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Residence Permit for a Private Entrepreneur in Hungary


General Description

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 any consecutive 180 days. However, in some cases (e.g., due to being a Family Member of an EEA Citizen) other type(s) of immigration document(s) (a Residence Card) has to be obtained. Please see more details on obtaining a Residence Card for a Private Entrepreneur.

If you are aiming to stay in Hungary for a period more than 90 days within a 180 day period and your primary aim with your Hungarian stay is to be a Private Entrepreneur, a Residence Permit for the pursuit of Gainful Activity has to be obtained for you. This type of residence permit is applicable only if you do not intend to be employed by a Hungarian Employer. If you intend to be employed in parallel with your Private Entrepreneurship, a Residence Permit for the Purpose of Employment might be the correct residence permit type for you.

When can you apply for this residence permit type?

  • If you have third-country citizenship(s) only.
  • If you do not enter Hungary with or you do not join to an EEA Citizen to whom you are considered a family member.
  • If you will work in Hungary as a Private Entrepreneur.
  • If you will not be employed by a Hungarian Organisation.
  • Validity Period

  • at least ,
  • If you do not have a valid Hungarian residence permit (i.e., applying for the first time), you have to apply for at least 91 days Hungarian stay period.
  • not more than .
  • The legal Hungarian stay and work can be extended by further three years by applying for a residence permit extension at least 30 days before the expiry of the current residence permit. Therefore, you can stay and work as a Private Entrepreneur in Hungary for a period longer than 3 years, however, in order for this, you need to go through a residence permit extension procedure. Please also kindly note that if you leave the territory of Hungary for more than 90 days within any 180-day period when holding a Hungarian reisdence permit, this residence permit cannot be extended but a new reisdence permit application procedure has to be initiated. The main difference between the residence permit extension and the new residence permit application mainly means that if the residence permit is not extended, but a new one is applied for, you have to leave the territory of the EU and Schengen when the current residence permit expires, and submit a new residence permit application at the appropriate places (please see description on the appropriate places below). In turn, if the residence permit is extended, the application for the extended residence permit has to be filed in Hungary.

    Place of Application

    The place of your residence permit application may differ based on your citizenship, your habitual residence or the fact whether you apply for a new residence permit (e.g., applying for the first time) or a Hungarian residence permit extension.

    A) if you have citizenship(s) only:
    You have to apply for a "new" residence permit (i.e., technically it cannot be extended) if you do not have a valid Hungarian residence permit, or you have, but it remains valid less than 30 days when you submit your 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 your citizenship, or
  • Consulate of Hungary located in the country of your habitual residence.

  • B) if you have (irrespectively whether you have visa-free or visa-required citizenship):
    You have to apply for a "new" residence permit (i.e., technically it cannot be extended) if you do not have a valid Hungarian residence permit, or you have, but it remains valid less than 30 days when you submit your 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 your citizenship,
  • Consulate of Hungary located in the country of your habitual residence, or
  • Immigration Office (official name: National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing), the appropriate directorate is located in the region of the prospective Hungarian accommodation.

  • C) of Third-country Nationals:
    Residence permit extension means another residence permit application in Hungary if having a Hungarian residence permit that remains valid more than 30 days counted from the date of the residence permit extension. Please kindly note that if you leff the territory of Hungary for more than 90 days within any 180-day period when holding a Hungarian reisdence permit, this residence permit cannot be extended but a new reisdence permit application procedure has to be initiated. I.e. has to leave the territory of the EU and Schengen countries and apply for the new residence permit at one of the above-mentioned places.
  • Immigration Office (the appropriate directorate is located in the region of the prospective Hungarian accommodation).

  • Application Fee

  • in case of a new residence permit application at one of the Consulate of Hungary.
  • At some Consulates, this amount has to be paid in local currency, in USD or in EUR. 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 24 000, in case of a new residence permit application, when the application takes place in Hungary and initiated via the online application platform of the immigration authority. If the application is submitted without using the online application platform, i.e., all the documents are submitted in the Immigration Office in original, the application fee is HUF 39 000.
  • HUF 23 000, in case of a residence permit extension that is initiated via the online application platform of the immigration authority. If the application is submitted without using the online application platform, i.e., all the documents are submitted in the Immigration Office in original, the application fee is HUF 35 000.

  • Citizens of Ukraine and Belarus are exempt to pay the above-mentioned application fees.

    Time period of decision-making:

  • not more than 21 days.
  • Rights:

  • Work as a Private Entrepreneur.
  • Stay in other Schengen-country up to 90 days within any 180-day period without obtaining a C-type Schengen visa (your passport and this issued residence permit is required when travelling and staying in other Schengen countries).
  • Obligations:

  • within 3 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).
  • Report the birth of your child, if the child was born in the territory of Hungary and having third-country citizenship(s) only.
  • Notify the Immigration Office if your Passport or your Residence Permit is stolen, lost or destroyed.
  • Inform the Immigration Office if your Passport or your Residence Permit that was believed to be lost (and this fact was reported to the Immigration Office) was finally found.
  • Hand in your Residence Permit to the Immigration Office within eight days, if it becomes invalid.



  • Services & Pricing

    Residence Permit for the Pursuit of Gainful Activity

    Service Title:
    Obtaining Residence Permit for the Pursuit of Gainful Activity

    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 you for submission at the Consulate of Hungary or accompany you to the Immigration Office to file the application, if the application takes place in Hungary.

  • Pricing:
    *The above-mentioned fee does not include value added tax and reasonable additional costs, such as costs of posting or courier services (if any).

    Deregistration

    You have to fulfill a deregistratioin process if your residence permit becomes invalid (i.e., it expires, or you give up your Hungarian stay earlier than the residence permit's expiry date, or the conditions underlying the issuance of your residence permit has ceased to exist). As part of this process, your residence permit has to be handed over to the competent directorate of the Immigration Office. In case of a residence permit extension, the old residence permit 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 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 residence permit to the competent directorate of the Immigration Office.

  • Price:

    The above-mentioned fee does not include value added tax and reasonable additional costs, such as costs of posting or courier services (if any).

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