Are you wondering what the HQA visa Portugal program actually is? Well, you are in the right place because here we uncover all the information you need to know about it.
If you are a highly qualified professional moving to Portugal for a job, you should apply for an HQA visa. With this visa, you can live and work here for two years without having to worry about the legalities.
HQA visa Portugal is for professionals like managers, engineers, doctors, and IT specialists if they meet certain criteria. In this blog, we uncover the benefits, alternatives, and eligibility criteria for an HQA visa Portugal.
What is HQA Visa Portugal?
The Highly Qualified Activity visa program is especially dedicated to those with some professional skills who are willing to work in Portugal. The work you are about to pursue in Portugal should require you to have exceptional skills which is why this visa is most suitable for professionals like doctors, engineers, programmers, and managers.
The HQA visa Portugal is valid for four months, and you need to move to Portugal within these four months. Once you have landed in Portugal, you should then apply for a residence permit. Your application has been reverted with a two-year residence permit from the government of Portugal.
This residence permit may be extended for three years if needed. If you are planning to get an extension for your residence in Portugal, you are legally required to spend six to eight consecutive months in Portugal each year.
If your relatives want to move with you to Portugal, they can also apply for residency. Under the HQA visa Portugal program, you can reunite with your family while staying in Portugal, and they can also apply for residency. When you have an HQA visa Portugal, your family can also get residency in Portugal based on your documents.
What is the Eligibility Criteria for HQA Visa Portugal?
When you are planning to move to Portugal to pursue your career, you should know whether you are eligible for an HQA visa in Portugal or not. It does not only require you to have a job in Portugal that requires exceptional skills or intellectual labor. Instead, there is a lot more to it.
You will be asked to provide your higher education degree and the work agreement that you have signed for your Portuguese employer. The work agreement is required as proof of your job in Portugal.
Furthermore, this work agreement should be valid for at least one year to qualify you for the visa program. You are only eligible for an HQA visa Portugal when your employer offers you a salary 1.5 times higher than the average monthly salary in Portugal.
Also, if your salary is three times higher than the amount of the Social Support Index or IAS, you can apply for an HQA visa Portugal and get a residency permit for two years. For your reference, the IAS is €443.2 per month, implying your average monthly salary should be above €1330 in your work contract.
On the other hand, if your expertise is in a profession that is highly in demand in Portugal, your salary should at least be 1.2 times higher than the average monthly salary in Portugal. Here is a comprehensive eligibility criteria for HQA visa Portugal:
- Your age should be above 18 years old, implying you can only apply for an HQA visa Portugal when you are an adult.
- Your criminal record should be clean within or outside Portugal.
- You should have acquired higher education and should be able to provide your higher education diploma to the government of Portugal.
- In addition to this, you should be able to provide a work agreement with an employer that is based in Portugal. This agreement should be valid for at least one year, and the offered salary should exceed the average gross salary in Portugal. Your salary should precisely be 1.5 times higher than the average gross salary in Portugal.
- You must have health insurance before you apply for an HQA visa Portugal.
Your family members are also eligible for the residency permit after you have been awarded the permit to reside in Portugal officially by the local government. The family members that are eligible for the residency program may include your spouse and children that are under 18 years of age.
However, if your kids are above 18 years of age and are financially dependent on you, they are eligible for the residency permit through your residency permit. Furthermore, your parents who are financially dependent on you, are also eligible to apply for a residency permit in Portugal.
The children who are adults now should be studying in Portugal and should not have any romantic partner or family of their own that is financially dependent on them.
What Documents do You Need to Apply for HQA Visa Portugal?
When you are applying for the HQA visa program, you should be able to provide the following documents to get the residency permit visa:
- The visa application form with all categories filled correctly.
- Two colored photographs with dimensions 3×4 cm.
- You should also submit a passport with a single photocopy of your passport.
- Furthermore, you should also be able to provide a higher education diploma to the agency.
- Likewise, you should be able to submit a certificate that indicates your criminal record in your parent country and Portugal.
- Moreover, you should also submit a work agreement which is valid for at least 2 months, or written proof of your job in Portugal.
- When applying for a residency permit in Portugal, you must also provide a document indicating that you have proper accommodation in Portugal. For instance, you can show your rental agreement as proof of your accommodation in Portugal.
