Lda.
Published 5 November 2026, 22:39
Lda. — sociedade por quotas (private limited company)
The most common form of company in Portugal. The capital is divided into shares (quotas), and the partners set its total amount themselves (article 201 of the Código das Sociedades Comerciais), but no share can be less than one euro (article 219, paragraph 3). Only the company's own assets are liable for its debts to creditors (article 197, paragraph 3). The company's name must end with the word "Limitada" or the abbreviation "Lda.", which is how you recognise it in a contract or on an invoice (article 200).
Where you come across it. Your own business and the D2 visa, contracts with companies, an extract from the commercial register, invoices from contractors.
Not to be confused with an ENI, where a person runs the business in their own name and is liable with everything they own. You can also set up a company on your own: it is then called a sociedade unipessoal por quotas and written "Unipessoal Lda.". Limited liability does not cover debts that a partner has personally guaranteed, nor does it remove the need for bookkeeping, which is compulsory for a company.