Company Registration in Timor-Leste (SERVE)
Registering a company in Timor-Leste runs through SERVE — the government's business registration and verification service. The registration itself is free and, with complete documents, reasonably quick. The friction is everything around it: getting the documents right the first time, the licensing that follows, tax registration with ATTL, and INSS registration as an employer.
We handle the whole sequence. You make the business decisions — entity type, shareholders, activity — and we prepare, file and follow up until you hold a Business Registration Certificate and every downstream registration that makes the company actually operational.
The registration sequence
Step one is the company itself: name verification, constitutive documents, shareholder and director details, and the SERVE application. With complete documents this is the fast part.
Step two is what makes the company usable: the economic-activity licence for your sector, registration with ATTL for a tax identification number, and — before you hire anyone — INSS registration as an employer. Regulated sectors (construction, pharmacy, security, finance and others) carry additional sector licences.
For the full document checklist and step-by-step detail, read our SERVE registration guide — then let us do it for you anyway.
What we need from you
- Identification for shareholders and directors (passport or Timorese ID)
- The company name you want, plus one or two fallbacks
- Business activity and sector — this drives the licensing path
- Registered address in Timor-Leste
- Share capital and shareholding split
After registration: staying compliant
A registered company immediately has a compliance calendar — monthly tax filings from the first month of activity, INSS from the first hire, and annual obligations after year-end. Most clients who register through us stay for the monthly accounting and tax service, which is exactly what those obligations need. It's also how a new company avoids the classic trap: operating for a year, then discovering the filings that were due all along.
Common questions
How long does it take to register a company in Timor-Leste?
With complete documents, SERVE processing is typically a matter of days. The realistic end-to-end timeline — incorporation plus licensing, tax and INSS registration — is a few weeks, driven mostly by how quickly documents are assembled and whether the sector needs extra licences.
How much does company registration cost?
SERVE company registration itself is free of charge. Costs arise around it: licensing fees where applicable, notarised documents and translations where needed, and our professional fee for running the process — quoted flat, up front.
Can a foreigner own a company in Timor-Leste?
Yes — foreign shareholders can own Timor-Leste companies. Foreign-invested projects should usually engage TradeInvest before incorporating, to access investor status and tax incentives. See our foreign-investor setup service for that pathway.
Less stress. More business. We handle the bureaucracy.
Book a free consultation and let us tailor a financial solution to your needs.
- Emailinfo@primosboot.com
- Phone+670 7831 8131