All ways to get a residence permit in Hungary

The Hungarian government introduced the residency program in late 2023, which will be launched in 2024. A foreign investor will be able to get a residence permit by contributing at least €250,000.

Validity. The residence permit by investment is granted for 10 years and can be extended once for another 10 years.

Requirements for applicants. To qualify, an investor should meet the criteria:

• be over 18;

• be a non-EU and non-EEA citizen;

• have health insurance;

• have a legitimate source of income.

An investor may include family members in the application: a spouse, underage children, and parents who are financially dependent on the investor or the investor’s spouse.

How to get a Hungary Golden Visa

Documents. An investor must get a Guest Investor Visa to Hungary to enter the country and apply for a residence permit. The list of documents for visa and residency application will include:

1. A passport. It should be valid for at least a year.

2. Two recent photos of an applicant in a size of 3×4 cm.

3. Health insurance.

4. Proof of legitimacy of the income.

5. Bank statement.

6. CV for each adult family member.

7. A marriage certificate if applicable.

8. Birth certificates of children, if applicable.

9. Written confirmation of intention to fulfil the investment condition when applying for a visa.

10. Confirmation of investing when applying for residency.

11. An application form for a residence permit.

The list of documents is indeterminate and will be clarified once the Golden Visa program is launched.

Costs. There are three investment options, and one of them is property purchase. The cost of property must be no less than €500,000. There are additional expenses:

1. Stamp duty is 4% if a property costs more than €2.6 million or 1 billion forints. Otherwise, it is 2%.

2. VAT is 5% and is usually included in the property price. The VAT only applies to a primary property.

3. Service fees include the services of a lawyer, realtor, and notary. It costs up to 5% of a property price.

4. Administrative fees start at €280.

To purchase a property, an investor hires a lawyer to accompany a deal. A lawyer obtains permission at the Land Registry.

Examples of properties in Hungary

Hungary, Budapest

€642,000+

Classic three-bedroom apartment, Ujbuda, Budapest

150 m²

3

3

Hungary, Budapest

€593,000 — €946,000

Stylish apartments with city view, First District, Budapest

75 m² — 107 m²

2—3

2—3

Hungary, Budapest

€552,000 — €581,000

Elegant apartments with 4 bedrooms, Eleventh District, Budapest

103 m² — 124 m²

4

4

The most affordable investment option is to purchase units of a real estate fund worth at least €250,000. A fund should be registered with the Hungarian National Bank.

The third investment option to get a Hungary Golden visa is a donation. In this case, an investor transfers to an institution of higher learning a minimum of €1 million. The money will support education, scientific research, and artistry.

The Hungary White Card is a residence permit for digital nomads who earn income abroad. They can be employees at foreign companies or entrepreneurs who manage a business. Freelancers and self-employed workers are not considered digital nomads in Hungary.

Validity. A White Card is issued for one year; extending it for one more year is possible. A resident with a White Card cannot apply for permanent residence in Hungary.

Requirements for applicants. To receive and keep a White Card, a foreigner must:

1. Be employed. The company of employment or the business cannot be registered and operate in Hungary.

2. Have an income of at least €3,000 per month.

3. Live in Hungary. That means a White Card holder has to stay in the country for more than 90 days within any 180 period. Leaving Hungary for travel is allowed.

4. Do not pursue any gainful activity in Hungary or hold a share in a Hungarian company.

A resident with a White Card cannot add a family member to the application.

Documents. There is a list of documents one needs to add to the application for a White card, including:

1. A valid passport.

2. An application for a White Card.

3. Health insurance.

4. Proof of housing in Hungary. It can be a lease agreement, a purchase agreement, a Hungarian relative’s permit to reside in their property, or another document.

5. Confirmation of income of €3,000 in the last 6 months.

6. Permission to work remotely from the employer.

Costs. A foreigner has to incur several expenses to obtain a residence permit, including €110 of an administrative fee for issuing the permit. Health insurance has a minimum price of €15+ per month, and a one-bedroom apartment rental fee is €430+ per month.

Extending the permit requires paying a €60 administrative fee.

