On a general basis, a Third-country National has to obtain a residence permit if he/she expects to stay in Hungary more than 90 days within a 180-day period of time. However, in some cases (e.g., due to having a Family Member with an EEA citizenship) other type(s) of immigration document(s)(s) has to be obtained.
EU Blue Card is a special residence permit type for highly-qualified Third-country Nationals. In general, it is issued for a period between 1-4 years (based on the supporting documents enclosed) but in a given situation, it can be applied for a shorter validity-period as well.
Who can apply for the EU Blue Card?
An Individual, who has third-country nationality only.
An Individual, who is not living or traveling in Hungary together with or joining to an EEA Citizen to whom he/she is considered a family member.
An Individual, whose legal relationship with your Organisation will .
The legal relationship between your Organisation and an Individual aims at employment if ...
your Organisation is seated in the territory of Hungary,
the Individual will work in the territory of Hungary,
the Individual will get remuneration in return of his/her work, and
the basis of the Individual' work at your Organisation is...
his/her employment contract with your Organisation,
his/her employment contract with an Organisation seated out of Hungary, and this non-Hungarian Organisation has a service agreement with your Organisation on the work the Individual is going to perform, or
a training program organised by your Organisation aims to obtain a specific skill for this Individual.
His/her gross salary will be more than HUF 658,200 (circa EUR 1,700). In this salary amount can be lower.
In the following job positions the minimum gross salary amount to have an EU Blue Card is HUF 526,560:
General practitioner (general doctor) - FEOR 2211
Pharmacist, specialized pharmacist - FEOR 2214
Optometrist - FEOR 2222
Dietician and nutrition adviser - FEOR 2223
Physiotherapist - FEOR 2224
District nurse - FEOR 2225
Ambulance officer - FEOR 2226
Nursing professional (with higher education qualification) - FEOR 2231
Midwifery professional (with higher education qualification) - FEOR 2232
FEOR: Hungarian Standard classification of Occupation
An Individual, who is assigned from an organisation seated in one of an EEA country or in Switzerland to an organisation seated in Hungary cannot apply for an EU Blue Card. Choose an alternative residence permit.
Validity Period
at least ,
On a general basis the minimum duration period of an EU Blue Card is one year. However, if the employment relationship would be concluded for a period less than one year, the EU BLue Card has to be issued for the duration of this employment period plus three monnths.
not more than .
The longest applicable validity period depends on many circumstances. The most important of theese are that the validity of the issued EU Blue Card cannot exceed the validity period of the Individual's passport and the termination date of his/her employment contract or assignment letter. The legal Hungarian stay and work by having an EU Blue Card can be extended by further four years by applying for an EU Blue Card extension at least 30 days before the expiry of the current EU Blue Card. Therefore, an Individual can stay and work in Hungary for a period longer than 4 years, however, in order for this, he/she needs to go through a EU Blue Card extension procedure. Please also kindly note that if an Individual leaves the territory of Hungary for more than 90 days within any 180-day period when holding an EU Blue Card, this EU Blue Card cannot be extended but a new EU Blue Card application procedure has to be initiated. The difference between the EU Blue Card extension and the new EU Blue Card application mainly means that in if the EU Blue Card is not extended, but a new one is applied for, the Individual has to leave the territory of Europe when the current EU Blue Card expires, and submit a new EU Blue Card application at the appropriate places (please see description on the appropriate places below).
Place of Application
The place of the EU Blue Card application may differ based on the Individual's citizenship, his/her habitual residence or the fact whether he/she applies for a new EU Blue Card (e.g., EU Blue Card application at the first time) or an EU Blue Card extension.
A) if having citizenship(s) only:
New EU Blue Card application means if not having a valid Hungarian residence permit/EU Blue Card, or having, but it remains valid less than 30 days when submitting the residence permit application.
