Visa Information

Entry conditions for foreigners under
visa obligation for up to 90 days

Visa free entry depends on the citizenship of the applicant. Citizens of many countries do not need a visa to visit Hungary for stays up to 90 days. Please check the country list if you are not sure whether you need a visa. Please, check also here.

A visa is only a preliminary permission for entry, which does not authorize its bearer automatically to enter the country. The traveler may be requested to provide proof of the existence of the conditions of his entry and stay in Hungary and, if he is not able to fulfill this, he may be returned from the border.

Basic rules for the issuance of Schengen visas

The types of Schengen visas

Airport transit visa (A): authorizes the bearer to enter the international zone of the airport and to remain there until the time of the departure of the flight to the destination country. Only nationals of the following states are obliged to apply for an airport transit visa: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria

Transit visa (B): authorizes the bearer to a single, double or multiple transits, not exceeding 5 days at a time.

Short stay visa (C): authorizes the bearer to a single, double or multiple entries and, in case of an uninterrupted stay, to a stay of maximum 90 days, while in case of an interrupted stay, to a stay of altogether maximum 90 days within the 6 months counted from the date of the first entry.

Attention!

In case you have to transfer in Ferihegy 1 Airport or your flight arrives to Ferihegy 1 and your transfer flight departs from Ferihegy 2 or you have to transfer between Ferihegy 2B (which is Schengen outer border) and Ferihegy 2A (which is Schengen inner border) or vice versa, you must be in possession of a Schengen transit visa.

Where to submit a visa application?

Schengen visa applications have to be submitted at the representation of the country which is the main destination of the visit. (If visiting several states with stays of approximately the same duration the consulate responsible for issuing the visa is that of the country of the first entry into the Schengen area.)

Thus, according to the above described Schengen regulations applicants having Hungary as the main destination, or the country of first entry in case of a trip stretching through several Schengen Member States can submit their visa applications at the Hungarian representations.

Practical example: If you wish to travel around Europe for three weeks, spending two weeks in Austria and one in Hungary, you should apply for the schengen visa at the Austrian consulate.

It is sometimes difficult to determine the main destination, for example where the traveler intends to make several consecutive short stays of approximately the same length in various Schengen States. In this case, you should go to the consulate of the first country you intend to visit.

Practical example: A businessman plans a trip to Europe to meet business partners in various European capitals, in each of which he will stay for one or two days. He has booked a trip to Frankfurt, from which he will continue on his journey. In this case, the appropriate consulate is the German consulate.

Attention!

According to the Schengen rules border posts do normally not issue visas, except for family members of EEA citizens and only under extraordinary circumstances for other third country nationals (e.g. entry with a purpose of attending the funeral service of a deceased family member, when it can be proved that there has not been any possibility to apply for a visa beforehand).

Which of the Hungarian consulates is responsible for issuing a visa?

Once it has been established that a Hungarian consulate is responsible for issuing a schengen visa, it has to be chosen which one of them. The general rule is that an application can be handed in to the consulate which is in the country

• Where the applicant has a habitual residence
• Whose citizen the applicant is

If there is no Hungarian consulate in the country where the applicant has his/her habitual residence the visa application can be handed in at any Hungarian consulate.

In the United States, the visa application shall be submitted to the Hungarian representation competent according to the permanent or usual place of residence of the foreigner (see chart). The visa shall be submitted in person, but the visa issuing authority may waive the obligation of personal submission.

Who can submit a visa application?

• As a general rule, the applicant can submit personally his/her own or his/her family member’s visa application,
• In case of organized tourist trips, an accredited travel agency may submit the visa application
• In case of group travel – other than organized tourist trip –, the application may be submitted by a representative sufficiently authorized.

Attention!

• The above listed exceptions to the obligation to submit the application personally don’t however exclude that the consul, if s/he deems it necessary, may call the applicant to a personal interview.
• The authorization is only valid for submitting the application and for collecting the issued visa, however the application form has to be signed by each applicant personally.
• In countries with a vast territory or where there is no Hungarian foreign representation competent to issue visas or where Hungary is not represented by another Schengen Member State, the honorary consuls are also entitled to receive visa applications with the purpose of transferring them to the competent Hungarian consulate.
• Due to the vast territory of the USA, visa applications are also accepted by certified mail if the travel destination is Hungary and no other Schengen state
• Consulates may receive visa applications at the earliest 3 months before the beginning of the visit.

