HungaryWork residence permit

Guest worker residence permit in Hungary

A permit to stay in Hungary for third-country nationals who come to work for a privileged employer or through a qualified temporary work agency. The application is examined in a single procedure: one decision grants both the right to live in the country and the right to work for the employer named in the permit.

Visa term

The guest format is usually 1-2 years, tied to the contract

Threshold

Salary not below the minimum or the sectoral wage

Processing time

About 30-60 days

Work

Work only for the named employer; a change of employer requires a new permit

Source: oif.gov.hu — residence permit for guest workers

Who may obtain it

The permit is issued when the requirements for the applicant, for the employer and the general conditions of entry and stay are all met. The authority gives a separate warning: under government decree no. 450/2024 of 23 December on the employment of guest workers, there are currently no third countries whose nationals are allowed to work in Hungary on this type of residence permit. The same decree sets separate rules for renewal and re-issue procedures.

Requirements for the applicant

The purpose of the stay is to perform work for another person or under their direction for remuneration
The ground is an agreement establishing an employment relationship, including employment through a temporary work agency
Citizenship of a third country named in the government decree
The employment is not excluded by a notice of the minister responsible for employment policy
A third-country national means a person who is not a Hungarian national and has no right of free movement and residence, that is, not an EEA national or a family member of one, as well as a stateless person

Requirements for the employer

The employer is registered as a privileged employer or as a qualified temporary work agency
Privileged employers are strategic partners of the Hungarian government
They also include companies carrying out investments of outstanding importance for the national economy
And partners of the Outstanding Exporters Partnership Programme
Qualified temporary work agencies are those entered in the relevant register under the government decree

Conditions of entry and stay

Sufficient means for subsistence, accommodation, the return or onward journey and medical care, from lawfully obtained income and savings
Ownership of accommodation in Hungary fit to live in, or a lawful right to use such premises
Access to full health insurance or proof of the ability to pay for medical services
Conditions of exit: a valid passport and a travel ticket, or a sum covering the cost of the journey
The passport must remain valid for at least 3 months beyond the end date of the authorised stay — the authority itself builds in this margin when setting the expiry date

What it costs

Issue of the permit when filed in Hungary through the Enter Hungary platform	26 000 HUF
Issue of the permit when filed in person in Hungary	39 000 HUF
Renewal of the permit	+26 000 HUF
Replacement or restoration of the permit document	+20 000 HUF
Filing an appeal	+47 000 HUF
Issue of an official certificate	+4 000 HUF

Documents to gather

The authority lists the compulsory annexes to the application: each of them proves one of the conditions of entry and stay. The pack should be assembled in full and checked before filing — this speeds up the examination. On renewal, documents for conditions that have not changed need not be attached again.

Proof of the purpose of stay: a preliminary agreement to establish an employment relationship or a document on the employment relationship
Proof of means: the preliminary agreement or the document on the employment relationship
Or a certificate from a credit institution in the applicant's name — a bank account statement, a savings statement or a securities statement, or a balance certificate
Or a document on regular income issued by the employer or the tax authority
Proof of accommodation: a residential tenancy agreement, a document on the free provision of accommodation, or a title document for the accommodation
Or a document on a housing reservation and its payment, or an employer's certificate stating that it will provide accommodation
Proof of health insurance: the status of a person insured under social security, access to Hungarian insurance under an international convention, treaty or agreement
Or documents on the means of subsistence in Hungary — as proof of the ability to pay for medical services
Proof of the conditions of exit: a valid passport and a valid ticket, or a sum covering the journey
One facial photograph attached to the application
A completed and signed application form: on filing in person, the paper form with its annex; on filing through Enter Hungary, the electronic form on the platform

How the process runs

Applications for issue and for renewal are examined in a single procedure — it authorises at once a stay longer than ninety days within one hundred and eighty and the establishment of an employment relationship with a specific employer. At first instance the competent employment authority is the government office, at second instance the minister responsible for the employment of third-country nationals. They check whether the employment is supported from the point of view of Hungarian employment policy.

