Hungary
Hungary visa and residence permit guide
- 22 visa types
- checked 25 October 2026
How visas for Hungary work
Hungary is a Schengen state, so short trips of up to 90 days in any 180 use the common Schengen visa if your nationality needs one. You apply at the Hungarian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or the external service provider it uses. The fee is EUR 90, Hungary’s reference amount for funds is EUR 40 a day, and decisions normally take 15 calendar days.
Anything longer than 90 days needs a residence permit, which visa-required nationals must obtain before travelling. Since Act XC of 2023 took effect in 2024, the immigration authority (OIF, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing) issues purpose-specific permits: the Hungarian Card for qualified employees, the EU Blue Card, intra-company transfer and seasonal permits, study, research and traineeship permits, the White Card for digital nomads, the guest investor permit and family reunification. Applications from abroad are booked on the Hungarian consular appointment system and lodged at the Hungarian mission, usually followed by an interview; the fee is EUR 110.
Some routes are open only to certain nationalities: the general employment permit currently covers only citizens of Georgia, Armenia and the Philippines, and the National Card covers several Balkan and Eastern European states. Renewals and most later steps are handled online through Enter Hungary. Indefinite residence comes through the national residence card after three years on a qualifying permit or the EU residence card after five.
Which visa do I need?
Holiday, family visit, business meeting, fair, conference or short treatment of up to 90 days: Schengen type C visa, if your nationality needs one.
Degree studies or a university preparatory course: study residence permit; afterwards the 9-month job-search permit.
Job offer: Hungarian Card for IT, engineering, science and music graduates, athletes and artists; EU Blue Card for salaries of at least HUF 1,001,048 a month in 2026; ICT permit for transfers within a group; seasonal permit for farm and forestry work.
Remote work for a foreign employer: White Card (EUR 3,000 net a month). Own business: guest self-employment permit. Investment: guest investor program (EUR 250,000 fund units or EUR 1,000,000 donation).
Joining a spouse or parent: family reunification permit, if the sponsor’s permit allows it.
Visa types for Hungary
Visits and short stays
- Tourist visa Schengen visa (type C) for tourism
If your nationality needs a visa, you visit Hungary as a tourist on a Schengen type C visa.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. - Family and friends visit visa Schengen visa (type C) for visiting family or friends
To visit relatives or friends living in Hungary, visa-required nationals apply for a Schengen type C visa with an invitation from the host.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. - Transit visa Schengen visa (type C) for transit through Hungary
Visa-required nationals who cross Hungarian territory on the way to a non-Schengen country, for instance by road, need a Schengen type C visa.
Maximum stay: As long as the transit requires, within the 90/180-day limit. - Medical treatment visa Schengen visa for medical treatment and the medical treatment residence permit
Treatment lasting up to 90 days is done on a Schengen type C visa (if your nationality needs one) backed by documents from your own doctor and the Hungarian clinic.
Maximum stay: Visa: 90 days in 180. Residence permit: the length of treatment, up to 2 years, renewable in steps of up to 2 years. - Culture, sports and events visa Schengen visa (type C) for cultural, sports events and conferences
Conference delegates, performers, athletes and coaches who need a visa for an event in Hungary apply for a Schengen type C visa.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Business and self-employment
- Business visa Schengen visa (type C) for business visits
Meetings, negotiations and trade fairs in Hungary require a Schengen type C business visa if your nationality needs a visa, supported by a wet-stamped invitation from the Hungarian company.
Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. - Self-employed and freelancer visa Residence permit for guest self-employment (vendég-önfoglalkoztatás)
The guest self-employment permit is for foreigners who work independently in Hungary, for example as sole traders, or who act as executive officers of a Hungarian company.
Maximum stay: Up to 3 years in total; afterwards a new permit can be requested in Hungary.
Study and training
- Student visa Residence permit for study purposes (tanulmányi célú tartózkodási engedély)
Students admitted to a full-time programme at a Hungarian university, or to a university preparatory course, need a study residence permit, which visa-required nationals obtain before travelling.
Maximum stay: The length of studies, renewed in 1–3 year steps. - Researcher visa Residence permit for research (kutatás célú tartózkodási engedély)
Researchers coming to Hungary need a hosting agreement with an accredited research organisation, which also undertakes to cover removal costs if needed.
Maximum stay: As long as the research project, renewed in steps of up to 2 years. - Internship and trainee visa Residence permit for traineeship (gyakornoki tevékenység folytatása célú tartózkodási engedély)
A traineeship in Hungary needs a trainee residence permit if it lasts over 90 days.
Maximum stay: The traineeship period, up to 6 months.
Work
- Job seeker visa Residence permit for job seeking or starting a business (álláskeresés vagy vállalkozás indítása)
Hungary has no job-seeker visa for people abroad.
