CHANGE in residence permit applications for employment purpose
As per Government Decree 450/2024. (XII. 23.) effective from 01 January 2025, new residence permit applications may be approved only for those third country nationals, whose home countries have an existing readmission agreement* with Hungary or the European Union. Without such an agreement in effect, only those third country nationals may be employed in Hungary, whose home countries have a state accredited organization or office in Hungary, responsible for making sure that if a permit holder doesn’t comply with relevant Hungarian and EU laws and regulations related to their stay and employment, they will leave the territory of Hungary and return to their home country. As of now, nationals of Georgia, Armenia and the Philippines fulfil this requirement.
* A readmission agreement is an agreement between the EU or Hungary and a third country on the basis of reciprocity, establishing rapid and effective procedures for the identification and safe and orderly return of persons who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry to, presence in, or residence in the territories of the third country or one of the EU Member States, and to facilitate the transit of such persons in a spirit of cooperation.
Kindly note that if you submit an application against the above-mentioned law change, your application will most likely be refused if you are not a national of Georgia, Armenia or the Philippines.
Short stay vs long stay
With a valid Schengen visa you may stay up to 90 days in the Schengen Area within any 180 days (e.g. tourism, visiting family or friends, attending a conference). For a stay exceeding 90 days (e.g. employment, studies), you need to apply for a residence permit.
Schengen visas are subject to EU regulations, whereas residence permit applications fall under national competence.
For general information on Schengen visa policy, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa_en
For general information on travelling to Hungary, please visit https://konzinfo.mfa.gov.hu/en
For general information on residence permit applications, please visit https://oif.gov.hu/residing-in-Hungary
Where can I apply?
Applications can be submitted to our partner company, VFS Global in Abu Dhabi (The Mall, World Trade Centre, Level B2) or Dubai (Wafi Mall, 1st Floor, Phase 5 – Horus, Umm Hurrair 2). Family members of EEA citizens (EXCLUDING Hungarian citizens) may apply directly at our Embassy – kindly contact us for further information.
For further information and booking, please visit: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/are/en/hun/
EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer, guest investor visa, national card and self-employment residence permit applications can be submitted to our Embassy only – for booking, kindly contact us via e-mail at consulate.abu@mfa.gov.hu
Please note that you can apply in the UAE only if you are a citizen OR resident here.
Please also note that if your main destination is not Hungary, you should apply at the consulate of your main destination – for example:
- You wish to visit Spain only – apply to Spain
- You wish to visit Italy for 7 days and Hungary for 3 days – apply to Italy
- You wish to visit Hungary only – apply to Hungary
- You wish to visit Hungary for 5 days, Austria for 4 days and the Czech Republic for 3 days – apply to Hungary
When can I apply?
For Schengen visas, you may apply no sooner than 6 months but no later than 15 days prior to your departure date. You are advised to apply as soon as possible.
For residence permit applications, please be mindful of your planned employment start date or the beginning of the semester at university, keeping in mind that it could take months.
What do I need to know?
Since the majority of our applications are taken by VFS Global, you are kindly advised to visit their website for checklists, forms, fees and deadlines: https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/hungary/uae/english/index.html
For applications that are only taken at our Embassy (EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer, guest investor visa, national card and self-employment residence permit), you are advised to visit the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing’s website https://oif.gov.hu/
Deadlines and fees
The Schengen visa procedure is 15 days which could be extended to 30 days in some cases. In exceptional cases, when additional documents are required, the deadline may be extended to 60 days.
Residence permit procedure is 21 days – not including requests to provide additional documents, consultation with professional authorities etc. De facto this usually takes 2-4 months.
Fees can be found on VFS Global’s website and also on our Embassy’s website: https://abudhabi.mfa.gov.hu/asset/view/194384/%C3%81rt%C3%A1blahonlapra20250101.pdf
Appeal process
You have 8 calendar days from the time you received your refusal note to appeal the decision in person at our Embassy or 3 days from the time you received the decision on the annulment or revocation of your visa.
Appeals can be lodged Mon-Thu between 9 AM and 12 PM & Fri 9-11 AM, no need to book ahead.
For the appeal you’ll need the following:
- Refusal note
- Appeal letter in which you elaborate why you think you were wrongfully rejected and clarify any details you think would be helpful for the immigration officer reviewing your appeal
- Any additional documents that haven’t been submitted yet or new bookings, etc.
- Debit card to pay fees – the fee is non-refundable and must be paid by all applicants (even if the visa procedure was free)
Please be aware that processing time for the appeals takes 15 days which may be extended once by 21 days. Kindly be mindful of this when rearranging your travel plans.
For further information about the appeal process please check the information on your refusal note.
Data Protection: https://konzinfo.mfa.gov.hu/en/data-protection