1
Determine where to file
If entry to Hungary is not visa-free, the application for issue is filed outside the country — at a Hungarian diplomatic or consular mission in the country of citizenship or habitual residence. There is no need to file a separate visa application: the residence permit application also contains the application for the visa that allows the permit to be collected. Applications may also be accepted at other authorised places — honorary consuls, trade missions, external service providers. If there is no consulate or other place of receipt in the country, in exceptional cases the application is filed in the country of lawful stay, with proof of the reasons for filing there. Those who enter visa-free but have already applied for a guest worker residence permit before must also file outside Hungary.
2
File the application
Visa-free nationals without a valid residence permit may also file a first application inside Hungary — through the Enter Hungary electronic platform or in person at the competent regional directorate of the Directorate-General for the place of residence. If the representative is a lawyer or a legal entity, only Enter Hungary is available. The employer may also file the documents: the employee's written consent is required and filing goes exclusively through Enter Hungary.
3
Give biometrics and pay the fee
15 days
For a permit with biometric data, a facial photograph and a fingerprint are taken. An application filed through Enter Hungary is deemed received by the authority once the administrative fee has been paid, the photograph and fingerprint taken and a specimen signature recorded — within 15 days of its arrival. The authority sends a notification once the application is deemed received. If the employer filed the documents, the employee must still appear in person for photographing, fingerprinting and other procedural acts at the authority's request.
4
Wait for the decision
21 days
The administrative time limit is 21 days. Besides the compulsory annexes, the Directorate-General may request other documents to clarify the circumstances of the case or carry out other procedural acts. The time spent remedying deficiencies and on such acts does not count towards the time limit. The authority takes a decision on the merits within 60 days of the date the application was filed.
5
Enter the country and collect the document
3 months
When filed abroad, approval of the application also authorises the entry visa for collecting the residence permit; the regional directorate notifies the consulate, and the consular officer issues the visa. The type D visa is single-entry, allows a stay of no more than 30 days and is valid for 3 months. You must enter Hungary and begin the approved stay within 3 months of the date of approval — otherwise the permit becomes invalid and the right to enter and stay ceases. The document is sent by post to the delivery address given in the application form. If the employer filed the application, the document is delivered to the employer — to its official contact address, or, failing that, to its registered address. Collecting the document in person at the regional directorate is allowed only if the applicant proves that they cannot receive it at the stated address.

Who you can bring with you

The family route under this programme is limited by an express rule of the authority.

Spouse, parents, minor children abroad

Family members of a third-country national who holds a guest worker residence permit or has applied for one are not issued a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification.

A child born in Hungary

An exception to the ban: if a guest worker permit holder has a child in Hungary who is a third-country national while the permit is valid, the child receives a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification once the birth has been notified.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

At least 3 years for permanent residence

The document is valid for 2 years at most and may be renewed for a further year, but the period of validity does not exceed 3 years from the date of first issue. The renewal application is filed only inside Hungary and only through the Enter Hungary platform. Renewal is possible on two conditions: at the time of filing the applicant holds a valid guest worker residence permit, and has lived in Hungary on that permit for at least 90 days within any 180-day period. The filing window is limited at both ends: no earlier than 90 days before the permit expires and no later than 30 days before that date. A change of employer is handled precisely by a renewal application. If, however, only the conditions of employment change — the FEOR code under the Hungarian classification of occupations or the place of work in Hungary — the employer must report this to the immigration policing authority, and a renewal application filed in such a situation is rejected without examination on the merits. Once the three-year ceiling has been used up and the stay needs to continue, a new application for a guest worker residence permit is filed in Hungary — no later than 40 days before the date the current permit expires.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Guest worker residence permit	Investor residence permit	Digital nomad card
Visa term	The guest format is usually 1-2 years, tied to the contract	Residence permit granted for 10 years at once, renewable for another 10 without new investment	Up to 1 year, renewable once for a further year (2 years maximum)
Grounds	Employment	Real estate / funds	Remote income
Money	Salary not below the minimum or the sectoral wage	Real-estate fund from EUR 250,000 (5 years) OR real estate from EUR 500,000 OR a donation from EUR 1,000,000	Net income from about EUR 3,000 a month
Work	Work only for the named employer; a change of employer requires a new permit	The right to live, study, run a business and work	Remote work for foreign clients and employers; working for a Hungarian company is not allowed
Residence	At least 3 years for permanent residence	No residence requirement	Actual residence is expected