How to Get an HQA Visa Portugal?
The process of acquiring an HQA visa Portugal starts with you getting hired for a job based in Portugal. After that, you should apply for a visa within three months after you have secured your job in a Portugal-based company. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to get an HQA visa in Portugal:
1. Documentation
You must have all the required documents when you are planning to apply for a residency permit to stay in Portugal in order to continue your on-site job there. These documents may include your work contract, your higher education diploma, proof of your accommodation in Portugal, and a clean criminal record in your home country.
2. Applying for Visa
After gathering all the required documents, you can apply for a visa to Portugal by visiting the website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can start by filling out the online application form and then submitting the required documents to the Portuguese Consulate after booking an appointment with the consulate in your parent country.
3. Getting the HQA Visa
Now that you have submitted your documents, these will be processed for sixty days. If your application gets approved, you will get your visa attached to your passport.
4. Acquiring Residence Permit
If you already have a Schengen Visa, which is still valid, you may skip applying for an HQA visa in Portugal for the residency permit. In that case, you can apply for the HQA visa Portugal after you have landed in the country and submit your application directly to the SEF. The process of residency visa approval or rejection might take almost a month.
Costs of HQA Visa Portugal
The applicant must be able to provide their recruitment contract with the agency and meet all the eligibility criteria. Furthermore, they should rent or buy a house in Portugal and provide proof to the SEF.
In addition to this, their monthly salaries should exceed a certain limit and should generally be higher than the average gross income in Portugal. You might have to pay government fees when applying for an HQA visa in Portugal.
For instance, to process a residency application, you will have to pay a fee between €75 and €90. In addition to this, you are expected to pay €197 for residency card insurance in Portugal.
Other costs may include health insurance, which can be up to €400 per person. In addition to this, you also need to keep in mind the living costs in Portugal, which can play a crucial role in shaping your experience in Portugal.
Here we provide you a sneak peek into the daily or monthly costs of living in Portugal:
| Restaurants | Range | |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 10.00 € | 7.00-15.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 40.00 € | 30.00-70.00 |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 8.00 € | 7.00-9.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 2.50 € | 1.30-4.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 3.00 € | 2.00-5.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1.76 € | 0.75-3.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.56 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.10 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 0.92 € | 0.80-1.10 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1.37 € | 0.80-2.53 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1.35 € | 0.99-2.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.75 € | 1.80-3.60 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 9.85 € | 6.00-20.00 |
| Chicken Fillets (1kg) | 6.79 € | 3.00-9.00 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 11.69 € | 7.50-16.99 |
| Apples (1kg) | 1.97 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Banana (1kg) | 1.26 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1.59 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 2.21 € | 0.99-3.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1.45 € | 0.70-2.50 |
| Onion (1kg) | 1.71 € | 1.00-2.82 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 111.46 € | 80.00-200.00 |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 19.18 € | 12.00-30.00 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 36.97 € | 29.50-50.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 36.28 € | 22.00-55.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 12.80 € | 7.00-20.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 7.50 € | 6.00-10.00 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 73.48 € | 25.00-120.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 31.43 € | 15.00-50.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 72.39 € | 47.00-120.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 81.85 € | 45.00-150.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 939.65 € | 650.00-1,500.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 727.71 € | 500.00-1,100.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 1,701.58 € | 1,000.00-3,000.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,228.59 € | 800.00-2,000.00 |
| Buy Apartment Price | ||
| The price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment in the City Centre | 3,245.53 € | 2,000.00-6,000.00 |
| Price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment Outside of Centre | 2,130.31 € | 1,250.00-4,000.00 |
| Salaries And Financing | ||
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 1,046.78 € | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.48 | 1.46-5.43 |
FAQs
Q: How much is the HQA Visa in Portugal?
The HQA visa in Portugal is a cost-effective method of moving to Portugal as it only requires €17,000 compared to the €500000 for the Portuguese Golden Visa.
Q: What is a Highly Qualified Activity in Portugal?
The highly qualified activity residency visa is a residency permit for highly qualified professionals with exceptional skills who plan to work in Portugal.
Q: Is Portugal giving a Work Permit?
Yes, if you are a non-Eu resident, you are allowed to work in Portugal with an approved HQA residency visa. You can fill out the application online on their official website and submit your documents to get a work residency permit in Portugal.
