Hungary Immigration

How to obtain permanent residence in Hungary?

To be eligible for permanent residence in Hungary, third-country nationals must meet the following conditions:

• You must have a place of residence in Hungary and sufficient means of subsistence.
• You must have comprehensive health insurance or sufficient income to pay for medical services.
• You must have a residence permit or a temporary permanent residence permit.
• You must have a residence permit in accordance with the interests of Hungary.
• You must have resided in Hungary for at least three years before applying.
• You must be a direct relative of a Hungarian citizen, a third-country national with immigrant, permanent resident or refugee status and have lived in the same household for at least one year before applying.
• You are the spouse of a Hungarian citizen, a third-country national with immigrant, permanent resident or refugee status and have been married for at least two years before applying for permanent residence.
• You are a former Hungarian citizen with terminated citizenship or a descendant of Hungarian origin.
• You are a minor child of a third-country national with immigrant, permanent resident or refugee status.

You cannot obtain permanent residence in Hungary if

• Your stay in Hungary is considered a threat to public and national security.
• You are subject to expulsion or exclusion from Hungary or are registered in the SIS as a person who has been refused entry and residence.
• You have provided false information or false facts in order to obtain a permit.
• You have a criminal record.

You can apply for a permanent residence permit after the expiration of your temporary residence permit.

Documents required to apply for permanent residence in Hungary

When applying for a permanent residence permit in Hungary, you must attach the following documents:

1. Passport. The passport must be valid at the time of application.

2. Passport-size photo. One photo not older than three months.

3. Birth certificate.

4. Marriage certificate (if available).

5. Divorce certificate (if any).

6. Certificate of no criminal record for the last six months issued by the competent authority of your country of residence (not required for children under 14 years of age)

7. Means of subsistence. You can prove your means of subsistence with

• A statement from a Hungarian credit institution showing the balance of your savings account.
• An authentic document or private documents confirming your financial assets.
• A certificate of your taxable income from work or other similar relationships that are taxable under Hungarian law.
• An authentic document or other proof of your income from other profitable activities carried out in Hungary on a regular basis.
• A certificate issued by your employer or tax authority confirming that you regularly receive income from abroad.
• A notarized statement from a family member residing in Hungary stating that he/she will support you, as well as documents confirming that the family member can provide you with such support.

8. Proof of accommodation. Proof of accommodation can be provided by

• A rental agreement as a proof of lease.
• A document confirming that you are staying in a guest house.
• A document confirming the ownership of the housing, a certified copy of the title document issued within the last 30 days.
• A notarized statement from a family member residing in Hungary on a long-term visa with refugee immigrant status, authorizing the provision of accommodation for you.
• A real estate purchase agreement and a copy of the decision of the competent authority of Budapest or a county authorizing the purchase of the real estate.

9. Health insurance. Provide evidence that you have access to health insurance or can afford to cover the costs of medical services in Hungary.

Requirements for minors

If you are traveling with a child, you need to provide

• The child's passport.
• A photo of the child.
• Documents from the competent authority of your home country stating that there are no legal obstacles for the minor third-country national to obtain permanent residence abroad.

Note: If the minor has reached the age of six at the time of application, he/she must appear in person to submit the application. 

Where to apply for permanent residence in Hungary?

You can apply for permanent residence in one of the following ways:

1. Electronically 
2. At a branch of the Main Office for Foreigners.

Submitting the application electronically

You can submit an application for a permanent residence permit electronically after registering on the electronic platform of the immigration authority to initiate the procedure. To apply online, visit the website of the General Directorate of the Police for Foreigners and click on the "Enter Hungary" button.

Submitting an application at a branch of the Main Office for Foreigners

If you are unable to apply online, you can apply for a permanent residence permit at the office of the National Directorate for the Guard of Foreigners (NDGAP) responsible for your future place of residence in Hungary.

You must have your documents with you when applying, unless you are exempted from this requirement for health reasons.

If your physical presence is not required by law, you can be replaced by another person:

• Your legal representative.
• Your spouse who has been granted a 90-day residence permit in Hungary.

Your spouse can be replaced by

• His/her adult child who has the right to reside in Hungary for a period of 90 days.
• A person appointed by the applicant.
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Note: Your application for a residence permit will be processed only if you have paid the administrative fee and submitted your biometric data no later than 15 days after the NDGAP sends you a confirmation of your application.

