Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the CMVM decision, including banking and payment rails.
Get an investment license in Madeira.
The EU passport at 5%: a Portuguese investment firm licensed by the CMVM, operating inside the Madeira International Business Centre - a reduced corporate rate of 5% running through 2033, with new entities admitted to the regime until the end of 2026, against real job-creation and investment conditions. Run from our own Funchal office.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Madeira in brief
A European licence with a fiscal deadline attached.
Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal, fully inside the European Union, and an investment firm here is a Portuguese investment firm - licensed by the CMVM under the same MiFID-derived framework as any Lisbon house, with the same passport into thirty EEA states. What is different is the International Business Centre: entities licensed to operate within it pay corporate income tax at 5% on qualifying income, a rate approved to run through 31 December 2033. The conditions are real. A company creating one to five jobs must invest at least €75,000 in fixed assets within two years; six or more jobs removes the minimum-investment requirement. Taxable income eligible for the reduced rate is capped by headcount, and further ceilings apply against gross value added, labour costs or turnover.
The deadline is the part most people miss: new entities can be admitted to the regime until 31 December 2026. After that window, the 5% is available to those already inside it, not to newcomers. For international services, the reduced rate applies to transactions with non-residents or with other IBC entities - the regime is built for cross-border business, which is exactly what an asset manager serving EU and global clients does. Add the shareholder-level exemption from Portuguese withholding on dividends for non-blacklisted non-residents, 80% relief on stamp duty and property transfer taxes, and the arithmetic becomes hard to match anywhere in the union. We hold our own office in Madeira and we build the licence and the regime together.
A real EU licence at 5%: a Portuguese investment firm authorised by the CMVM, operating inside the Madeira IBC - 5% corporate tax on qualifying income through 2033, with new entities admitted only until 31 December 2026.
Conditions are real: 1-5 jobs plus €75,000 in fixed assets within two years, or 6+ jobs without a minimum; income ceilings by headcount. Run from our own Funchal office.
The two builds
The investment firm - inside the IBC.
Two things happen in parallel: authorisation as a Portuguese investment firm, and admission to the Madeira regime. Neither substitutes for the other, and the second has a deadline.
The CMVM investment firm. Inside the 5% IBC regime.
01 - PORTUGUESE INVESTMENT FIRM
The licence
CMVM authorisation under Portugal's MiFID-derived framework. Advice, order handling, portfolio management and dealing by permission, with the full EEA passport on grant.
CMVM authorisation under Portugal's MiFID-derived framework. Advice, order handling, portfolio management and dealing by permission, with the full EEA passport on grant.
- ✓Advice · RTO · execution
- ✓Discretionary portfolio management
- ✓Dealing where the model needs it
- ✓Capital per the EU tiers
- ✓EU passport into 30 states
- ✓Banco de Portugal prudential role
02 - IBC ADMISSION
The 5% regime
Licensing into the International Business Centre - 5% corporate tax through 2033 on qualifying income, subject to job creation, investment and ceiling conditions, with admission open until the end of 2026.
Admission to the International Business Centre: 5% through 2033, jobs and investment conditions, income ceilings by headcount. Window closes 31.12.2026.
- ✓5% CIT on qualifying income
- ✓Rate approved through 2033
- ✓Admission until 31.12.2026
- ✓1-5 jobs → €75,000 investment
- ✓6+ jobs → no minimum investment
- ✓Income ceilings by headcount
Regime conditions per the Madeira IBC as published for 2026. Ceilings apply against gross value added, labour costs or turnover, and are modelled per case at design.
Why Madeira
Six reasons managers look at the island.
✓
5% inside the union
A European corporate rate of 5% on qualifying income, approved to 2033. Nothing in the EU competes on arithmetic.Nothing competes.
✓
A real EU licence
This is a Portuguese investment firm with a full passport. The fiscal regime sits on top, it does not replace the authorisation.Full CMVM passport.
✓
The window closes in 2026
New entities are admitted until 31 December 2026. That is a planning fact with a date on it, not a marketing line.A date, not a slogan.
✓
Substance is the condition
Jobs and investment are what buy the rate, which is why the regime survives scrutiny that paper structures do not.Why it survives audit.
✓
Shareholder-level relief
Non-resident shareholders outside Portugal's blacklist are exempt from withholding on dividends. The group stacks cleanly.Non-resident exemption.
✓
We are already there
Prifinance holds its own Madeira office. The licence, the regime and the local hiring run from inside the island.Substance from inside.
How it compares
How Madeira differs from other routes.
Side by side: the union's lowest effective rate. Bought with real jobs and a closing admission window.
