Frequently Asked Questions
What clients ask before the first meeting — about the firm, the jurisdictions and each practice area.
About the firm
Who handles my matter at GRPC?
Every mandate is led by a partner, who remains the point of contact from start to finish. The support team exists to accelerate the work, never to replace direct contact. The responsible partner is assigned at the first meeting, according to the subject matter and the jurisdictions involved.
How do I book a first meeting with the firm?
By email to grpc@grpclaw.com or by phone on +351 923 397 323. The first meeting is private and serves to map the context, understand what is at stake and assign the partner responsible for the matter. It takes place at the Braga office or by video call.
Can the meeting be held by video call?
It can. The head office is in Braga, but the firm works wherever the client needs it. Both the first meeting and the work that follows can take place entirely by video call — which is what usually happens with clients living in Brazil or other countries.
What languages does the firm work in?
European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese and English. Meetings, correspondence and document review can be conducted in any of these languages. The site has a full English version at www.grpclaw.com/en.
Which jurisdictions does the firm cover?
Portugal and Brazil, with work also at international level and within the European Union. All four partners are admitted to both the Brazilian Bar Association and the Portuguese Bar Association, which allows matters spanning the two legal systems to be handled with direct reading of each.
What does dual Brazil–Portugal qualification mean?
It means the partners are admitted to the bar associations of both countries. In practice, a matter with elements in Portugal and in Brazil — an investment, a move of residence, a contract, a dispute — is analysed by the same team under both legal systems.
Where is the office located?
At R. Dr. Justino Cruz 142, 1.º ESQ, Sala 2, 4700-314 Braga, Portugal, in the city centre. Meetings are by prior appointment. For clients outside Braga or outside Portugal, the matter can be handled entirely remotely.
What should I bring to the first meeting?
Whatever documents you have on the matter: contracts, notifications, decisions, supporting documents and correspondence exchanged with public authorities. Nothing needs to be organised beforehand. If you have no documents yet, the meeting still serves to map the context and identify what will need to be gathered.
Does GRPC work with clients who do not live in Portugal?
Yes. A significant share of mandates involves individuals, families and companies based in Brazil or elsewhere who intend to invest, live, study or operate in Portugal. Preparing and filing applications with the competent authorities can be done without the client travelling.
What kind of clients does the firm work with?
Individuals, families, companies, startups, investors, athletes, clubs, federations, educational institutions and organisations. The practice areas cover international mobility, investment, business structuring, international law, administrative law, litigation, sports, education, neurodivergent rights and ESG.
International Mobility
What routes are there to live legally in Portugal?
The main ones are the work visa, the job-seeker visa, the study visa, the investment visa, the regime applicable to remote workers and family reunification. The right route depends on the activity, the income and any existing connection to Portugal.
What is family reunification?
It is the right of someone legally resident in Portugal to have their direct family members — spouse, minor children, dependent parents — granted a residence permit. The application is supported by evidence of the family tie and of accommodation conditions, and is followed from document gathering through to the decision.
Which authority handles residence applications in Portugal?
AIMA — the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum — replaced SEF in processing residence permit applications. Visas are applied for at Portuguese consulates in the country of residence. The firm handles both stages and the dealings with each authority.
Investment, Golden Visa & Real State
What is the Residence Permit for Investment (Golden Visa)?
It is the regime granting a residence permit in Portugal to foreign nationals who make and maintain one of the forms of investment set out in law. It allows travel within the Schengen area and renewal of residence for as long as the investment and legal requirements are maintained.
Which forms of investment are eligible?
The law provides, among others, for job creation, subscription of units in investment funds, support for research activities and support for artistic production. The regime has been amended in recent years, so eligibility should be confirmed case by case before any decision is taken.
What is due diligence in an investment process?
It is the prior review of the legal, tax and corporate position of the asset or transaction, before the investment is made. It identifies encumbrances, pending disputes, breaches and regulatory risks — the step that prevents a problem from surfacing after the capital has been committed.
Business Structuring, Startups, Technology & Venture Capital
How is a company incorporated in Portugal?
You must decide the company type, share capital, ownership structure and corporate purpose, obtain the company-name approval certificate, register the company and comply with tax obligations and the beneficial ownership register. The company type chosen shapes liability, taxation and how investors can come in.
What is a shareholders' agreement and when is it needed?
It is the contract between shareholders governing what the articles of association do not: corporate governance, reserved matters, entry and exit of shareholders, pre-emption rights, founder vesting and exit clauses. It becomes essential when there is more than one founder or when outside investment comes in.
What changes in a venture capital investment round?
New shareholders come in with specific rights: liquidation preference, information rights, veto over certain resolutions and anti-dilution protection. The term sheet sets these conditions before the definitive documents — that is where the substance of the relationship with the investor is decided.