How long does it take to process the case?

The procedure for obtaining a permanent residence permit can take from 1 to 2 months.

Can I lose my permanent residence permit?

The Immigration Service can revoke your permanent residence permit if

• You have provided false information or false facts to the immigration service in order to obtain a permanent residence permit.
• The immigration authority revoked the residence permit of a person who has parental custody of a minor.
• Your spouse, who is a Hungarian citizen, leaves Hungary to obtain a residence permit abroad or his/her residence in Hungary is terminated.
• You have been expelled or expelled from the country.
• The registration of public securities did not take place within 45 days of the issuance of the permanent residence permit.

Naturalization and acquisition of citizenship

You can get Hungarian citizenship by naturalization. The procedure is different in each individual case.

What is naturalization?

Naturalization is the last step in the process of integration into the Hungarian way of life. This gives you the right to vote and run.

Since Hungary recognizes dual citizenship, applicants for a Hungarian passport do not risk losing their original citizenship, provided that the country of Origin also allows dual citizenship.

There is a regular naturalization procedure and a simplified naturalization procedure for people who are already members of a Hungarian family. 

Regular naturalization

What are the conditions for obtaining citizenship through regular naturalization?

• People may apply for naturalization as a Hungarian citizen after 8 years of continuous residence in Hungary if they:

- they have no criminal record at all

- have a stable lifestyle

- have a good character

- passed the test on basic constitutional knowledge.

• Individuals can apply for naturalization after 5 years of residence in Hungary if they:

- born in Hungary

- or lived in Hungary until the age of 18

- or are stateless persons.

• Individuals can apply for naturalization after 3 years of residence in Hungary if they:

- spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for three years (or are widows or widowers)

- parents of minor children of a Hungarian citizen

- people who are adopted by Hungarian citizens

- or recognized as refugees.

• Individuals may apply for naturalization if they:

- spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for at least ten years

- or spouses of Hungarian citizens who have been married for at least five years and have a child together

- they can provide proof of proficiency in Hungarian.

Applicants over the age of 60, people with limited legal capacity and persons with a Hungarian language diploma (from a Hungarian institution) may be exempt from the constitutional training requirement.

How long does the procedure take?

It is assumed that the application review time is 3 months, but usually the decision is made 6-8 months after the application is submitted. 

Simplified naturalization

A simplified naturalization procedure is the process of acquiring Hungarian citizenship on the basis of a Hungarian ancestor or marriage to a Hungarian citizen, if, among other things, the applicant has at least an average level of knowledge of the Hungarian language.

Who can apply?

An applicant may lodge a simplified naturalization application if

• his / her ancestor was a Hungarian citizen or probably of Hungarian descent
• or has been married to a Hungarian citizen for at least ten years
• or was married to a Hungarian citizen for five years and had children
• confirms knowledge of the Hungarian language (this is checked by the body that accepts the application)
• according to Hungarian law, he/she has no criminal record and no criminal proceedings have been opened against the applicant
• his / her naturalization does not violate the public and national security of Hungary. 

What is the method of applying for simplified naturalization?

The application must be submitted in person after making an appointment.

An adult applicant (over the age of 18) can apply in person. Under the age of 18, the application can be submitted by a legal representative on behalf of a minor applicant.

Important: all applicants, regardless of age (namely everyone who applies for Hungarian citizenship) must be present when applying. 

For applicants under the age of 18, a statement of consent from both parents must be attached (namely, both parents must appear at the time of application). If only one of the parents is present at the time of submitting the application, the application must be accompanied by an application for the consent of the absent parent, certified by a notary or the Hungarian consulate. If the parents are divorced or one of the parents is under guardianship, you must attach documents confirming these situations. 

For more information about the documents that need to be submitted, follow the link.

What is the duration of the procedure?

The process usually lasts 3 months, which can be extended by 60 days. The application review period does not include any additional time required, for example, to verify additional documents that the authorities require from the applicant. 

How much does it cost?

The procedure is free of charge. Expenses that may be: authentication of submitted original documents (translations / copies) - if they must be certified by the consulate.