Madeira vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Madeira | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | CMVM licence + IBC | Standard national tax |
| Corporate tax | 5% on qualifying income | 12.5%-28% in the EU |
| Condition | Jobs + investment | Substance, unrewarded |
| Window | Admission to 31.12.2026 | Open-ended |
Regime
MadeiraCMVM licence + IBC
Other jurisdictionsStandard national tax
Corporate tax
Madeira5% on qualifying income
Other jurisdictions12.5%-28% in the EU
Condition
MadeiraJobs + investment
Other jurisdictionsSubstance, unrewarded
Window
MadeiraAdmission to 31.12.2026
Other jurisdictionsOpen-ended
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madeira | Investment firm - CMVM | 5% in the IBC | Jobs + €75,000 investment |
 Cyprus | CIF - CySEC | 12.5% · 15% large | IFD tiers, EU passport |
 Estonia | Investment firm - FI | 0% retained · 22/78 | IFD tiers, statutory clock |
 Luxembourg | Investment firm - CSSF | ≈23.9% aggregate | €75k-€750k, four eyes |
MadeiraLicense typeInvestment firm - CMVM
Taxation5% in the IBC
RequirementsJobs + €75,000 investment
CyprusLicense typeCIF - CySEC
Taxation12.5% · 15% large
RequirementsIFD tiers, EU passport
EstoniaLicense typeInvestment firm - FI
Taxation0% retained · 22/78
RequirementsIFD tiers, statutory clock
LuxembourgLicense typeInvestment firm - CSSF
Taxation≈23.9% aggregate
Requirements€75k-€750k, four eyes
Before you apply
Requirements for the Madeira build.Requirements for the build.
Two tracks with two sets of conditions. The checklist below covers both.
01
Portuguese company. Incorporated in Madeira with genuine management on the island.
02
CMVM authorisation. The investment-firm licence scoped to the actual service set, with EU-tier capital.
03
IBC licensing. Admission to the International Business Centre, applied for within the window to 31 December 2026.
04
Job creation. One to five jobs with €75,000 invested in fixed assets within two years, or six-plus jobs without the minimum.
05
Ceiling modelling. Taxable income eligible for 5% capped by headcount, plus GVA, labour-cost or turnover limits.
06
Qualifying income. International services taxed at 5% only on non-resident or inter-IBC transactions.
07
Fit-and-proper officers. Directors and qualifying shareholders vetted to ultimate-owner level.
08
Business plan. Services, clients and projections both the CMVM and the regime can test.
09
Governance and compliance. Risk, compliance and internal control per Portuguese requirements.
10
AML/CFT programme. Portuguese law compliance with a named responsible officer.
11
Local hiring plan. The actual people whose employment sustains the regime, recruited and retained.
01
Madeira company, run locally.
02
CMVM licence, EU-tier capital.
03
IBC admission before 2026.
04
Jobs + €75,000 test met.
05
Ceilings modelled first.
06
Qualifying income mapped.
07
Officers vetted to UBO.
08
Testable business plan.
09
Governance per Portugal.
10
AML officer named.
11
Hiring plan sustained.
Reflects Portuguese investment-firm rules and the Madeira IBC regime as published for 2026. Ceilings and eligibility are modelled per case before commitment.Portuguese rules + Madeira IBC, as published 2026.
How it works
From first call to a licensed firm inside the IBC.
01
Model and arithmetic
Service set, capital tier and the 5% ceilings modelled against your projected income. Before anything is committed.Ceilings first.
02
Company and jobs
Madeira entity formed, hiring plan and investment test designed to hold the regime.Regime held.
03
The two applications
CMVM authorisation and IBC admission filed in parallel. The 2026 window respected.Window respected.
04
Review
Regulator questions answered and regime conditions evidenced on schedule.Conditions evidenced.
05
Licensed and passported
Register entry, EEA notifications and the 5% rate running. A European firm at island economics.Passported live.
Quick facts
RegulatorCMVM
RegimeMadeira IBC
Corporate tax5% qualifying income
Rate approved to31.12.2033
Admission windowUntil 31.12.2026
1-5 jobs€75,000 in 2 years
6+ jobsNo minimum investment
Passport30 EEA states
The admission window is the scheduling constraint: a build that starts too late gets the licence at the standard rate, not at 5%.
On the ground in Madeira
Run from our own Funchal office.
Prifinance - Madeira
Funchal · Madeira, Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F, Funchal, Madeira
01
Licence and regime together
CMVM authorisation and IBC admission designed as one project. The window to 2026 built into the schedule.One project.
02
The jobs plan
Headcount modelled against the ceilings and the €75,000 investment test. The condition that buys the rate, planned properly.Buys the rate.
03
The CMVM file
Business plan, governance and capital evidence. Complete at submission, defended through review.Complete at filing.
04
Local operations
Hiring, premises and administration run from our own Madeira office. Substance that is genuinely there.Genuinely there.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of investment firms in Madeira.
The union's most aggressive legitimate arithmetic. Conditional, capped and time-boxed.
5% corporate tax
On qualifying income for IBC-licensed entities, approved through 31 December 2033. The headline reason to be here.Qualifying income.
Admission until end-2026
New entities enter the regime only until 31 December 2026. The single most important date in any Madeira plan.Approved horizon.
Jobs buy the rate
One to five jobs plus €75,000 in fixed assets within two years, or six-plus jobs without the investment minimum.The key date.
Ceilings by headcount
Eligible taxable income is capped against employee numbers, with further limits on GVA, labour costs or turnover. Modelled per case.€75k or 6+ hires.