The Consulate General of Hungary announces changes in visa fees from April 15, 2009

Visa Fees

1. Application for an airport transit visa (A), transit visa (B) or short-term entry visa (C): 79 USD
2. Negotiated fees for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine: 47 USD

Visas issued for free of charge:

• children under the age of 14 and entered into the passport of the parent
• family members of EEA citizens
• children under the age of 6, traveling with their own passports
• school pupils and students and their accompanying teachers on study or educational trips travelling in groups 5 or more
• schoolchildren/high school students involved in general education, travelling in groups of 5 or more
• researchers having valid contract with a research institution in Hungary

Attention!

• The visa fee shall be paid when the application is submitted
• The consulate does not charge any further fees other than the above for is
• Fees are non-refundable, regardless whether the visa has been granted and issued or the application has been withdrawn or was denied
• Visa fees are subject to change
• The fee shall be paid in USD
• The consulate can only accept payments in cash, money order or cashier's check
• All documents to be presented in connection with the visa application shall be original. No copies, notarized or not, shall be accepted. Any request for waiving this requirement shall be rejected without further consideration
• Those applying through mail shall enclose a prepaid and self addressed, envelope for certified mail. The Embassy or Consulate General can arrange for pickup of passport/visa by express mail services if the necessary envelope, fee, stamp, account number, etc. are provided
• By handing in the demand for visa and by allowing the passport with visa to be mailed, You release and hold the Hungarian foreign mission and its employees, as well as the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, harmless from any and all damage claims resulting from a possible loss or damage of my documents while in custody or during transport

The documents needed for visa applications

Attention!

If you are planning to visit more Schengen States, then the documents submitted must also contain information on your stay in the other Schengeen States (e.g. if you plan to visit Hungary and the Czech Republic, you must not only hand in proof of hotel reservation in Hungary, but also in the Czech Republic, the same applies to ticket reservations and so on...)

I. General requirements:

• Valid passport which has been issued within the previous ten years (the validity of which has to exceed that of the requested visa by at least 3 months);
• 1 passport-size color photo (not older than 6 months) (SEE: photo requirements )
• an application form wholly, legibly completed (in printed letters) and signed (or downloaded from the website of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• original of valid  US alien registration card (residence permit, aka: green card) or valid  US resident visa (type A, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, O, R)
• A letter from your insurance company stating that you will be covered for at least $ 37.000 during your stay in Europe for any medical and repatriation expenses (see here for more information) or a travel medical insurance (a travel insurance providing cover for at least $ 37.000 for financing urgent health services and homeward transportation due to medical reasons, valid for the whole period of stay and for the territory of every Schengen State).

To fulfill the requirements of the visa application, the applicant, besides meeting these general requirements, shall also supply a certificate of the financial coverage of his expenses, and a certificate of the purpose of the visit:

II. The financial coverage of the expenses shall be certified with one of the following documents:

• an original income certificate of the employer or
• a bank account statement on the account turnover during the last three months or
• a pension slip or
• a certificate of registration in the case of an individual entrepreneur or one-man firm or
• a valid ticket, a certificate of a reserved and prepaid journey, accommodation or
• in the case of minors, a declaration by the legal representative on the coverage of the costs and on the existence of the financial coverage or
• a letter of invitation issued and endorsed by the Hungarian Office of Immigration and Nationality .

III. The purpose of the entry shall be certified with the following documents:

When applying for a transit visa:

• a valid ticket certifying the purpose of the visit; or the certification of a vehicle of transport used and appropriately insured by the foreigner,
• a visa to the destination country, if necessary.