Visa-required countries (Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806): Afghanistan, Armenia, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Bolivia, Bhutan, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, North Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco,
Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar/Burma, Mongolia, Mauritania, Maldives, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, São Tomé and Príncipe, Syria, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Consulate of Hungary located in the country of the Individual's citizenship, or
Consulate of Hungary located in the country of the Individual's habitual residence.
B) if having citizenship(s) only:
New EU Blue Card application means if not having a valid Hungarian residence permit/EU Blue Card, or having, but it remains valid less than 30 days when submitting the residence permit application.
Visa-free countries (Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806): Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (only if having biometric passport) Andorra, United Arab Emirates (only if having biometric passport), Antigua and Barbuda, Albania (only if having biometric passport), Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (only if having biometric passport), Barbados, Brunei, Brazil, Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica (only if having biometric passport), Micronesia (only if having biometric passport),
Grenada (only if having biometric passport), Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Kiribati (only if having biometric passport), Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Korea, Saint Lucia (only if having biometric passport), Monaco, Moldova (only if having biometric passport), Montenegro (only if having biometric passport), Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nauru, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Palau, Paraguay, Serbia (only if having biometric passport and excluding holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate), Solomon Islands, Seychelles,
Singapore, San Marino, El Salvador, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine (only if having biometric passport), United States, Uruguay, Holy See, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela, Vanuatu, Samoa, Hong Kong (having passport of Special Administrative Region), Maca (having passport of Special Administrative Region), British nationals (Overseas), British Overseas territories Citizens, British Overseas Citizens, British Protected Persons, British Sibjects, Taiwan.
Consulate of Hungary located in the country of the Individual's citizenship,
Consulate of Hungary located in the country of the Individual's habitual residence, or
Immigration Office (official name: National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing), the competent directorate is located in the region of your prospective Hungarian accommodation.
C) of third-country nationals:
EU Blue Card extension means another EU Blue Card application in Hungary if having a Hungarian residence permit/EU Blue Card that remains valid more than 30 days counted from the date of initiating the extension procedure at the Immigration Office. Please kindly note that if an Individual left the territory of Hungary for more than 90 days within any 180-day period when holding a Hungarian EU Blue Card, this EU Blue Card cannot be extended but a new one has to be applied. I.e. the Individual has to leave the territory of the Eurpoe and apply for the new EU Blue Card at one of the above-mentioned places.
Immigration Office (the competent directorate is located in the region of your prospective Hungarian accommodation).
D) EU Blue Card Application, if the Employer qualifies as a :
Preferred Employers are those who are seated in Hungary and...
Having a valid strategic partnership agreement with the Hungarian Government. List of these employers:
Implementing an investment project of preferential status for national economy considerations.
Employing a Third-country National in the framework of an Intra-corporate Transfer. If this is the case, EU Blue Card is not the applicable residence permit type, please see Residence Permit for the Purpose of Intra-corporste Transfer instead.
a Preferred Employer can file the EU Blue Card application on behalf of its third-country national Employee Candidate online.
if the Preferred Employer does not file the EU Blue Card application on behalf of its third-country national Employee Candidate, the EU Blue Card has to be filed by the Third-country National at the above-mentioned place(s).
Application Fee
in case of new the EU Blue Card application at one of the Consulate of Hungary.
At some Consulates, this amount has to be paid in local currency, or in USD. The method of the payment might also be different: by bank transfer upfront, by credit card or in cash at the place of the application.
HUF 18 000, in case of new EU Blue Card application at the Immigration Office in Hungary.
HUF 10 000, in case of EU Blue Card extension at the Immigration Office in Hungary.
Citizens of Ukraine are exempt to pay the above application fees.
Time period of decision-making:
not more than 60 days if the Employer is a Preferred Employer (see description above).
not more than 90 days if the Employer is not a Preferred Employer (see description above).
Rights
Work in Hungary for the Hungarian Employer which the residence permit was applied for.
Change the Hungarian employer after two years by keeping the same EU Blue Card. Changing a Hungarian employer can be made only one time without applying for another residence permit or EU Blue Card.
