Global Mobility / Residency by Investment / Portugal — HQA
Residency · European Union · Portugal
Portugal
Highly Qualified Activity
A route into Portuguese residence built around a qualifying business and research activity. The capital commitment is materially lower than the Golden Visa, and it asks considerably more of you in return.
Last reviewed September 1, 2026
Advisory note · Current as of September 2026
HQA is a structure, not a statutory program. Understanding that changes how you should assess it.
The Golden Visa is a defined program in Portuguese law, with published thresholds and its own legal basis. HQA is different. It is a way of packaging an application for a highly qualified activity residence permit around an investment in a Portuguese company, ordinarily paired with a research or innovation partnership. The permit that results is issued on the highly qualified activity basis, not under a separate investor program.
This is not a criticism of the route. It is a legitimate and well-used pathway, and for the right applicant it is genuinely the better option. But it means the quality of the structure matters enormously. You are relying on the business, the partnership and the paperwork standing up to scrutiny, not on ticking a published investment threshold. The variation between providers in this market is wider than in any other program we advise on.
It also means the figures quoted around HQA describe a commercial package rather than a government-set minimum. What that package contains, and what it leaves you to do, is the thing to examine.
The May 2026 nationality reform applies here as it does to every Portuguese residence route. Naturalization now requires ten years for most nationalities and seven for CPLP nationals, counted from issuance of the first residence permit. Permanent residence at five years is unaffected.
At a glance
The route in outline
Indicative investment
From €175,000
A commercial package rather than a statutory threshold; scope varies by provider
Status conferred
Residence permit
Issued on the highly qualified activity basis
Initial permit
2 years
Renewable, ordinarily for a further three years
Indicative processing
Faster
Materially quicker than the Golden Visa, though subject to the same administrative backlogs
Qualification required
Yes
Higher education qualification and relevant professional background
Family
By reunification
A separate sequential process, unlike the Golden Visa’s single family application
Permanent residence
5 years
Unaffected by the 2026 nationality reform
Path to citizenship
10 years
Seven for CPLP nationals. Language and civic tests apply
How it works
The four components
An HQA file is assembled rather than purchased. Four elements have to hold together, and a weakness in any one of them is where applications fail.
The company
A Portuguese company is established, capitalized by the applicant. This is the vehicle through which the qualifying activity is carried out, and it is expected to have genuine substance rather than existing on paper.
The research partnership
The activity is ordinarily paired with a Portuguese university or accredited research institution, giving the project academic grounding and supporting the claim that the activity is highly qualified. The strength of this partnership carries real weight.
The applicant's qualification
The route is built on the applicant being highly qualified. A higher education qualification and a relevant professional background are required, and the connection between your expertise and the project needs to be credible rather than nominal.
The residence application
With the structure in place, the residence permit application proceeds on the highly qualified activity basis. The initial permit runs for two years and is renewable, ordinarily adding a further three.
We do not publish provider packages or partner institutions. Arrangements change, availability varies, and the right structure depends on your professional background as much as your budget. Where this route is appropriate, we review current options with you at the assessment stage, and any commercial terms come from the provider directly, on their own documentation.
Comparison
How HQA and the Golden Visa differ
These are not two versions of the same thing. They suit different people, and the lower figure is not automatically the better answer.
Legal basis
HQA
Highly qualified activity residence permit
Golden Visa
Defined investor residence program (ARI)
Capital required
HQA
Indicatively from €175,000
Golden Visa
From €250,000, typically €500,000
Nature of commitment
HQA
Active. A business with genuine substance
Golden Visa
Passive. A fund subscription or contribution
Applicant profile
HQA
Must be highly qualified, with relevant background
Golden Visa
No qualification or experience requirement
Family
HQA
Added by reunification, sequentially
Golden Visa
Included in the initial application
Presence expected
HQA
Meaningful. This is a working residence route
Golden Visa
Minimal. Seven days in year one, fourteen in each two-year period thereafter
Processing
HQA
Faster
Golden Visa
Slower, with significant backlogs
Permanent residence
HQA
5 years
Golden Visa
5 years
Citizenship
HQA
10 years (7 for CPLP)
Golden Visa
10 years (7 for CPLP)
The presence question is the one most often glossed over. The Golden Visa was designed to be held from abroad. HQA is a residence route for people intending to carry on an activity in Portugal, and it should be approached on that basis.
