Constituição de Empresas para Investidores Estrangeiros
Setting up a foreign-invested business in Timor-Leste is a sequence, and the sequence matters: TradeInvest before SERVE, SERVE before the tax authority, everything before the first hire. Investors who run the steps in the wrong order lose months — and sometimes the tax incentives that made the project attractive.
We are the local operational team for incoming investors: TradeInvest engagement support, incorporation through SERVE, tax registration with ATTL, INSS employer registration, work permits for expatriate staff, and the accounting function once you're trading.
The setup pathway
Step 1 — TradeInvest. Present the project, confirm sectoral eligibility under the Private Investment Law, and begin the Investment Certificate / Benefit Declaration process. Even where the tax incentives are modest, formal investor status matters for land use, licensing and government relations.
Step 2 — SERVE incorporation of the operating entity. Step 3 — ATTL tax registration; the Benefit Declaration determines which incentives apply. Step 4 — INSS registration as an employer. Step 5 — corporate bank account, with documentation from SERVE, ATTL and TradeInvest. Step 6 — sector licences where the industry is regulated.
End to end, a typical foreign-invested setup takes two to three months from first TradeInvest engagement to fully operational. Simple sectors run faster; regulated sectors run longer.
Where investors lose time
- Registering through SERVE first and treating TradeInvest as optional — losing the incentive pathway
- Modelling returns on the 10% headline tax rate without testing tax-holiday eligibility
- Land assumptions imported from other markets — freehold is not available to foreigners
- Underestimating the employment layer: INSS, wage income tax, work permits for expatriate staff
- No local finance function from day one, so the first year ends with a compliance backlog
What working with us looks like
Before you commit, a conversation: the project, the likely TradeInvest pathway, realistic timelines and costs. Once you proceed, we run the registrations in sequence and report progress as each authority signs off. Once you're operational, the same team runs your monthly accounting, tax and payroll — in English for your head office, in Tetun and Portuguese with the authorities.
Perguntas frequentes
Can a company in Timor-Leste be 100% foreign-owned?
Yes, in most sectors a Timor-Leste company can be wholly foreign-owned. Sector eligibility is confirmed during TradeInvest screening, which is one of the reasons to engage TradeInvest before incorporating.
What tax rate will a foreign-invested company pay?
The general corporate income tax rate is a flat 10%. Qualifying investments can access tax incentives under the Private Investment Law via TradeInvest — which can change the project economics materially, so model both cases.
Can foreigners buy land in Timor-Leste?
No — foreign ownership of land is not possible. Long-term lease and usage rights are the mechanism, and they are workable for most commercial projects when planned early.
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- Emailinfo@primosboot.com
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