Stay in other Schengen country up to 90 days within any 180-day period of time without obtaining a C-type Schengen visa (passport and the EU Blue Card is required when staying in other Schengen country).
Study at a Hungarian Higher Education Institution even in a state-funded program.
in parallel with the employment (if this is not prohibited by the Employer).
In order to be a Private Entrepreneur, separate registration has to be made at the Government Office (i.e. this is not related to the Immigration Office) after the EU Blue Card is applied.
Obligations
within three days counted from the first day being in Hungary.
The report has to be made in the Immigration Office on a prescribed form. This form has to be signed by the accommodation provider as well (if the Hungarian accommodation is not an own propoerty).
Inform the Immigration Office about the birth of his/her child, if the child was born in the territory of Hungary and having third-country nationality only.
Report the termination of the employment to the Immigration Office within five days.
Report the start of the employment to the Immigration Office within five days.
Report the intention of changing the Hungarian Employer in the first two years having the EU Blue Card or if changing the Hungarian Employer for the second time. The report has to be made to the Immigration Office, which results the obigation of another EU Blue Card or Residence Permit application.
Notify the Immigration Office if his/her Passport or his/her EU Blue Card is stolen, lost or destroyed.
Inform the Immigration Office if his/her Passport or his/her EU Blue Card that was believed to be lost (and this fact was reported to the Immigration Office) was finally found.
Hand in his/her EU Blue Card to the Immigration Office within eight days, if it becomes invalid.
Services & Pricing
EU Blue Card (Employee's obligation)
Service Title:
Obtaining EU Blue Card
We offer in this service:
compile a list of all the documents required for the application,
review the application documents,
assist in preparing the application package,
give guidance in booking an appointment at the Consulate of Hungary or at the Immigration Office to initiate the application procedure,
send the application package to your Employee for submission at the Consulate of Hungary or accompany him/her to the Immigration Office to file the application, if the application takes place in Hungary.
Pricing:
In case of more than one individual, we provide discount from our standard price of 1,200 EUR*.
* As an introductory offer we provide 20% discount from our fees above. The above fees do not include value added tax and reasonable additional costs, such as costs of posting or courier services (if any).
Notifications (Employer's obligation)
An Employer, who employs a Third-country National, has to notify the Immigration Office if the Third-country National starts working, the Third-country National does not start his/her authorised work or the work is cancelled within the period that was authorised by the Hungarian authorities.
We help the Hungarian Employer in fulfilling this notification obligation according to the description below.
Service Title:
Fulfilling Notification Obligation
We offer in this service:
clarify the subject of the notification,
collect information required for the notification,
prepare the notification,
send the notification to the responsible authority.
Pricing:
In case of more than one notification, we provide discount from our standard price of 50 EUR*.
The above fees do not include value added tax and reasonable additional costs, such as costs of posting or courier services (if any).
Deregistration (Employee's obligation)
A Third-country National has to fulfill a deregistratioin process if his/her EU Blue Card becomes invalid (i.e., it expires, or the Third-country National gives up his/her Hungarian stay earlier than the EU Blue Card's expiry date, or the conditions underlying the issuance of the EU Blue Card has ceased to exist). As part of this process, the EU Blue Card has to be handed over to the competent directorate of the Immigration Office. In case of a EU Blue Card extension, the old EU Blue Card has to be handed over to the Immigration Office at the same time, when the new one is collected (in this case our deregistration service below is not necessary).
We help your Employee meet this deregistration requirement according to the description below.
Service Title:
Completing Immigration Deregistration
We offer in this service:
collect the information required for the deregistration,
prepare the deregistration letter,
deliver the deregistration letter and your EU Blue Card to the competent directorate of the Immigration Office.
Pricing:
In case of more than one individual, we provide discount from our standard price of 20 EUR*.
* As an introductory offer we provide 20% discount from our fees above. The above fees do not include value added tax and reasonable additional costs, such as costs of posting or courier services (if any).