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Please briefly describe the current investment climate in the country and the average volume of foreign direct investments (by value in US dollars and by deal number) over the last three years.
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What are the typical forms of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the country: a) greenfield or brownfield projects to build new facilities by foreign companies, b) acquisition of businesses (in asset or stock transactions), c) acquisition of minority interests in existing companies, d) joint ventures, e) other?
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Are foreign investors allowed to own 100% of a domestic company or business? If not, what is the maximum percentage that a foreign investor can own?
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Are foreign investors allowed to invest and hold the same class of stock or other equity securities as domestic shareholders? Is it true for both public and private companies?
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Are domestic businesses organized and managed through domestic companies or primarily offshore companies?
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What are the forms of domestic companies? Briefly describe the differences. Which form is preferred by domestic shareholders? Which form is preferred by foreign investors/shareholders? What are the reasons for foreign shareholders preferring one form over the other?
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What are the requirements for forming a company? Which governmental entities have to give approvals? What is the process for forming/incorporating a domestic company? What is a required capitalization for forming/incorporating a company? How long does it take to form a domestic company? How many shareholders is the company required to have? Is the list of shareholders publicly available?
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What are the requirements and necessary governmental approvals for a foreign investor acquiring shares in a private company? What about for an acquisition of assets?
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Does a foreign investor need approval to acquire shares in a public company on a domestic stock market? What about acquiring shares of a public company in a direct (private) transaction from another shareholder?
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Is there a requirement for a mandatory tender offer if an investor acquired a certain percentage of shares of a public company?
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What is the approval process for building a new facility in the country (in a greenfield or brownfield project)?
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Can an investor do a transaction in the country in any currency or only in domestic currency? a) Is there an approval requirement (e.g. through Central Bank or another governmental agency) to use foreign currency in the country to pay: i. in an acquisition, or, ii. to pay to contractors, or, iii. to pay salaries of employees? b) Is there a limit on the amount of foreign currency in any transaction or series of related transactions? i. Is there an approval requirement and a limit on how much foreign currency a foreign investor can transfer into the country? ii. Is there an approval requirement and a limit on how much domestic currency a foreign investor can buy in the country? iii. Can an investor buy domestic currency outside of the country and transfer it into the country to pay for an acquisition or to third parties for goods or services or to pay salaries of employees?
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Are there approval requirements for a foreign investor for transferring domestic currency or foreign currency out of the country? Whose approval is required? How long does it take to get the approval? Are there limitations on the amount of foreign or domestic currency that can be transferred out of the country? Is the approval required for each transfer or can it be granted for all future transfers?
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Is there a tax or duty on foreign currency conversion?
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Is there a tax or duty on bringing foreign or domestic currency into the country?
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Is there a difference in tax treatment between acquisition of assets or shares (e.g. a stamp duty)?
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When is a stamp duty required to be paid?
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Are shares in private domestic companies easily transferable? Can the shares be held outside of the home jurisdiction? What approval does a foreign investor need to transfer shares to another foreign or domestic shareholder? Are changes in shareholding publicly reported or publicly available?
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Is there a mandatory FDI filing? With which agency is it required to be made? How long does it take to obtain an FDI approval? Under what circumstances is the mandatory FDI filing required to be made? If a mandatory filing is not required, can a transaction be reviewed by a governmental authority and be blocked? If a transaction is outside of the home jurisdiction (e.g. a global transaction where shares of a foreign incorporated parent company are being bought by another foreign company, but the parent company that’s been acquired has a subsidiary in your jurisdiction), could such a transaction trigger a mandatory FDI filing in your jurisdiction? Can a governmental authority in such a transaction prohibit the indirect transfer of control of the subsidiary?
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What are typical exit transactions for foreign companies?
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Do private companies prefer to pursue an IPO? i. on a domestic stock market, or ii. on a foreign stock market? iii. If foreign, which one?
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Do M&A/Investment/JV agreements typically provide for dispute resolution in domestic courts or through international arbitration?
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How long does a typical contract dispute case take in domestic courts for a final resolution?
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Are domestic courts reliable in enforcing foreign investors rights under agreements and under the law?
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Are there instances of abuse of foreign investors? How are cases of investor abuse handled?
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Are international arbitral awards recognized and enforced in your country?
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Are there foreign investment protection treaties in place between your country and major other countries?
Portugal: Investing In
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Investing In laws and regulations applicable in Portugal.