Administrative Law & Administrative Litigation
What does challenging an administrative act mean?
It means asking the administrative court to annul or declare void a decision of the public administration — a refusal, a fine, an exclusion from a tender. The challenge has its own time limit, running from notification, and can be accompanied by an interim measure where immediate enforcement would cause harm that is difficult to repair.
What can be done about a refusal by a public authority?
First examine the reasons given for the decision and the time limit for reacting stated in the notification. Depending on the case, the route is an administrative complaint, a hierarchical appeal or court proceedings. Where the administration fails to decide within the legal deadline, there is also an action to compel the due act.
Does the firm advise on public procurement procedures?
Yes. The practice covers preparing bids, reviewing tender documents, responding to exclusions and challenging award decisions, as well as contract performance and the issues that arise between the contracting authority and the successful bidder.
Strategic Dispute Resolution & Complex Contracts
Is it worth litigating, or better to negotiate?
It depends on what is at stake, the evidence available, the cost and the time. The analysis comes before any step: the legal position, the risk and the realistic outcome of each route are weighed. There are cases where a settlement protects the client's interest better than a judgment years later.
What is arbitration and when is it used?
It is the resolution of a dispute by arbitrators chosen by the parties, instead of a State court, with a binding decision. It is used where the contract contains an arbitration clause, and is common in complex international and commercial contracts, for the tribunal's specialisation and the confidentiality of the process.
How is a dispute prevented at the contract stage?
By defining precisely each party's obligations, what constitutes breach, the consequences, the governing law and the competent forum. Most disputes that reach court arise from ambiguous clauses or from situations the contract simply did not anticipate.
Sports Law
What does an international athlete transfer involve?
The agreement between clubs, the sports employment contract, the regulatory requirements of the federation and, where applicable, of FIFA, the international transfer certificate and, for athletes from third countries, the visa and residence permit. The sporting and immigration tracks must move at the same pace.
Who can the firm represent in sports matters?
Athletes, clubs, agents, federations, sports companies and investors. The practice covers sports contracts, international transfers, athlete immigration, image rights, the incorporation and reorganisation of sports companies, compliance and dispute resolution.
How are an athlete's image rights protected?
Through a contract separate from the sports employment contract, setting out which uses are granted, on what basis, for how long, in which territories and how revenue is shared. Without that separation, commercial exploitation of the image depends on how the employment relationship is interpreted.
Education & Academic Advisory
How is a foreign degree recognised in Portugal?
There are three routes — automatic, level and specific recognition — depending on the degree and how it corresponds to Portuguese qualifications. The application is made to a higher education institution or to DGES, supported by the legalised or apostilled diploma and a certified translation where required.
Does a foreign student need a visa to study in Portugal?
Nationals of third countries need a study visa, applied for at the Portuguese consulate for their area of residence, and then a residence permit for study once in Portugal. EU citizens do not need a visa but register their residence when the stay exceeds the period provided for.
Does the firm advise educational institutions?
Yes. Beyond students and researchers, the practice covers educational institutions and academic organisations on international cooperation protocols, academic mobility, immigration regularisation of teaching staff and researchers, and other education law matters.
Neurodivergent Rights
What rights does a neurodivergent person have at school?
Portuguese law provides for learning support and inclusion measures matched to the needs identified, and for adjustments in assessment. Where a school does not apply those measures, or applies them insufficiently, there is a route of complaint to the institution and, if necessary, a judicial route.
What is a reasonable accommodation at work?
It is the adjustment to the role, working hours, environment or communication processes that allows a neurodivergent person to perform their duties on an equal footing, without disproportionate burden on the employer. Unjustified refusal of a reasonable accommodation may amount to discrimination.
Does the firm support companies and institutions on this?
Yes. Beyond representing individuals and families, the practice covers drafting internal inclusion and accessibility policies, reviewing recruitment processes and bringing companies and educational institutions into line with Portuguese, European and international legal requirements.
ESG & Sustainability
What does ESG mean in legal terms?
It is the set of environmental, social and governance duties and good practices that have moved from voluntary commitment to regulatory requirement — particularly in the European Union, with sustainability reporting duties and due diligence obligations across the value chain.
Which companies are subject to sustainability reporting?
The scope is set by European Union law, with criteria based on size, headcount and turnover, and also reaches companies from third countries with significant activity in the Union. How it applies in a given case should be confirmed against the version of the rules in force.
What is a compliance programme?
It is the internal system that prevents, detects and corrects breaches: code of conduct, risk matrix, internal policies, whistleblowing channel, training and audit. It is not a set of standalone documents — its value lies in effective application, which is what regulators, investors and counterparties assess.