From the official Jornal da República
Timor-Leste laws, in plain words
Guides for your business
Plain-language guides to the rules a business in Timor-Leste has to follow: what to do, by when, what it costs and what happens if you don't.
Written by AI from the official law texts and checked against them. Not reviewed by a lawyer. Not legal advice.
- Your business registration: SERVE and yearly filings Every business must tell SERVE what it does and be registered there, then keep that record up to date.
- Your licences and inspections Every business declares its activities at SERVE first. Shops also enrol in the Ministry of Commerce's register, and some need a licence.
- Your taxes: what to file, pay and hold back Every business needs a tax number and pays income tax; staff, rent, hotel or restaurant sales and imports add more.
- Your staff: hiring, pay and time off If you have even one employee, these rules apply to you.
- Social security for you and your staff If you have staff, you send INSS 10% of their pay every month (6% from you, 4% from them). If you trade in your own name, you must register too.
- Your workplace: safety, first aid and accidents If you have even one worker, you must keep them safe at work, and you pay the fine if you don't.
- Your premises: renting, owning and building Whether you rent, own or build the place you work from, these rules decide what you must sign, register and get licensed.
- Your customers: prices, receipts, warranties and refunds If you sell anything to the public, these rules apply to you.
- Your money: US dollars, cash, QR payments and receipts If you sell anything and get paid, in cash or by QR, these rules apply to you.
- Your online sales, customer data and adverts If you sell online, keep customer details or advertise, these rules apply to you.
- Foreign owners, staff and guests: visas and duties If a foreigner owns part of your business, works for you or stays with you, these rules apply.
- Your tourism business: licence, prices and guests If you host, guide, drive, sail or pamper tourists, you need a tourism licence and these rules apply to you.
- Your food and drink business: hygiene, alcohol, tobacco If you cook, serve or sell food, drinks, alcohol or tobacco, these rules apply to you.
- Your vehicles: driving, rent-a-car and passenger transport If your business drives, rents out or carries people in vehicles, these rules apply to you.
- Children in your care: safety, schools and preschools If children spend time in your care, such as at a school, preschool, club or class, these rules apply to you.
- Your events and sport: permits, music, security, noise If you run events, a venue or a sports club, or play music to customers, these rules decide what you need before the doors open.
- Your clinic or pharmacy: licences and daily rules If you treat patients or sell medicines, you need a Ministry of Health licence or authorisation before you open, and strict daily rules apply.
I run a…
Pick your type of business to see only the guides and laws that fit it.
Topics
- Starting, Running & Closing a Business How do I set up my business legally, and how do I close it? 0 explained · 35 acts
- Licences, Permits & Inspections Which licence do I need, and what happens at an inspection? 0 explained · 23 acts
- Tax, Customs & Official Fees What taxes and duties do I file, pay or withhold? 0 explained · 34 acts
- Staff, Employment & Social Security What do I owe my staff, and what are their rights? 0 explained · 38 acts
- Customers, Prices & Fair Trading What rights do my customers have, and how may I set and show prices? 0 explained · 17 acts
- Contracts, Courts & Selling to Government How do contracts work, how do I get paid or go to court, and how do I sell to the State? 0 explained · 60 acts
- Banking, Payments, Insurance & Anti-Money-Laundering What rules apply to how I get paid, handle cash, insure and identify customers? 0 explained · 15 acts
- Data, Privacy, Online & Telecoms What may I do with customer data, and what online and telecom rules apply? 0 explained · 9 acts
- Premises, Land, Building & Safety What rules apply to the place I rent, own, build or open to the public? 0 explained · 58 acts
- Foreign Owners, Visas & Labour Mobility Can a foreigner own, invest or work here, and how do Timorese work abroad? 0 explained · 16 acts
More topics
- Food, Drink, Hygiene & Tobacco What hygiene and safety rules apply when I make, serve or sell food, drink or tobacco? 0 explained · 12 acts
- Environment, Farming, Fisheries & Natural Resources What environmental, farming or sea rules affect my activity? 0 explained · 83 acts
- Transport, Vehicles, Boats & Aviation What rules apply to my vehicles, drivers, boats and passengers? 0 explained · 53 acts
- Tourism, Hospitality & Heritage What tourism, accommodation, restaurant and heritage rules apply to me? 0 explained · 16 acts
- Events, Sport, Gaming & Recreation What rules apply when I run an event, a sports activity or a game? 0 explained · 31 acts
- Media, Advertising & Intellectual Property Who owns the music, photos and texts I use, and what rules apply when I publish or broadcast? 0 explained · 10 acts
- Education, Training & Child Protection What rules apply to my school, course or work with children? 0 explained · 106 acts
- Healthcare, Medicines & Public Health What rules apply to health care, medicines, wellness treatments and public-health measures? 0 explained · 198 acts
- NGOs, Associations, Cooperatives & Social Programmes How do I set up and run an association, cooperative or charity, and what funding rules apply? 0 explained · 22 acts
State and government (reference)
- State, Government & Public Life (reference) 0 explained · 2007 acts
What's new
- Government Decree 6/2026 Calendário do recenseamento eleitoral no estrangeiro para as eleições presidenciais de 2027
- Government Resolution 43/2026 Cria a Comissão Interministerial de Gestão, Coordenação e Acompanhamento do projeto de construção do Hospital Militar (Hospital de Amizade Timor-Leste - China).
- Decree-Law 27/2026 Aprova o Regime Excecional de Contratação Pública aplicável ao projeto do Centro Internacional de Convenções
- Government Decree 5/2026 Centro Nacional de Coordenação, Avaliação e Combate às Ameaças Transnacionais
- Ministerial Diploma 37/2026 Estrutura do Gabinete de Planeamento, Política e Cooperação do Ministério dos Transportes e Comunicações