Where and how to apply

Registration as self-employed entrepreneur

You have to register as a self-employed entrepreneur at a Government Office in person.

In Hungary, self-employed entrepreneurs can only be natural persons with the right of residence. They are liable with all their assets for the obligations arising from their business activities as self-employed entrepreneurs. Non-EU nationals may be self-employed entrepreneurs if they have permanent resident status or if they hold a resident permit issued for the purpose of carrying out gainful employment, family reunification, pursuing studies or hold a humanitarian residence permit issued for stateless persons or for those whose expulsion has been suspended for reasons of fact or law. You also have to provide a certificate attesting that you have a clean police record and that you hold the required qualifications. The Office then issues an entrepreneur’s licence.

The commencing of self-employed entrepreneur business activities may be initiated electronically or in person at the competent Document Service Centre. Reporting the commencing of self-employed entrepreneur business activities, changes in data, termination or interruption of activities is free of charge. Official registration of sole proprietors is carried out by the Central Office for Administrative and Electronic Public Service.

Residence permit

Before registering as a self-employed entrepreneur you have to apply for a visa entitling you to receive a residence permit for the purpose of gainful employment at the embassy or consulate in your country of originSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••. You need to obtain a residence permit issued for the purpose of gainful employment, family reunification, pursuit of studies or a humanitarian residence permit issued for stateless persons or for those whose expulsion has been suspended for reasons of fact or law.

Prior to the expiry of the validity of your visa, you can obtain your residence permit at the competent regional directorate of the immigration authority. You can find the competent regional directorate on the website of the authority.

Fees

The administrative service fee charged for the procedure for issuing a residence permit is EUR 60, payable at the diplomatic mission of Hungary primarily in EUR or other convertible currency, or in exceptional cases in the legal tender of the State where the application is submitted.

The administrative service fee charged for the procedure is HUF 18,000 if submitted in Hungary. The fee charged for the extension of a residence permit is HUF 10,000.

To obtain a residence permit for the purpose of gainful employment, you need to verify the purpose of stay may by:

• a private entrepreneurial license, or failing this a private entrepreneur register number;
• a business plan for economic activities;
• a small-scale agricultural producer’s license;
• a personal service contract, contract for professional services or a use contract entered into as a private individual; or
• other reliable means.

Further

• present a passport, which will remain valid for at least 3 months longer than the intended period of stay;
• prove adequate accommodation;
• prove sufficient financial resources and subsistence means;
• prove health insurance;
• prove conditions of exit.

You cannot be subject to an entry ban or an alert in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry, nor can your entry and stay threaten public policy, public health or public security in Hungary.

The validity period for a residence permit granted for the pursuit of gainful activity is maximum three years, and it may be extended by maximum three additional years at a time. The validity period of the residence permit shall be set in consideration of the date of expiry of the passport. The period of stay fixed in the residence permit is to be determined ascertaining that the travel document must be valid for at least 3 additional months beyond the date of expiry of the residence permit.

The application for extension of the residence permit shall be submitted in person at the regional directorate responsible for the place where the place of accommodation is located 30 days before it expires at the latest, with the necessary documents attached.

As of 1 January 2019, natural person clients or their authorised legal representatives may submit an application for a residence permit (issue or extension) electronically via Enter Hungary.

The validity of the permit may be extended by maximum three additional years at a time.

Appeals against decisions of regional directorates regarding residence permits can be brought to the immigration authority.

More on Residence Permit for the Pursuit of Gainful Activity

Change of business activities

If you are engaged in any activity in the capacity of being the owner or manager of a for-profit business association, cooperative or some other legal entity, or as a member of the executive, representative or supervisory board of such entity, and – apart from such activity – you plan to perform actual work (in any traditional job or position) in that company, an application for residence permit for the purpose of employment has to be submitted, that will be assessed in a single application procedure.

Change of business activities is possible in the framework of concerned laws.

Change of status

Change of status may be possible depending on the purpose of stay and your personal circumstances.

Family members

A residence permit for the purpose of family reunification may be issued to a third-country national who is a family member of a third-country national in possession of a residence permit.

More on family reunificationSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN•••

Long-term residence

Hungarian law distinguishes between three different regimes for permanent residence and for each of them you need to provide evidence of:

• adequate accommodation;
• sufficient financial resources and subsistence means;
• health insurance.

You cannot be subject to any ground for refusal as set out in law, e.g. threat to public or national security, being the subject of an expulsion order, entry ban or alert in the Schengen Information System.

National permanent residence permit

You are entitled to a national permanent residence permit if you have legally and continuously resided for at least three years in Hungary.

You will also be able to obtain a national permanent residence permit if you have not yet resided legally in Hungary for three years but you hold a residence permit or an interim permanent residence permit and:

• you are a family member (other than a spouse) or a dependent relative in the ascending line of a non-EU citizen with immigrant, permanent resident or refugee status and you lived together for at least one year before the application was submitted; or
• you are the spouse of a non-EU citizen with immigrant or permanent resident or refugee status and the marriage was contracted at least two years before the application was submitted; or
• you were formerly a Hungarian citizen and your citizenship was terminated, or your ascendant is or was a Hungarian citizen; or
• you have stayed in Hungary for at least six months holding a residence permit issued for those having high worth investments; or
• you have stayed in Hungary for at least six months holding a residence permit issued with regard to national economic interest; or
• you are a minor child of a non-EU citizen with immigrant, permanent resident or refugee status.

Your establishment has to be in accordance with the interest of Hungary.
You have to present a clean criminal record. General conditions for residence permits apply.

This permit authorises you to reside in Hungary for an indefinite period of time. The national permanent residence permit is issued for five years and renewed for five years at a time.

EC long-term residence permit

You are entitled to an EC long-term resident status if you lived continuously and legally in Hungary for five years.

General conditions for residence permits apply.

This permit authorises you to reside in Hungary for an indefinite period of time. It also grants you the right of intra-EU mobility under certain conditions. The EC long-term residence permit is issued for five years and renewed for five years at a time.

Interim permanent residence permit

If you are a non-EU citizen holding an EC long-term residence permit from another EU Member State, you can obtain an interim permanent residence permit:

• for the purpose of gainful employment, with the exception of seasonal employment;
• for the pursuit of studies or for the purpose of vocational training; or
• for other justified reasons.

Family members of non-EU nationals coming for the purposes stated above (i.e. gainful employment, pursuit of studies and other justified reasons) should apply together for an interim permanent residence permit. The family members of non-EU nationals holding an interim permanent residence permit may be issued an interim permanent residence permit if their family relationship already existed in the Member State of the European Union, where the EC residence permit certifying permanent residence status was issued.

This status is valid for a maximum of five years and may be extended by a maximum of five additional years at a time.