As a member of the EU/EFTA and the Schengen area, as well as holder of visa waiver agreements with thirty countries worldwide (consult our section on Travelling to Hungary), it is possible to enter Hungary without a visa for a short-term stay. Immediately afterwards, however, you must apply for a residence permit if you wish to continue your stay in the country.
For EU/FTA, Schengen and visa waiver agreement nationals
If you're a national of the thirty countries Hungary has signed a visa waiver agreement with (see the full list here), or a citizen of the EU/EFTA or one of the Schengen countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland), you can enter Hungary with just a valid passport and/or identity card. You should be aware that the amount of time you can stay in Hungary differs depending on your nationality and the type of identification you have, but in any case, it should not exceed a period of 90 days. After that, you are entitled to stay in the country for 180 more days if you can prove that you're pursuing employment and that you have enough funds to support yourself. By the 93rd day of your arrival to Hungary, you need to notify your residence to the regional directorate. Your family members can enter the country with a short-term visa (type C) even if they intend to stay longer than 90 days. But within 93 days from their arrival to Hungary, they need to apply for a residence card at the Office for Immigration and Nationality's regional directorate.
Good to know: The registration certificate for EU/EFTA nationals costs HUF 1,000 (about 3 euros) and you can pay it with your card or with a bank deposit, using the cheque that will be issued by the regional directorate.
Useful link:
Registration Certificate for EU/EFTA Nationals
For all other nationals
If you wish to stay in Hungary for longer than what the short-term visa would allow, you should apply for a residence permit right away. The process costs 60 euros and usually takes 30 days.
Good to know: Since 2011, when applying for a residence permit in Hungary you are required to give your fingerprints. This rule also applies to children from 6 years old and up.
The documents you'll need to apply for a residence permit may vary depending on whether you're coming to Hungary to work, start your own business, study or do research and also depending on your nationality. It is important that you check with the Hungarian embassy or consulate in your home country what applies in your particular case. As a general rule, you will be expected to procure the following:
- A completed and signed 'residence permit' application form (you can download it here)
- A passport that will be valid for at least three months after the requested visa expires
- A recent (taken within the last six months) passport-size photo in colour
- Documents supporting the purpose of your stay (aka university acceptance documents if you're in Hungary to study or a contract if you've come to work)
- Documents showing you have accommodation (like a lease)
- Proof that you have enough funds to support yourself
- Health insurance or enough funds to cover it
Good to know: If your application for a residence permit is declined, you have eight days from the moment you received the notification to submit an appeal to the regional directorate of the Office for Immigration and Nationality that processed your application. The appeal takes another 30 days to be processed.
Useful link:
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
