HQA Visa Minimum Stay: How Long You Must Live in Portugal
HQA visa minimum stay rules come down to two absence limits: 6 months in a row or 8 months in total. The highly qualified activity permit is a permit to live and work in Portugal. A temporary permit may be cancelled if you spend more than 6 consecutive months, or 8 non-consecutive months, outside Portugal during the permit's total validity, unless the absence is justified. The Golden Visa's 7-day rule does not apply.
Last verified: 19 October 2026
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Key facts
6 months in a row. A temporary permit may be cancelled after more than 6 consecutive months outside Portugal during the permit's total validity.
8 months in total. A temporary permit may be cancelled after more than 8 non-consecutive months outside Portugal during the permit's total validity.
Justified absences are an exception. The law allows for absences with a valid reason, but the decision is case by case.
7 days is a Golden Visa rule. It does not apply to the highly qualified activity permit.
The three things presence affects
People often mix these up. They follow different rules.
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| What it means | What the rule is | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping your permit | Not losing the permit while it is valid | A temporary permit may be cancelled after more than 6 consecutive months, or 8 non-consecutive months, outside Portugal during the permit's total validity, unless justified |
| Renewing your permit | Getting the next 3-year permit | You must still meet the conditions, including carrying out the activity in Portugal |
| Counting time for citizenship | Building up 10 years of legal residence | Time with a valid permit counts, within a 12-year window |
For permanent residence the limits are 24 months in a row, or 30 months in total within 3 years (article 85(2)(b)).
The 10-year rule, including the 12-year window, is explained in the citizenship guide.
What "no minimum stay" claims mean
Some providers say their package needs "no minimum stay" or only a few days a year. The usual argument is that time abroad for the business counts as a justified absence.
What we know:
- The law does allow justified absences.
- It does not list business travel for an incubator project as an automatic justification.
- Travel for the company, or for other work, does not cancel the permit if you can prove that activity.
- A longer absence should be justified to AIMA before you leave, or afterwards in exceptional cases.
- Your permit depends on carrying out a highly qualified activity in Portugal. A role that happens mostly abroad may not meet that condition at renewal.
Golden Visa and HQA compared
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| HQA permit | Golden Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum time in Portugal | Absence limits during the permit's total validity | 7 days in year 1, then 14 days |
| Suits someone who | Is moving to Portugal | Wants a backup residence |
Tax residence is a separate question
Living in Portugal can make you a Portuguese tax resident. Portugal generally treats you as resident if you spend more than 183 days there in a 12-month period, or keep a home there you intend to use as your main residence. Tax residence can bring tax benefits, such as IFICI if you qualify, and also tax duties. Get tax advice before you move.
Ask the right questions
Our free HQA due diligence checklist includes the presence questions to ask any provider.
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Download the checklistFrequently asked questions
What is the HQA visa minimum stay?
There is no fixed number of days. A temporary permit may be cancelled after more than 6 consecutive months, or 8 non-consecutive months, outside Portugal during the permit's total validity, unless the absence is justified.
Can I live in the US and keep an HQA permit?
Not if you spend most of the year in the US. The permit is for carrying out a highly qualified activity in Portugal.
Does business travel count as a justified absence?
It can, but the law does not make it automatic. Keep records of every trip and its purpose, and ask a Portuguese lawyer about your plans.
Does time abroad count toward citizenship?
Citizenship counts periods of legal residence, which means time with a valid permit. If you lose the permit through long absences, that time stops counting.
Do family members have the same presence rules?
Family members hold their own residence permits, and the same general absence limits apply to them.
Disclaimer
This page gives general information, not legal or tax advice. Speak to a qualified Portuguese lawyer and tax adviser before you plan your time in and out of Portugal.