Permit types. There are a few residence permits for employees in Hungary; the most common are a Hungarian work visa and an EU Blue Card. The work visa is for a wide range of professionals, while the Blue Card is designed for highly qualified professionals with a larger salary.

Validity. The work visa is issued for 4 months, and once an employee enters Hungary with the visa, they apply for a residence permit. The permit is usually valid for 1 year and can be extended.

The Blue Card is issued for 1—4 years with a possibility to extend.

Requirements for applicants. The basic requirement for a permit is to sign a contract of employment with a Hungarian company. For that, a potential employee should prove their qualifications and language skills and find a job.

An employee who intends to get an EU Blue Card must have a salary that exceeds the average wage in Hungary by 50%. By the end of 2023, Hungary’s average wage was 621,150 forints or €1,606 per month. Hence, an EU Blue Card holder must earn at least €2,409 monthly.

A foreigner with a residence permit as an employee may add their family to the application: a spouse, children, and parents. They are eligible to get residence permits for the same validity period.

Documents. Usually, a foreigner is required to provide a few documents:

1. A valid passport.

2. An application for a residence permit or a Blue Card.

3. An employment contract.

4. Documents proving qualifications: university diploma, language certificates, a CV.

5. Medical insurance.

6. Proof of housing in Hungary, such as a lease agreement.

Costs. The fee for issuing a residence permit is €60 at the consulate. If a foreigner applies for a permit in Hungary, the cost is lower — 18,000 forints, or about €47. The fee for extending a residence permit is 10,000 forints, or €26.

A resident must pay for accommodation, insurance, and daily expenses. The exact sum depends on the city of residence and the family composition. For example, a family of four living in Budapest will spend approximately €2,400 per month without rent. Renting a three-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs about €1,000.

Requirements for applicants. Foreigners who plan to study in Hungary for over three months must obtain a residence permit. The permit allows one to study in a high school, college, university, or another secondary or higher educational institution. A preparatory course organised by a university is also a ground for issuing a permit.

To get a residence permit as a student, a foreigner should meet several criteria. They are:

• be accepted to an accredited institution as a full-time student;

• prove language skills according to the study program requirements;

• have a passport valid for the duration of studies;

• have adequate accommodation;

• have sufficient financial resources;

• have health insurance.

A student with a permit is allowed to work in Hungary for up to 24 hours per week during the term. On holidays and breaks, it is 66 working days per year.

A student with a residence permit cannot add a family member to the application.

Validity. A residence permit for students is valid for the duration of studies if it does not exceed 2 years. The validity period for studies longer than 2 years is 1—2 years, with a possibility of extending the permit for 1—2 years.

Documents. To get a permit, a student should provide:

1. Proof of student status. It might be an admission certificate from a university or another document.

2. Confirmation of language proficiency level at which the studies will be conducted. It can be either an official language certificate or a certificate of previous studies pursued in that language.

3. A passport that is valid for the whole period of studies.

4. Verification of accommodation, i.e. a lease agreement or confirmation from a dormitory administration.

5. Health insurance with a cover of at least.

6. Proof of sufficient financial means.

Costs. The tuition fee in Hungary depends on the course and the university. Typically, it varies between €2,500 and 8,000 per year for foreigners. There is no application fee.

A student also has to have subsistence means. The average cost of living for a single person in Hungary is €640 per month or €7,700 per year. The average rent of a one-room apartment is €340—430 per month or €4,050—5,100 per year.

There are other ways to become a resident of Hungary. Most require a potential temporary resident to have accommodation in Hungary, sufficient financial resources, and health insurance. The only exception is people seeking asylum in Hungary.

Marriage. A spouse of a resident or a citizen of Hungary gets a residence permit via marriage. The marriage should be registered. Spouses apply for a permit on the grounds of family reunification.

A spouse applies at the nearest consulate, paying a fee of €60. Another option is to apply to the regional National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing in Hungary; the fee is 18,000 forints, or about €47. A marriage certificate is required for the application.

Family reunification. A non-EU citizen living in Hungary can bring their non-EU family members to live with them. It applies to both temporary and permanent residents of Hungary.

