are different routes. The choice depends on how your business actually operates. A Portuguese company alone does not determine your tax residence or the treatment of every source of income.

Information to gather

  • Your country of residence and where you actually work.
  • A description of the services or products you sell.
  • Whether your customers are businesses or individuals, and their countries.
  • Any shareholders, existing business structure and your planned timing.

Sources and references

Content reviewed on

Tell us about your project

Tell us about your circumstances to prepare the next step.

Bertrand Jayol receives your enquiry for an initial assessment. Referral to the partner is considered with your agreement. Privacy