Who it fits
Graduates and experienced professionals who want EU residency through a qualified role in Portugal, including investors who prefer a structured startup programme to buying property.
What usually matters
- A higher-education degree (bachelor's or above) or equivalent professional qualification.
- A highly qualified role in Portugal — an employment contract or a role in a company within an approved innovation programme.
- For the employment route, a salary of at least 1.5 × the national average gross salary or 3 × the IAS (the IAS is €537.13 a month in 2026).
- Clean criminal record, health insurance and proof of means.
- Spouse, dependent children up to age 21 and parents over 65 are included in the same application.
The HQA visa is Portugal’s route for highly qualified activity. It is based on the Foreigners Act (Law 23/2007): you enter with a D3 visa and then receive a residence permit in Portugal. There are two ways to qualify.
Two ways in
1. A highly qualified job. A Portuguese employer offers you a contract (or a promise of one) for a role that needs a higher-education qualification, at a salary at least 1.5 times the national average gross salary or three times the IAS. The contract or promise of contract must run for at least 12 months.
2. An innovation-company programme. Specialised providers run programmes in partnership with Portuguese universities and innovation hubs. You set up or join an innovation company inside a business incubator and hold a highly qualified role in it. Programmes on the market start at about €175,000, typically covering the company’s funding, the incubation and the legal and immigration work for three years, with a commitment of at least three years in the programme. The amount is set by the programme provider, not by law. On this route the 12-month contract requirement is already met by the three-year programme commitment.
How the process usually runs
- Eligibility review of your profile, degree and family situation.
- For the programme route: selection by the provider, service agreement and company set-up.
- D3 visa application at the Portuguese consulate — decisions typically take 30 to 60 days.
- Arrival in Portugal and residence-permit appointment with AIMA.
Who can be included
- Your spouse, dependent children up to age 21 and parents over 65 are included in the same file and the same process.
- The new Foreigners Law in force since October 2025 introduced a 2-year waiting period for family reunification under most residence types.
- Holders of highly qualified activity (D3/HQA) residence are exempt from this waiting period: the family comes together from the start.
Where to apply
- From your home country: you apply for the D3 visa at the Portuguese consulate (for residents of Türkiye, in Ankara); a decision usually comes within 30–60 days.
- The visa is valid for 4 months; within that time you apply to AIMA in Portugal for the 2-year residence permit.
- From Portugal: if you are legally in the country on a Schengen visa, you can skip the consulate stage and apply directly to AIMA for the residence permit; this route is usually faster.
- Which route fits depends on your profile and your timeline.
After the permit
- The first residence permit is valid for 2 years, then renewed for 3 years at a time.
- Do not stay outside Portugal for more than 6 consecutive months, or 8 months in total, during a permit period.
- Permanent residence can be requested after 5 years of legal residence; it requires an A2-level Portuguese language certificate.
- D3 holders can move on to an EU Blue Card.
- Citizenship: under the nationality law in force since 19 May 2026 (Organic Law 1/2026), naturalisation generally requires 10 years of legal residence (7 for EU and CPLP nationals). Guides that still mention 5 years are out of date.
- New residents in qualifying research and innovation roles may be eligible for the IFICI tax regime (a flat 20% rate on qualifying Portuguese income); this is assessed case by case.
HQA, Golden Visa or D2?
The Golden Visa asks for a larger, mostly passive investment and very little time in Portugal. The D2 is for running your own business with your own plan. HQA sits in between: a qualified role, a structured programme if you want one, and a life based in Portugal. Our Portugal team helps you compare the three for your profile.
Who is with you in Portugal
- On the Portugal side, LAVCOM Partners works with Lisbon-based Muaraf Consulting.
- Muaraf is an authorised HQA partner of Empowered Startups.
- With a strong, experienced team, it runs every stage — from the first assessment and programme choice to the consulate file, the AIMA appointment and settling in Portugal.
Good to know
- An investment in an innovation company is a business risk: keeping the residence permit does not depend on the company’s profits.
- Check what the programme fee includes, how the funds are used and what happens after the three years before you sign.
This page gives general orientation. The right route and the exact requirements are confirmed only after reviewing your file.
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