Tl Company Formation

---
name: tl-company-formation
description: "Source-cited draft: company formation & entity choice for Timor-Leste (tax year 2025) — rates, thresholds and rules with primary-source citations. Unverified; pending local-accountant review."
license: "AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)"
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  openaccountants_url: "https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/tl-company-formation"
  jurisdiction: "TL"
  tax_year: "2025"
  last_updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Timor-Leste Company Formation & Entity Choice

## Entity types and incorporation

Business registration in Timor-Leste is centralised through SERVE, I.P. (Serviço de Registo e Verificação Empresarial), a one-stop shop for both domestic and foreign investors. Company law derives from the Commercial Companies Law. Unverified draft figures.

- **Private limited company** — Sociedade por Quotas / Limited Liability Company (Lda.) — most common form for SMEs  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Joint stock company** — Sociedade Anónima (S.A.) — public/joint-stock company for larger ventures  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Sole proprietorship** — Empresário em Nome Individual — single-owner unincorporated business  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Minimum share capital — Lda.** — USD 1.00 (no statutory minimum beyond a nominal amount) USD ((approx — sources vary between USD 1 and USD 5,000; confirm)) USD  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Minimum share capital — S.A.** — USD 50,000 USD  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Lda. — number of members** — Minimum 2 members (single-member Lda. permitted in some cases); commonly up to ~30 shareholders ((approx — confirm minimum/maximum))  _([Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 4/2004)](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Registration authority** — SERVE, I.P. (Serviço de Registo e Verificação Empresarial) — one-stop business registration  _([SERVE, I.P. enabling legislation](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Registration timeline** — Company registration through SERVE can be completed in a few days (often 1–3 working days for a simple Lda.) ((approx — confirm current timeline))  _([SERVE, I.P. business registration procedures](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Registration cost** — Low nominal SERVE registration fees (typically under USD 100 for a basic registration) ((approx — confirm current fee schedule))  _([SERVE, I.P. business registration procedures](https://serve.gov.tl/))_
- **Tax identification number** — Businesses must obtain a Tax Identification Number (TIN) from the Timor-Leste Tax Authority before trading  _([Taxes and Duties Act (Law No. 8/2008)](https://attl.gov.tl/))_
- **Core annual compliance — CIT return** — File annual corporate income tax return by the last day of the third month after year-end  _([Taxes and Duties Act (Law No. 8/2008)](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/timor-leste/corporate/tax-administration))_
- **Core annual compliance — monthly returns** — Monthly WIT, services tax, sales tax and withholding tax returns filed by the 15th of the following month  _([Taxes and Duties Act (Law No. 8/2008)](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/timor-leste/corporate/tax-administration))_

## Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-07-13. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call `get_skill` with slug `tl-company-formation` on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/tl-company-formation. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.