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

Permanent residence normally after 3 years; time on a guest worker permit counts only in a limited way

Route to citizenship

Permanent residence then citizenship after 8 years, with Hungarian

Frequently asked questions about Guest worker residence permit

Is it currently possible to obtain a guest worker residence permit for the first time?

Under government decree no. 450/2024 of 23 December on the employment of guest workers, there are no third countries whose nationals are allowed to work in Hungary on a guest worker residence permit. The same decree provides for separate rules to apply to renewal and re-issue procedures.

For how long is the permit issued and can one live on it for longer?

The document is valid for 2 years, it can be renewed for a further year, but the overall duration does not exceed 3 years from the date of first issue. The authority sets the expiry date so that the travel document remains valid for at least 3 months beyond the end of the authorised stay.

How much does the procedure cost?

Issue of the permit when filed in Hungary through Enter Hungary is HUF 26,000, and HUF 39,000 when filed in person in Hungary. Renewal is HUF 26,000. When filing at a diplomatic or consular mission, the fee for issuing the permit together with the entry visa for collecting it is EUR 110. Replacement or restoration of the document is HUF 20,000 and filing an appeal is HUF 47,000.

How is the administrative fee paid?

When filing at a diplomatic or consular mission, the fee is paid in euros or another convertible currency, and in exceptional cases in the legal tender of the country of filing. When filing in person at the client office of a regional directorate, payment is by bank card; if that is not possible, by postal cheque or bank transfer, giving the name, date of birth, EH number or case number in the comment field. When filing through Enter Hungary, the fee is paid by card during the electronic submission. An accounting certificate of payment cannot be requested.

Is it possible to change employer?

If an employee wishes to take up work with an employer other than the one in connection with which the valid permit was issued, they must file an application to renew the guest worker residence permit. Where only the conditions of employment change — the FEOR code or the place of work in Hungary — the employer must notify the immigration policing authority and no renewal application is required: the authority rejects such applications without examining them on the merits.

What should be done if the application is refused?

A refusal decision is appealed within 8 days of the date of service. The appeal is filed with the first-instance authority or with the Hungarian diplomatic or consular mission where the application was submitted. The authority rejects an appeal without examining it on the merits if it arrives out of time, is filed by an unauthorised person, relies on new circumstances of the case which the applicant knew of before the decision was taken, or is filed without stating grounds or a reason.

Does this programme lead to permanent residence?

No. Third-country nationals who hold a guest worker residence permit are not issued the national residence card. Moreover, while the permit is valid and after it expires, they are not allowed to file an application in Hungary for a permit on any other legal ground.

What responsibility rests with the employer of a guest worker?

If, on termination of the employment, the employer or host organisation fails to fulfil the obligations connected with the guest worker's departure from the country, or fails to report that the employment did not begin or has ended, and this concerns 30% of the guest workers brought to Hungary during the calendar year, that employer may not, for 2 years from the date the fine was imposed, employ guest workers beyond the staff it already has. The employer also reimburses the costs advanced by the authority for return, expulsion and immigration detention if the worker cannot cover them and the return was ordered because the conditions of stay were not met, because of work without a permit, or because of a threat to public health.

Other ways to move to Hungary

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Hungary.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 8 August 2026.