The Hungarian government has introduced two new work permits (work permits) allowing low and high-skilled workers to work in the country. These regulations are a part of new immigration rules decided on 1 March 2024. According to the European Commission website, the implementation of these rules was decided to be set off from 1 March, but still, the process has not been completed.
The government has also introduced a guest investor visa which is a form of Golden Visa. This will be in effect from 1 July 2024. To be eligible, one will have to invest in a real state fund for a minimum amount of 250,000 EUR and will get 10+10 years of residence.
The government has also suspended the application from TCNs. The exceptions will be there for those applying for residence permits for the national interest and after approval from the ministry. The applications that have not been decided yet and were lodged before 31 December 2023 will be dealt with according to the old regulations.
The government has also announced extensions till 30 April 2024 for the residence permits and permanent residues which were due to expire between 1 January and 29 February 2024.
The country has been exercising 18 different types of residence permits in the past, now these have been increased to 24. From these, 8 alone have been allocated for employment purposes. The new immigration law will however affect the already implemented residence permit regulations. The residence permits previously used for other titles have also been abolished.
The new immigration law separates the residence permits into high-skilled and low-skilled guest worker residence permits. The holders of later:
- can not apply for permanent residency,
- nor can they sponsor their family members;
- their residence permits would now only be extended for a maximum period of three years. Afterward, they will have to apply for a new residence permit.
On the other hand, the low-skilled guest workers would now only be able to apply if they are from eligible countries, are from specific sectors, and hold sponsorship for assigned employers.
Who is a guest worker?
A guest worker is a person who:
- who, based on his legal relationship for employment, wishes to perform actual work for another person or under his direction, in return for a consideration,
- whose employment in Hungary is based on an existing employment relationship with an employer established in a third country to fulfill an agreement concluded with a domestic employer (in which case the domestic employer is considered to be his employer.
Who can be issued a guest worker residence permit?
A guest worker residence permit may be issued to a guest worker who
- whose purpose of residence is to carry out actual work in Hungary for another person or under his/her supervision based on his/her legal relationship for employment, in return for consideration,
- whose employer is a registered preferential employer or a registered qualified lender,
- who is a citizen of a third country as defined in the decree issued by the minister responsible for the employment of third-country nationals in Hungary with the approval of the Defense Council, and
- whose employment takes place in an occupation that is not excluded in the announcement of the minister responsible for employment policy.
Guest Investor Visa
This residence permit will be in effect from 1 July 2024. The implementation of the following investments must be considered to be in the national economic interest:
- acquisition of investment certificates of at least EUR 250,000 issued by a real estate fund registered by the Hungarian National Bank,
- acquisition of ownership rights in a residential property free of lawsuits, encumbrances, and claims, with a value of at least EUR 500,000, located naturally in the geographic territory of Hungary, registered according to the geographic number in the real estate register, or
- providing a monetary donation of at least 1,000,000 euros to a higher education institution maintained by a public-interest trust foundation performing a public task, to support educational, scientific research, and artistic creative activities.