Non-resident dividends
Shareholders outside Portugal's blacklist are exempt from withholding on distributions. The group layer stays clean.Non-blacklist holders.
80% duty relief
Stamp duty and municipal property and transfer taxes carry 80% exemptions on qualifying transactions.Stamp and property.
Tax summary
Corporate tax5% qualifying income
Approved through31.12.2033
Admission windowUntil 31.12.2026
Dividend withholdingExempt - non-blacklist
Stamp / property duty80% exemption
*Regime as published for 2026. Eligibility, ceilings and qualifying-income status are modelled and documented per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Madeira company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed firm.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Madeira · CMVM + IBC
Launch your investment firm in Madeira with expert support.
Full-service assistance - from CMVM authorisation and IBC admission to hiring and passporting - run from our own Funchal office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Madeira the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Madeira investment licence: frequent questions.
Is a Madeira firm a real EU investment firm?+
Yes. Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal inside the European Union - the firm is licensed by the CMVM under Portugal's MiFID-derived framework and passports into thirty EEA states like any other.
What is the tax rate?+
5% corporate income tax on qualifying income for entities licensed to operate in the International Business Centre, approved to run through 31 December 2033.
Until when can new companies join?+
New entities are admitted to the regime until 31 December 2026. That deadline drives the whole schedule - a project that starts late still gets a licence, just not at 5%.
What conditions buy the rate?+
Job creation: one to five jobs with a minimum €75,000 investment in fixed assets within two years, or six or more jobs with no minimum investment requirement.
Are there limits on the 5%?+
Yes - eligible taxable income is capped by headcount, with additional ceilings against gross value added, labour costs or turnover. We model your actual numbers against those caps before you commit.
Does the 5% apply to all income?+
For international services it applies to transactions with non-residents or with other IBC entities - the regime is designed for cross-border business, which is what an internationally-facing manager runs.
What about shareholders?+
Non-resident shareholders not on Portugal's blacklist are exempt from Portuguese withholding tax on dividends, and qualifying transactions carry 80% relief on stamp duty and property taxes.
Is this an offshore structure?+
No - it is an EU regime with published conditions, real employment requirements and full transparency obligations. That is precisely why it survives scrutiny that offshore paper does not.
Madeira or Cyprus?+
Both give the EU passport. Cyprus is 12.5% with a deep licensing cluster and no deadline; Madeira is 5% with real hiring conditions and an admission window closing at the end of 2026. Headcount plans and timing decide.
Why Prifinance for Madeira?+
We hold our own office in Madeira - the licence, the IBC admission, the hiring and the substance run from inside the island, against a deadline we plan backwards from.
Real EU licence?+
Yes - CMVM, passported.
Rate?+
5% on qualifying income.
Deadline?+
Admission to 31.12.2026.
Conditions?+
Jobs + €75,000 test.
Limits?+
Ceilings by headcount.
All income?+
Non-resident / inter-IBC.
Shareholders?+
Exempt if non-blacklist.
Offshore?+
No - an EU regime.
Or Cyprus?+
Headcount and timing.
Why you?+
Our own island office.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
“As a software development crew at FewMoreTaps OÜ, we've had the pleasure of working with Prifinance on some key financial moves.First of all, navigating the world of corporate banking and finance can be a maze, but Prifinance made it feel like a walk in the park. They helped us set up a corporate bank account without the hassle of jumping on a plane or drowning in paperwork. Everything was done remotely, smoothly…”
Google
“I had their assistance in company registration and I would recommend them. They were answering all my clarification during the process and offering all their supportThank you Daniel and Irinia”
Google
“We found PRIFINANCE COMPANYvia the Internet and asked for help in organizing the opening of their company in Estonia. PRIFINANCE COMPANY specialists helped us a lot with this. Their professional, competent approach and knowledge of their business left us with only the best impressions.”
Google
“I'm thrilled with my experience with PriFinance! They helped me obtain a crypto license in Estonia without any hassle. The team was super understanding and always available to answer my questions and assist. It was great to see how they put effort into preparing the documents to ensure everything went smoothly. I'm delighted with the outcome and highly recommend PriFinance to anyone looking to get a license…”
Google
“Opening an account with Prifinance in a Swiss bank was such an easy and quick process that I was shocked. It all started with the first call, where I received detailed guidance on the required documents and the entire procedure.One of the key highlights was their attention to detail. As someone who usually gets tangled up in paperwork, I was pleasantly surprised when they sent me all the documents and…”
Google
“I recently had the pleasure of working with Boris.. and I must say, it was a fantastic experience. Boris went above and beyond to assist me with my residency needs. His professionalism, knowledge, and dedication truly stood out. I highly recommend working with Boris and the team!”
Google
Start today
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Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.Free legal opinion: whether Madeira's window still fits your timeline.
✓Written legal opinion within 2-5 business days - free of charge✓A clear recommendation on the right licence scope, not a sales pitch✓Transparent fixed fees, confirmed up front✓EN · RU · ES speaking team
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of CMVM or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.