Portugal HQA Visa Program
The Benefits of the HQA Visa
- The HQA Visa Program is built specifically for business people
- There is no property investment required
- The program allows applicants to have access to the EU as a plan B or second residency
- Provides a clear pathway to Portuguese Citizenship
- The ability to easily start and maintain a venture in the EU
- Portugal’s fantastic lifestyle and climate
- Provides pathway to citizenship and Permanent Residency for family members.
- You will benefit from Portugal’s Non-Habitual Tax Residency Program for the first 10 years of your residence
HQA Visa Program Website
You can read more about the HQA Visa Program in detail, including learning more about the legislation that supports the program by visiting the HQA Visa website.
Visit HQAVISA.PT
HQA Research Projects & Partners
One of the requirements for the HQA Visa Program is making an investment in research and development activities that can be used to support your new venture at one of Portugal’s universities. Have a look at some of our industry options for HQA Visa Program research projects here.
Locations

Western Portugal – Leiria
Our incubator on the West coast, just an hour north of Lisbon, offers ready access to ground-breaking work in sea basin technologies, through the Politecnic of Leiria.

Northeastern Portugal – Bragança
Our northern Portugal location is within a research facility that houses dedicated teams of researchers to support innovative r&d in several areas, including mecatronics, agri-tech, and nano-manufacturing.

Central Portugal – Évora
Our incubator in the central region, an hour east of Lisbon, is connected to 4 regional research institutions through the 450-year-old University of Évora, offering state-of-the art expertise in aeronautics and Industry 4.0 solutions.

Southern Portugal: Faro
Our incubator in the Algarve region, on the southern coast of Portugal, is well-connected to the thriving pan-Mediterranean innovation community through the University of the Algarve.
Using our proven and powerful methodology, network, market insight and business expertise, we guide entrepreneurs on a path to successfully start a business in Portugal.

Become the Best
We educate and empower founders to build market offers and business models that empower their ideas to become the best in the world. We guide them through the rigours of Lean StartUp and Horizon Methodology, and cycle through the validated learning process of build-measure-learn.

Connect with the Best
We select entrepreneurs from around the world with the best innovative and scalable concepts to startup in Portugal, with international reach. We are skilled at assisting entrepreneurs in de-risking their projects, increasing their speed to market, and enhancing the overall prosperity of the Portuguese ecosystem they are entering.

Sell Internationally
We build startups that define and aggressively pursue revenue goals on this equation: My startup will sell $X of Y product to customers A, B, C in N number of countries in M number of months.
OUR PARTNERS
Our valued partnerships provide transnational entrepreneurs with opportunities to deepen the foundations and extend the reach of their ventures.
Politechnic of Leiria
Our partnership with the Politecnic of Leiria offers entrepreneurs access to innovative research in sea basin technologies.
University of Évora
Our partnership with the University of Évora provides entrepreneurs with access to state-of-the-art expertise in Industry 4.0 solutions.
BEP
Our partnership with BEP provides start ups with ready access to top tier researchers, according to their business needs.
PORTUGAL NEWS
Why is Everyone Talking About “Plan B” Residency Options and Do You Need One?
First off, what exactly is a plan B citizenship? A "plan B citizenship" refers to having a second citizenship as a backup option in case problems or inconveniences arise with one's primary citizenship. This can be for various reasons such as political instability,...
Empowered Startups Releases 2nd Video in Series Featuring HQA Visa Program Partners & Participants
Learn more and apply for our HQA Visa program by visiting: https://empoweredstartups.com/portugal-hqa-visa/
Reuters Reports That Portugal Likely to Scrap Much-Criticised ‘Golden Visa’ Scheme
Reuters Reports That Portugal Likely to Scrap Much-Criticised 'Golden Visa' Scheme News outlet Reuters is reporting that Portugal could be ready to scrap their Golden Visa program. Speaking at Lisbon's Web Summit, Europe's largest tech event, Portugal's Prime Minister...
ADVISORS
The following professionals generously offer their perspectives on our plans. We are grateful for the influence they continue to have on our projects.
Paulo
Bandeira
Executive Director, STARTUP LAB – SRS Advogados
Hugo
Barros
Director , CRIA – University of the Algarve
Alex
Rodrigues
Entrepreneurship & Investments Officer, Brigantia-EcoPark