Most of us already know that Portugal is hands down one of the best countries in the world for expats – safety, ease of travel, English proficiency, fantastic weather, incredible beaches, great Universities for those of us with children, top notch healthcare, a pro-business growth climate, direct access to EU markets, and favourable taxation for business owners (there’s about 50 more reasons we could include but space and time for this blog are limited).
Because of all of these things, there are a huge amount of foreign born individuals residing in Portugal (which also equates to great supports for new arrivals).
The Portuguese government has taken a proactive approach to attracting foreign investors and entrepreneurs to Portugal. Portugal’s newest path to citizenship, the HQA Visa, offers a very stable opportunity for foreign entrepreneurs and investors to start their ventures in Portugal, and bring their families to the country. Unlike the Golden Visa, which has been under intense scrutiny from the European Union, the HQA Visa is specifically targeted at those with business skills and interests that can help drive Portugal’s economy forward.
“Anyone who is smart & accomplished, In all seriousness, this is the best option for EU residency for anyone who is an accomplished professional or SME in their field- whether that’s medicine, marketing, fintech, or crypto,” said Timur Sitdikov – Private Client Advisor in Specialized Immigration.
So why is this program so popular and how does it work?
This program is surprisingly simple and elegantly designed for business people. HQA applicants gain residency by founding a Portuguese business that is linked to a participating university in Portugal and hosted by an HQA business incubator (Empowered Startups). The HQA business incubator coordinates operations and administration on behalf of the founder, and the founder provides direction (as founders typically do). The HQA business incubator creates a custom-built plan for every founder – It’s very bespoke, and very much tailored to busy individuals with competing priorities.
The HQA Visa program is wildly popular because it is a true pathway to citizenship for legitimate business people to start a venture or invest in the European Union. The other investment scheme, Golden Visa, is not only under intense scrutiny right now, but also approvals for the Golden Visa program are seemingly at a standstill.
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If you’re interested in learning more about the HQA Visa or requesting more information, head to hqavisa.pt