What it confers
What the permit gives you, and what it does not
What it gives you
- Portuguese residence at a materially lower capital commitment than the Golden Visa.
- Short-stay travel across the Schengen Area on the standard 90 days in any 180 basis.
- A faster route to holding a European residence position than the investor program currently offers.
- Eligibility for permanent residence after five years of legal residence.
- An ownership interest in an operating Portuguese company, rather than a passive fund position.
What it does not give you
- A near-term route to an EU passport. Naturalization takes ten years for most nationalities since May 2026.
- A light-touch residence position, since the activity is expected to be real and to involve you.
- Family inclusion in the initial application; dependents follow through reunification.
- The right to live or work in other EU member states.
- A statutory threshold to rely on; the strength of the structure is what carries the application.
Family
Who can be included
This is the most significant practical difference between HQA and the Golden Visa, and it is frequently understated. On the Golden Visa, family members are included in the initial application. On HQA, the principal applicant obtains residence first and then sponsors dependents through family reunification.
Family member
Condition
Spouse
Spouse or legally recognized partner, through family reunification once the principal holds residence.
Children under 18
Through family reunification, once the principal holds residence.
Children over 18
Conditions apply, generally requiring financial dependency, unmarried status and full-time study.
Parents
Subject to conditions including dependency; treated more restrictively than under some other routes.
Reunification is a sequential process with its own timeline and its own administrative queue. For a family that wants everyone regularized together and quickly, this is a genuine disadvantage relative to the Golden Visa, and we would want you to weigh it before choosing on the lower figure alone.
Suitability
Who this route serves — and who it does not
We would rather tell you at the outset that a route is a poor fit than take a file we do not believe in. HQA is the Portuguese option we are most cautious about, and usually for the same reason.
Well suited to
- Founders and operators with a genuine business or research interest they intend to pursue in Portugal.
- Professionals with strong academic and technical credentials in fields Portugal is actively seeking to attract.
- Applicants for whom the Golden Visa’s capital requirement is the binding constraint rather than the commitment itself.
- Individuals or couples without complex family requirements, for whom sequential reunification is workable.
- Those who intend to spend meaningful time in Portugal rather than hold a permit from abroad.
Less well suited to
- Anyone seeking a passive position held from abroad, which is what the Golden Visa is for.
- Applicants without a higher education qualification and a credible professional connection to the activity.
- Larger families wanting everyone regularized in a single application on the same timeline.
- Those attracted principally by the lower figure without appetite for the obligations behind it.
- Anyone whose objective is an EU passport in the near term.
Process
How an application proceeds
Our role is to establish whether HQA genuinely fits your background and objectives, to assess the quality of the structure being proposed, and to remain accountable to you throughout.
01
Assessment
A confidential review of your qualifications, professional background, family composition and intentions in Portugal. On this route the threshold question is whether you are genuinely highly qualified in a way the application can evidence.
GLI Advisory conducts this review directly.
02
Structure review
Examination of the proposed company, the research partnership and what the provider package actually includes. Given how widely quality varies in this market, this is the stage that most determines the outcome.
We assess the structure before you commit to it.
03
Company formation and capitalization
Portuguese tax number, company incorporation, banking and capitalization. Commercial terms are set out by the provider on their own documentation, and independent legal and financial advice should be taken before committing.
We coordinate; we do not advise on investment merit.
04
Application
Submission of the residence application with the qualification evidence, the business plan and the partnership documentation. The coherence of these elements is what the application turns on.
We manage documentation and sequencing.
05
Family reunification
Once the principal holds residence, dependents are sponsored through reunification. We plan this from the outset rather than treating it as a later step, because the sequencing affects the family’s overall timeline considerably.
We plan the family timeline at the assessment stage.
