Stripe in Portugal: Fees, MB WAY, Multibanco, and NIF

Yes. Stripe allows companies and sole traders established in Portugal to accept cards, MB WAY and Multibanco. A sound setup means verifying the account holder, understanding each method's timing and published fees, collecting the right business tax ID at Checkout, and treating payment acceptance and Portuguese fiscal invoicing as separate steps.

How does Stripe work for a business in Portugal?

Stripe handles the charge and transfer of funds. The account is linked to the selling entity, its representatives, and a bank account for payouts. The Dashboard identifies the information and documents needed during activation. The exact requirements depend on the entity type, its activity, and the information Stripe needs to verify.

A Portuguese company should enter its legal name and NIPC consistently with the commercial register. A sole trader uses the details of their registered activity. In either case, it is useful to have the representative's identification, business address, bank details, and a clear description of the products or services available. There is no reliable fixed verification time because the Dashboard can ask for further information.

Test mode lets a business build Checkout, simulate outcomes, and receive events without moving real money. Live payments should only be accepted after activation is complete and test keys have been replaced with live keys. The test plan should cover failures, refunds, and asynchronous methods, not just an approved card.

How much does Stripe cost in Portugal in 2026?

On the public pricing tables read on 28 August 2026, Stripe's standard online payment pricing in Portugal had no setup or monthly fees. The transaction fee depends on the card or payment method. The following table reproduces the published amounts on that date, before any custom commercial terms.

Stripe also publishes a 2% surcharge when currency conversion is required. For example, a €100 payment with a standard EEA card has a published fee of €1.75. The same amount paid with an international card has a fee of €3.40, excluding any currency conversion. These examples only apply the published formula and exclude other Stripe products.

Prices can change. Before setting margins or comparing methods, check Stripe's pricing page and its local payment methods section. An annual forecast should use the business's actual mix of cards, MB WAY, and Multibanco instead of a single convenient average fee.

Does Stripe support MB WAY and how is it enabled?

Yes. MB WAY is available on Stripe for euro payments. The customer enters a mobile number, receives a request in the MB WAY app, and authorises the payment. Stripe reports the outcome immediately, so the purchase flow can display either success or failure without leaving an order in an unknown state.

It is enabled in the Dashboard's payment method settings. The method must also be compatible with the integration, such as Checkout or Payment Links, and with the session mode. Stripe's documentation says MB WAY does not support recurring payments or manual capture. In Invoice and Subscription, it is supported only with the send_invoice collection method.

Full and partial refunds are supported, and the method supports disputes. This affects the process after a sale: an approved payment can lead to an invoice, while a refund or dispute requires separate document handling. The guide to invoices for Stripe MB WAY payments explains the correct point at which to issue the document.

How does Multibanco work on Stripe?

Multibanco is a voucher and reference method for one-time euro payments. Checkout displays the entity, reference, and amount, then the customer pays through online banking or a compatible terminal. Unlike MB WAY or an approved card, the result is not immediate. Confirmation can arrive later, including after a weekend.

Creating the reference must therefore not be treated as payment. An order can remain pending until Stripe confirms the funds. Only the successful state should advance fulfilment, service access, and the invoicing flow. Multibanco does not support recurring payments or manual capture; in Invoice and Subscription, it is also limited to send_invoice.

Stripe's documentation lists support for refunds but not disputes. Customer support procedures should reflect that difference. The guide to invoices for Multibanco reference payments shows a flow that waits for confirmation before issuing an invoice.

Should Checkout offer MB WAY or Multibanco?

The two methods meet different preferences and can coexist. MB WAY is suited to an immediate decision in the app. Multibanco allows a customer to pay later with a reference, but the system must keep the order pending. Neither method replaces a recurring method for an automatically charged subscription.

How can Checkout collect a Portuguese NIF?

Checkout can show a tax ID field when the session sets tax_id_collection[enabled]=true. Setting tax_id_collection[required]=if_supported makes collection mandatory when the country and tax ID type are supported. The field is intended for business tax IDs, not for collecting every consumer's personal NIF.

For Portugal, Stripe identifies the type as eu_vat and gives PT123456789 as its example format. If the Customer used by the session already has a saved tax ID, Checkout does not show the form again. The business should therefore confirm that saved details still belong to the entity that will receive the invoice.

Stripe checks the format synchronously, then validates EU VAT numbers asynchronously against VIES. That check confirms whether the number is valid, but does not compare its registered name and address with the Customer details. It should not be described as complete identity validation. The guide to invoices without a NIF and collection in Stripe Checkout covers cases where the customer does not provide an identifier.

What should happen after a Stripe payment?

Payment confirmation and invoice issuance are different steps. A Stripe receipt or invoice records the operation within the payment platform, but it should not be confused with the fiscal document issued by the business's invoicing system. The guide Is a Stripe invoice valid in Portugal? explains that distinction and the elements of a Portuguese invoice.

A straightforward operational flow follows this order:

1. Checkout collects the payment and, where relevant, the business tax ID.
2. The system waits for the successful state appropriate to the method. For Multibanco, it does not use mere reference creation.
3. The invoicing software receives line items, amounts, and tax data. Taxes configured in Stripe are preserved without recalculating VAT from an address or tax ID prefix.
4. The connection between payment and invoice is recorded for reconciliation, refunds, and corrections.

At low volume, this transfer can be handled manually. With several payments each day, an integration reduces copied values and handles each method at its actual confirmation time. The guide to automating Stripe invoicing in Portugal describes the complete flow between payment and certified invoicing software.

What should be tested before accepting payments?

A useful test covers the complete process, not only the payment page. It should use test data and verify the saved states, received events, and the document created in the test invoicing system.

1. Complete a card payment and confirm that one invoice is created.
2. Decline a card and confirm that there is no final invoice.
3. Approve MB WAY and verify the successful state.
4. Create a Multibanco reference, leave it pending, and invoice only after confirmation.
5. Deliver the same event again and confirm that it does not create a second document.
6. Refund a payment and verify the accounting procedure agreed with the accountant.

Before going live, review pricing, presentment currency, active payment methods, and tax ID collection once more. The first real payment will then follow a process that has already been tested from Checkout through invoicing.