When applying for a short stay visa:

• In case of a tourist visit: the certificate of the travel agency; or in case of an individual visit: the prepaid reservation of accommodation.
• In case of an entry with an educational or other scientific or professional training purpose: the certificate of the receiving institution, the certificate of the envisaged place of accommodation in Hungary
• In case of visiting friends, acquaintances: the letter of invitation issued and endorsed by the Office of Immigration and Nationality  or the letter of invitation in the form of a public notarial document and a photocopy of the personal identification document/passport of the inviting party in Hungary.
• For the purpose of the cultivation of family relations: an invitation letter as described in the previous indent or a letter signed by the applicant in full awareness of his/her criminal liability describing the degree of the family relation, giving the name, address and phone number of the family member and the purpose of the entry and stay.
• In case of an entry for business purposes: in case there already exists a business partner in Hungary: a letter of invitation from the business partner, proof of the existence of commercial business relations; or the certificate of the local chamber of commerce on the existence of business relations, and the certification of the address of the envisaged place of accommodation in Hungary.
• In case of an entry with the purpose of medical treatment: the certificate of the receiving health institution, including reference to the fact that the expected coverage of the medical treatment is available, and other certification of the coverage of the medical treatment, as well as the certification of the address of the expected place of accommodation in Hungary.
• In case of carriers: the certification or request of the carrier firm.
• For the purpose of visiting the grave of a deceased relative buried in the territory of the Republic of Hungary: a document certifying the existence of the grave and the degree of relationship.
• For the purpose of cultural activities: agency contract with the Hungarian service provider, invitation letter issued by the host organization
• For the purpose of sport: accreditation proving the participation in the sports event or contract with the Hungarian sport club, or the certificate issued by the delegating sport club / Olympic committee / Ministry of Sport, etc.
• For the purpose of attending a conference: invitation letter issued by the host organization, confirmation on participation issued by the host organization, and/or a certification issued by the delegating organization; receipt on payment of the registration fee
• In case of other purposes of entry (regular shopping, entertainment, etc.) not listed in any of the above categories: a declaration presenting the purpose of the entry and stay, made in full awareness of the person’s criminal liability.

Attention!

1. The consul may request the presentation of further documents in addition to the ones outlined above.
2. Documents shall be annexed to the applications being submitted in the original. If the client needs the original document later on, then a photocopy shall also be annexed besides presenting the original document.
3. The consulate reserves the right to examine the authenticity of the communicated data and the submitted documents. The communication of false data in itself will lead to the refusal of the visa application.

The time limit for examining visa applications

1. According to law decision upon the visa application decision making process must not exceed 30 days
2. In case of countries with a visa facilitation agreement with the EU this time period is 10 days

Attention!

• We recommend to submit the visa application in due time, especially in periods preceding the summer holidays.
• The consulate may receive visa applications at the earliest 3 months before the beginning of the visit.

Decision making upon visa applications

Decision upon visa applications falls within the competence of the consuls, neither Hungarian nor local administrators may take decisions on applications.

In order to check visa applications the consul

• consults in every case the entry ban list (SIS)
• inspects former visas issued to the applicant
• is liable to consult with competent authorities of other Member States in particular cases
• may consult with the Office of Immigration and Nationality and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• may consult with foreign representations of other Schengen States
• may request an interview with the applicant
• may request the presentation of further documents or certificates in addition to the ones already attached to the application.

Rejection of the visa application

In case of entry ban or doubts concerning the application the consulate will refuse the visa application. Presentation of counterfeit documents is a reason for refusal in itself.

Notification on the reason for refusal can be obtained at the consulate only by the applicant in person. At the applicant’s request the notification can be issued in written form as well.

In case of refusal the consulate will not reimburse the visa fee.

There is no legal remedy against the rejection of an application, however, a complaint concerning the procedure can be lodged. Complaints will be examined in the first instance by the head of the consulate, in the second instance by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In case of refusal a new application may be submitted at any time. In case of a new application the visa fee has to be paid again.

Crossing the external borders

The Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (published in OJ L 105 of 13 April 2006) sets out the conditions for entry into the territory of the Member States. Holding a valid passport and visa (in the case of citizens of third countries where a visa is needed) are only two of the conditions of entry.

The conditions of entry are initially checked by the consulates which examine visa applications.

The conditions of entry are checked a second time when the person presents himself/herself at the external border (land, sea or airport) of the Member States. If the border police decide that a person holding a visa does not fulfill the conditions of entry (for example: the person does not have the necessary means of subsistence for the duration of his/her stay), he/she will be refused entry, even if there is a visa in his/her passport.

Attention!

Visa holders should carry with them supporting documents to demonstrate that they fulfill the conditions of entry, so that they can present them if need be during the checks at the EU border.