Hungarian residence for remote workers (the White Card)
Residence for remote workers with an income from €3,000 a month.
The official OIF factsheet (checked directly) puts the condition literally: income counts as sufficient if the applicant's net income is equal to or above €3,000 a month for at least 6 months before entering Hungary, and it has to be maintained for the whole period of the status.
On a White Card the holder's family members do not receive a residence permit through family reunification (the only exception is a child born in Hungary while the status is valid). Moving the family requires a separate ground.
What the White Card is — Hungarian residence for remote workers
The White Card is a separate category of residence permit for people who live in Hungary but earn outside it. Its official name is a residence permit for the purpose of remote gainful activity.
One of two grounds gives the right to it: a verified employment relationship with an employer outside Hungary together with work performed from Hungary using digital technology — or a shareholding in a company with verified profit outside Hungary that the owner manages from Hungary.
The application is filed electronically through the Enter Hungary platform or in person. Biometrics are taken when you apply: a photograph and fingerprints from everyone over the age of six.
How residence differs from citizenship by investment
A residence permit is the right to live in a country lawfully for a limited period, with renewal. It does not give a passport, does not give the vote and is almost always tied to a ground: once the ground is gone, the status is not renewed.
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For the holder that means three things. The status has to be maintained: keep the investment, the income or the housing, and apply for renewal on time. The status can be lost — for breaching the conditions or for being out of the country too long. And the status does not convert into citizenship automatically: the naturalisation clock runs separately, and some programmes do not count towards it at all.
In return, residence costs many times less than citizenship by investment and opens up what people most often take it for: lawful residence, a bank account, healthcare, school for the children and travel within the Schengen area.
What you may not do on a White Card in Hungary
This category has a strict frame, and breaching it is not punished with a fine — it ends the status. The immigration authority withdraws the permit if the holder:
- Works for a Hungarian employer or on their instructions
- Acquires a shareholding in a Hungarian company
So the White Card is not a way into Hungarian business. It is designed precisely for remote work and income from outside the country.
How long the White Card is issued for and how to renew it
The permit is issued for a maximum of one year and renewed only once — for a further year. It cannot be renewed a second time on the same ground: after that a different ground of stay is needed.
Renewal requires actual presence: at least 90 days in any 180 days before filing. Simply holding the card without living in the country does not work.
The renewal application is filed no earlier than 90 days and no later than 30 days before the permit expires. The validity of the permit is set so that the passport remains valid for at least three more months after it ends.
Who cannot obtain a White Card
- Holders of a residence permit on the ground of study and participants in a short-term traineeship under a study programme
- Employees posted to Hungary
- People granted refugee status, temporary protection or subsidiary protection
- People with tolerated status
- People whose expulsion has been suspended
- Holders of an EU long-term residence permit or an EU residence card
What the service includes
| Preparing the documents | |
| Filing | |
| Support | |
| Accommodation— billed separately |
How the process runs
1–3 months- Шаг 1Проверяем основание: занятость или доля в компании за пределами Венгрии и доход, подходящий под требование.
- Шаг 2Собираем комплект: подтверждение занятости или прибыли компании, выписки за 6 месяцев, жильё в Венгрии, медицинская страховка.
- Шаг 3Подача через платформу Enter Hungary либо лично, со сдачей биометрии и оплатой пошлины.
- Шаг 4Рассмотрение: срок делопроизводства — 21 день, решение по существу — в течение 30 дней с подачи.
- Шаг 5При подаче через консульство — виза типа D: однократная, до 30 дней пребывания, действует 3 месяца. Въехать нужно в эти 3 месяца, иначе одобрение аннулируется.
- Шаг 6Получение карты в Венгрии.
What we need from you
- 1An income from €3,000 a month
- 2Remote work outside Hungary
Frequently asked questions
Can I work for a Hungarian company on a White Card?
Can I start a business in Hungary on this status?
How many years can I live in Hungary on a White Card?
Do I have to live in Hungary?
Can I bring my family on a White Card?
Residence permit: other options
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