Maximum stay: Up to 9 months. - Work visa Residence permit for employment (foglalkoztatási célú tartózkodási engedély) and other work routes
Since Act XC of 2023 Hungary has no single work visa: each kind of job has its own residence permit.
Maximum stay: Employment permit: up to 3 years in total from first issue. - Skilled worker visa Hungarian Card (Magyar Kártya) residence permit
The Hungarian Card is the residence permit for qualified employees introduced by Act XC of 2023.
Maximum stay: Renewable from inside Hungary in steps of up to 3 years. - EU Blue Card EU Blue Card (EU Kék Kártya)
Highly qualified professionals with a job paying at least HUF 1,001,048 gross a month in 2026 (HUF 800,838 for listed health occupations) can get an EU Blue Card in Hungary for up to four years.
Maximum stay: Renewable in steps of up to 4 years. - Intra-company transfer visa Residence permit for intra-corporate transfer (ICT permit)
Managers, specialists and trainee employees of a multinational group who are moved from outside the EU to a Hungarian entity of the same group use the ICT permit.
Maximum stay: Managers and specialists: 3 years in total from first issue; trainees: 1 year. - Seasonal work visa Residence permit for seasonal work (szezonális munkavállalás)
Seasonal workers in crop production, forestry, animal husbandry and fishing need a seasonal work residence permit, valid for up to six months and tied to one employer.
Maximum stay: Up to 6 months; an extension is possible within a 12-month period for a further period of up to 6 months, as OIF states. - Digital nomad visa White Card (Fehér Kártya) residence permit for digital nomads
The White Card lets remote employees of foreign companies, and owners of profitable foreign companies, live in Hungary while working online.
Maximum stay: Up to 2 years in total (1 year plus one 1-year extension).
Family
- Family reunification visa Residence permit for family reunification (családi együttélés biztosítása célú)
Spouses, minor children and certain dependent relatives of foreigners living in Hungary can join them on a family reunification permit, provided the sponsor holds a qualifying permit.
Maximum stay: Tied to the sponsor’s permit; renewable. - Spouse and partner visa Family reunification permit for spouses of Hungarian citizens
A foreign national married to a Hungarian citizen, or in a registered partnership, receives a family reunification permit valid for up to five years.
Maximum stay: Renewable in steps of up to 5 years.
Residence
- Golden visa and residence by investment Guest investor visa and guest investor residence permit (vendégbefektetői)
Hungary’s Guest Investor Program grants a 10-year residence permit to foreigners who buy at least EUR 250,000 of units in an MNB-registered real-estate fund and hold them for five years, or who donate at least EUR 1,000,000 to a university run by a public-interest trust.
Maximum stay: Visa: up to 6 months. Residence permit: up to 10 years, renewable for 10 years. - Permanent residence National residence card and EU residence card (long-term residence)
Hungary offers two indefinite residence statuses.
Maximum stay: Indefinite right of residence.
Asylum and international protection
- Asylum and international protection Asylum (menedékjog) – refugee status, subsidiary protection and tolerated status
Hungary runs a special entry system for asylum: most people must first make a declaration of intent in person at the Hungarian embassy in Belgrade (Serbia) or Kyiv (Ukraine).
Validity: Refugee status has no expiry date but is reviewed every 3 years if granted after 1 June 2016 (UNHCR).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I apply for a Hungarian visa?
At the Hungarian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of legal residence, or the external service provider it uses, by appointment. Interviews, when required, take place at the mission.
How much does a Hungarian visa cost?
A Schengen visa costs EUR 90, plus any service charge of an external provider. A residence permit applied for from abroad costs EUR 110; Stipendium Hungaricum scholars pay no permit fee.
How much money do I need to show for a Hungarian Schengen visa?
Hungary’s official reference amount is EUR 40 for each day of the planned stay, assessed mainly from three months of stamped bank statements.
Which work permits are open to most nationalities?
Not the general employment permit, which is limited to citizens of Georgia, Armenia and the Philippines. For other nationalities the realistic routes are the Hungarian Card, the EU Blue Card, intra-company transfer and seasonal work.
Does Hungary have a golden visa?
Yes, the Guest Investor Program: EUR 250,000 in units of an MNB-registered real-estate fund held for five years, or a EUR 1,000,000 donation to a qualifying university, leading to a 10-year residence permit. Buying property directly does not qualify.
What can I do if my Hungarian visa is refused?
Appeal within 8 calendar days at the mission that decided, by appointment, paying EUR 160, with a statement in English or Hungarian and new documents. You can also simply reapply and pay the fee again.
Embassies and consulates
Last checked 25 October 2026. Each visa page lists the official sources it is based on.