Up to €20,000 in Public Funding to Digitalise Your Portuguese SME

If you own or run a company registered in Portugal, the Portuguese state will help pay for its digitalisation. The Vale Digitalização ("Digitalisation Voucher"), part of the Portugal 2030 funding framework, co-finances SME digital projects up to €20,000 — at a 75% grant rate, non-repayable.

In plain terms: on a €4,000 project, the grant can cover €3,000. Your company pays €1,000 out of pocket and keeps the asset.

This applies to foreign-owned companies too. Eligibility is based on the company — a Portuguese SME with valid certification — not on the nationality of its shareholders. If you are a foreign founder with an Lda or Unipessoal in Portugal, this programme is on the table.

One caveat up front: calls for applications (avisos) open and close in windows, and terms vary between calls. Always confirm the current conditions on portugal2030.pt or compete2030.gov.pt before committing to anything.

What the Vale Digitalização is

It is a simplified support instrument under Portugal 2030 (largely managed through COMPETE 2030), designed to speed up the digital transition of Portuguese micro, small and medium enterprises.

The key numbers:

Parameter	Value
Maximum support	up to €20,000 per company
Co-financing rate	75%, non-repayable grant
Company's own contribution	25% of the investment
Who qualifies	SMEs with a valid PME certification
Nature	grant ("a fundo perdido") — not a loan

"A fundo perdido" is the phrase you will see everywhere: it means the money is not paid back. No interest, no repayment schedule. Deliver the project, submit the invoices, receive the funds.

What it covers

Typical eligible investments across recent calls include:

• Digital presence and a professional website — site build, domain, hosting, content;
• E-commerce — online store, payment methods, logistics integration;
• CRM and customer management — software for contacts, sales and invoicing;
• Digital marketing — search visibility, marketplace presence;
• Cybersecurity and cloud — in some calls, system migration and data protection.

The most common first digital investment a small company makes — a serious website, or the ability to sell online — sits squarely inside the programme's scope.

Who is eligible

The usual requirements (check the specific call):

1. Be an SME — micro, small or medium company with a valid PME certification from IAPMEI (the Portuguese SME agency). Certification is free and requested online; allow a few days.
2. Clean standing with the Portuguese tax authority (AT) and social security.
3. Organised accounting and real activity, with an eligible CAE (activity code) under the call.
4. The investment must not have started before you apply. This rule catches people out constantly. Invoices dated before submission are normally ineligible. Do not sign or pay anything until the application is in.

If your Portuguese company is a subsidiary of a larger foreign group, note that SME status is assessed at group level — a small Lda owned by a large parent may not qualify as an SME. Check the IAPMEI certification rules.

The application path, step by step

1. Check for an open call on portugal2030.pt / compete2030.gov.pt. No open call, no application — calls run in time windows with fixed budgets.
2. Obtain or renew the PME certification at IAPMEI.
3. Define the project and collect quotes from your supplier (e.g. professional website + online store). The quote underpins the declared investment.
4. Submit the application through the Balcão dos Fundos portal, describing the project, amounts and timeline. The portal and forms are in Portuguese — your accountant (contabilista certificado) can handle it for a modest fee if you prefer.
5. Wait for the decision. Simplified instruments are assessed faster than classic incentive schemes — think weeks to a few months, depending on the call and demand.
6. Execute the project within the deadline set by the call (typically 12–18 months).
7. Submit expenses (invoices plus proof of payment) and receive the 75% reimbursement.

The cash-flow point matters: in most cases your company pays the supplier first and is reimbursed afterwards, against documented expenses. Budget accordingly.

What websites actually cost in Portugal — with and without the grant

Market rates in Portugal in 2026, for context:

Solution	Market range	Net cost with 75% grant
Marketplace freelancer	€350 – €1,750	€88 – €438
Institutional site (Lisbon agency)	€3,000 – €6,000	€750 – €1,500
Online store (agency)	€3,500 – €10,000	€875 – €2,500
Custom application	€15,000+	€3,750+ (within the voucher cap)
Monthly maintenance	€30 – €300/mo	depends on call eligibility

At Feitura, every proposal is a fixed price with itemised deliverables — professional website, online store or custom application — and the same arithmetic applies: with 75% co-financing, your company pays only a quarter of the agreed price.

A warning that applies to every funding programme anywhere: when public money is available, inflated quotes appear — €6,000 proposals for €2,000 of work, "because the grant pays". It is still a bad deal (your 25% share scales with the price) and padded invoices can jeopardise expense eligibility. Ask for an itemised proposal with concrete deliverables and compare it against the market ranges above.

Realistic timelines

• PME certification: days, if your company records are in order.
• Preparing the application: 1–2 weeks once quotes are in hand.
• Decision: weeks to a few months, depending on the call.
• Building the site: this is where suppliers diverge sharply. Typical agency lead time for an institutional site is 6–12 weeks; at Feitura, AI-accelerated senior engineering makes the build dramatically faster — which leaves comfortable margin inside any call's execution deadline.

FAQ

Is the grant really non-repayable? Yes. It is not a loan. Follow the call's rules and document the expenses, and the 75% is yours to keep.

Can I apply if the project has already started? Generally no. Pre-application expenses are normally ineligible. Apply first, contract second.

Does foreign ownership disqualify my company? No — eligibility follows the company, not the shareholders. But SME status is assessed including any parent group.

Do I need a consultant? Not required. Simplified instruments are designed for direct submission. Most Portuguese accountants will handle it if you would rather not deal with a Portuguese-language portal.

What if no call is open right now? Calls open in phases. Subscribe to notifications on portugal2030.pt, and prepare your PME certification and quotes in the meantime so you can submit on day one of the next window.

Always verify the current call

Everything above describes the general design of the instrument; each individual call sets its own rates, caps, eligible activity codes and deadlines, and budgets run out. Before deciding anything, check portugal2030.pt and compete2030.gov.pt, or ask your Portuguese accountant.

If you are preparing an application and need a detailed, fixed-price quote to attach to it — professional website, online store or custom application, with deliverables spelled out — request a free estimate and we will send you a proposal you can file with the application as-is.