06
Renewal and beyond
The initial two-year permit is renewed, ordinarily for a further three years. Renewal depends on the activity continuing, so the business needs to remain real throughout.
We stay engaged beyond issuance.
Considerations
What we would want you to weigh
The obligation does not end at approval
A Golden Visa fund subscription requires nothing of you after it is made. An HQA company must continue to exist and to carry on its activity, because renewal depends on it. If you would not want to be running a small Portuguese business three years from now, this is the wrong route, however attractive the lower figure.
Provider quality varies more than anywhere else
Because HQA is a structure rather than a statutory program, what you receive for the fee differs substantially between providers, and so does how well it holds up. We would want to examine the specific structure being proposed to you rather than accept that HQA in general is sound.
A lower figure is not a simpler route
The capital figure is lower than the Golden Visa’s. The qualification requirement, the business substance requirement, the family reunification sequence and the ongoing obligations are all more demanding. Where the Golden Visa is within reach, it is usually the simpler route.
Questions
Portugal HQA visa: common questions
What is the Portugal HQA visa?
HQA stands for Highly Qualified Activity. It is a route to Portuguese residence in which the applicant establishes and capitalizes a Portuguese company, ordinarily alongside a research or innovation partnership, and obtains a residence permit on the highly qualified activity basis. It is a structured pathway rather than a separate statutory investor program.
How much does the Portugal HQA visa cost?
Indicative figures start from around €175,000, materially below the Golden Visa’s typical €500,000. That figure describes a commercial package rather than a government-set threshold, so what it includes varies between providers. Legal, formation and ongoing operating costs should be assessed separately.
Is HQA better than the Portugal Golden Visa?
Neither is better in the abstract. HQA requires less capital but demands a higher education qualification, genuine business substance, meaningful presence and sequential family reunification. The Golden Visa requires more capital but is passive, includes family in the initial application and can be held from abroad. Where the Golden Visa is within reach, it is usually the simpler route.
Do I need a university degree for the HQA visa?
Yes. The route rests on the applicant being highly qualified, which ordinarily means a higher education qualification together with a relevant professional background. The connection between your expertise and the proposed activity needs to be credible, not nominal, because that connection is what the application is built on.
Can my family come with me on the HQA visa?
Yes, but not in the same application. The principal applicant obtains residence first and then sponsors dependents through family reunification, which is a separate sequential process with its own timeline. This differs from the Golden Visa, where family members are included from the outset.
How long until I can apply for Portuguese citizenship through HQA?
Ten years for most nationalities and seven for CPLP nationals, following Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, which came into force on May 19, 2026. The clock runs from issuance of the first residence permit. This is the same timeline that applies to the Golden Visa and every other Portuguese residence route.
Do I have to live in Portugal on the HQA visa?
To a meaningful degree, and far more than on the Golden Visa. HQA is a residence route built around carrying on an activity in Portugal, and both the application and its renewal rest on that activity being genuine. It should not be approached as a permit to be held from abroad, and anyone wanting that should be looking at the Golden Visa instead.
Can UAE and GCC residents apply?
Yes. The route is open to non-EU nationals regardless of current residence, subject to qualification, eligibility and lawful source of funds. For Gulf-based founders and technical professionals it can be a good fit, though the presence expectation makes it a different proposition from a position held alongside a life in the Gulf.
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A conversation
before a commitment.
We begin every engagement with a confidential assessment: your qualifications, your intentions in Portugal, and an honest view of whether HQA or the Golden Visa is the better fit for your circumstances. It is held in confidence, and there is no obligation to proceed.
Requirements and figures reflect information current as of September 2026 and are subject to change by the Portuguese Republic without notice. Indicative investment figures describe commercial packages offered by third-party providers rather than statutory minimums, and vary in scope. Implementing regulations under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 were still awaited at the time of writing. Nothing on this page constitutes legal, tax or investment advice, an offer of residency, or a recommendation of any provider or structure. GLI Advisory does not provide investment advice and makes no representation as to the performance, return or liquidity of any investment. Eligibility is determined solely by the competent Portuguese authorities.
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