I’m currently exploring options for a Golden Visa visa and came across Holborn Investments. Does anyone have experience working with them? Are they a good choice? They claim to have serviced over 10% of Portugal GV.
Additionally, I’m curious about the HQA (Highly Qualified Activity) Visa in Portugal. From what I’ve researched, many people seem to pursue this visa through Empowered Startups. Is that the only viable pathway, or are there other incubators or programs that can facilitate the HQA Visa?
I’d greatly appreciate any guidance, experiences, or recommendations! Thank you in advance.
I can’t comment on Holborn as I have no experience with them, beyond saying that I’d be quite surprised if they in fact are involved in 10% of GV applications. I don’t think they can know that themselves either, as no one really knows how many GV applications have been submitted.
As for the HQA “visa”, that’s really just a nicely packaged D3 Visa. And it’s Empowered Startups that created and runs that program. Not because they are chosen by the government or anything like that, they simply came up with a clever way to pack and market D3.
And for some people that may make more sense than a Golden Visa, in particular if you plan to move to Portugal in the next couple of years.
So yes, if you pursue HQA through anyone else they will really just refer you to ES.
There’s really nothing to stop someone else from launching a similar program, they just can’t call it HQA, that’s ES’ trademark. I’m not aware of anyone else having done so, however.
Yes, I guess I should have learned to use the search features of this forum. Would love to hear more if you’ve had experience dealing with them as it sounds like you have.
Thanks for the detailed answer. It’s interesting how it looks like the D3 visa seems to require residency for 6 consecutive months or 8 non-consecutive months (while HQA says no residency is required at all), and that the D3 visa requires proof of accomodation, but HQA says that’s not needed. I’ll look into that!
All the same requirements apply to the HQA. ES typically help their clients apply for an exemption to the stay requirements by pointing to their need to be abroad for professional reasons. Anyone can apply for this exemption, it’s not unique to HQA.
Despite this ES generally recommend that you have a plan to establish reasonable residency ties by the time of the first residency card renewal (even if you don’t meet the 8-10 months per year default presence requirement).
Note that the the reason I say 8-10 months per year is that for each residence permit (not per year) you can be outside Portugal for at most 8 months (though at most 6 months consecutively). So if you’re away for 8 months out of the initial 2-year permit, that means you’ll need to be in Portugal for 16 months in 2 years, or an average of 8 months per year.
The second permit is for 3 years, but you can still only be outside Portugal for 8 months in this period, meaning 28 out of 36 months, or an average of 9.33 months per year. If you only prefer just one long trip (of 6 months) in that period, that means you’re staying 30 out of 36 months in Portugal, or an average of 10 months per year.
In other words, unless you’re granted an exemption, you’ll be spending 8-10 months in Portugal per year to be able to renew your residence permit.
