Where and how to apply

Visa entitling you to a residence permit

You have to apply for a long-stay visa, which entitles you to receive the residence permit, before admission to the country at the embassy or consulate in your country of originSearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN••• or, in certain cases, in the country of legal residence.

Residence permit

Upon your arrival, you have to obtain your residence permit for the purpose of traineeship at the competent regional directorate of the immigration authority of your place of residence.

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.

Documents required

You need to:

• provide proof of having signed a training agreement with an approved host entity defined by another specific act for the purpose of traineeship in the territory of Hungary, and the host entity provides a written commitment for reimbursing the costs of expulsion in cases where the trainee remains in the territory of Hungary past the period authorised – if the trainee does not have the financial means necessary;
• provide evidence of having obtained a higher education degree required for the pursuit of traineeship within the two years preceding the date of application or of pursuing a course of study that leads to a higher education degree;
• evidence to have sufficient knowledge of the language needed for the purpose of the traineeship.

Further requirements

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.

Duration of validity of permits

The validity period of a residence permit for the purpose of traineeship:

• is maximum six months, and it may not be extended;
• corresponds to the duration of traineeship, if the duration of the training agreement is shorter than six months.

However, the validity of the travel document should be taken into consideration, and the validity period of the third-country national’s travel document must have at least three months remaining at the time the authorised duration of residence expires.

Conditions for renewal

The application for extension of the residence permit shall be submitted in person at the regional directorate of the immigration authority responsible for the place where the place of accommodation is located 30 days before it expires at the latest, with the necessary documents attached. You can find the competent regional directorate on the website of the immigration authority (www.bevandorlas.hu).

As of 1 January 2019, natural persons or their authorised legal representatives may submit an application for a residence permit (issue or extension) electronically via Enter Hungary, available at https://enterhungary.gov.hu/.

Appeals

Appeals against decisions of regional offices regarding residence permits can be brought within 8 days of delivery to the immigration authority, or to the Hungarian diplomatic or consular mission where the application was submitted.

Further information

 More on Residence Permit for the Purpose of Traineeship

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 have:

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

You must not be subject to any ground for refusal set out in the law, e.g. a 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 hold 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 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 need 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 is renewed for five years at a time.

EC long-term residence permit

You are entitled to hold 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 and also grants the right of intra-EU mobility under certain conditions. The EC long-term residence permit is issued for five years and is 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 issued in 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 arriving for the purposes stated above (i.e. gainful employment, pursuit of studies and other justified reasons), apply 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 period of five years and may be extended once by a maximum of five additional years.