Family members eligible to obtain residence permits are:

• minor children of the main applicant or their spouse;

• dependent parents of the main applicant or a spouse;

• siblings or linear relatives of the main applicant or a spouse if they cannot provide for themselves due to health reasons.

A family member needs to submit their application with proof of family ties at the nearest consulate. The fee is €60.

Trainees and volunteers. Students who have a traineeship in a Hungarian company and foreigners participating in a social or humanitarian project of a non-governmental organisation get to obtain a residence permit for the time of their stay. Trainees and volunteers must provide documents confirming their participation in a project or activity.

To become a resident, they may apply abroad at the consulate. Another option is to get a visa to Hungary from their country and apply for a permit after entry. The fee at the consulate is €60; in Hungary, it is about €47.

Refugees. A foreigner forced to leave their country because of persecution or risk of serious harm may seek asylum in Hungary. To become a permit as a refugee, they apply to the Asylum division of a regional directorate as soon as they enter Hungary.

Their family members may also be recognised as refugees.

1. An opportunity to move to the European Union. Hungary is democratic, safe, and economically developed. The country ranked the 17th safest country globally, according to the Global Peace Index 2023. Hungary is also among the 50 richest countries in the world.

2. Comparatively low cost of living. Hungary is one of the most affordable countries in the European Union. On average, expenses in Hungary are €645 per month for a single person without rent. The sum is €855 per month in Italy, €1,025 in Austria, and €785 in the Czech Republic.

3. Visa-free travel across the Schengen Area. A resident of Hungary gets to travel to the other countries of the Schengen Area without a visa and stay there for up to 90 days within 180 days.

Hungary shares borders with 5 EU countries: Austria, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia; they are within a 3-hour drive from Budapest.

4. Opening accounts in European banks. Residents of Hungary get to open accounts in Hungary’s banks. Major international banks operate in the country, i.e. CitiBank, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, CIB Bank, and others. To open an account, a resident typically provides just a passport and a permit.

5. Access to high-quality medicine and education. 11 Hungarian universities are included in the best 1,500 universities of the world. Hungarian graduates can work in all EU countries, the UK, and the USA.

Hungary is popular for medical tourism. Foreigners from all over Europe come to the country for health improvement, high-level dentistry, and cosmetic surgery.

Learn about Hungary’s Golden Visa program and the benefits can offer

After residing in Hungary continuously for 3 years, a third-country national with a residence permit may apply for permanent residency.

There are several exceptions:

• digital nomads with a White Card are not eligible to get permanent residence;

• EEA nationals must legally reside in Hungary for 5 years;

• the conditions of getting permanent residence for investors are yet to be disclosed;

• students may apply for permanent residence, but only half of their time at the institution is considered when calculating those 5 years.

After 8 years of residing in Hungary as a permanent resident, a foreigner can obtain citizenship by naturalisation. The requirements to get it:

• no criminal record of the applicant;

• sufficient means of subsistence and a place of abode in Hungary;

• naturalisation is not considered a threat to the public order or the national security;

• passing the citizenship test in the Hungarian language.

A citizen of the country gets the most rights and privileges compared to a resident. For instance, a citizen can get free healthcare, while a resident must pay for non-emergency treatment. A citizen gets the right to vote in elections. Also, there is no requirement to reside in the country with citizenship, compared to the obligation to live in Hungary 183 days a year to keep residency.

1. Hungary has several types of resident permits: for investors, employees, students, digital nomads, and family members.

2. A foreign investor may get a residence permit by purchasing units of a real estate fund for €250,000. Another option is to buy a property worth €500,000 or donate €1,000,000 to a higher education institution.

3. A Hungarian permit allows its holder to live in the country of the EU, get access to European healthcare and education, and travel to the Schengen countries without a visa.

4. To get a residence permit for investors in Hungary, a foreigner prepares documents, gets a Guest Investor Visa, makes an investment, and applies for a residence permit. Immigrant Invest lawyers assist an investor during each step.

5. Foreigners with a resident permit apply for permanent residency after residing in the country for 5 years. After 8 years of living in the country with permanent status, they are eligible to obtain citizenship of Hungary by naturalisation.