In its 2016 Doing Business profile on Portugal, the World Bank ranked Portugal 23rd out of 189 countries. It is ranked relatively high in terms of the ease of starting a business and enforcing contracts, but low in terms of getting credit and paying taxes.
On the other hand, businesses in Portugal frequently complain about red tape with regard to registering companies, filing taxes, receiving value-added tax refunds, and importing materials.
Because government decision-making tends to be centralized, obtaining approvals and permits is often said to be time-consuming and costly.